We are fortunate at Golden Beach State School to be a part of the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program. For those members of our school community who are not familiar with the program, a kitchen garden is a garden created to provide edible, aromatic and beautiful resources for a kitchen. The philosophy behind the program is that there is no such thing as special food for children - if food is good, then everyone will enjoy it regardless of age.
Throughout the year our children in guided by our garden specialist, Cheryl and our wonderful volunteers, have busily and enthusiastically planted, cared for and harvested a wide variety of fruits, vegetables and herbs. As a result our garden has flourished and provides much of the produce we use in our cooking.
Our kitchen specialist, Fiona, then assists the children as they cook a meal using the freshly grown, organic and unprocessed ingredients. In small groups, the children follow a recipe step by step and prepare their lovely dishes with pride and care. Our kitchen volunteers regularly comment on how great it is to see, and appreciate just what young children are capable of when it comes to the preparation and enjoyment of good food. The children then set the table and the class enjoys a wholesome meal together that they have prepared from scratch. It is here that they have the opportunity to try and discover new flavours and ingredients.
Here at Golden Beach State School, our program is designed to get children gardening and cooking in order to teach them about the joys and benefits of freshly grown food. It provides them with the knowledge to make healthy food choices which will benefit them for years to come.
Our kitchen garden program mainly targets students in Years 4-6, but does work across the whole of the school.