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Pleasurable food education sparks a sense of wonder and connection among children and young people, helping them explore the world of delicious, wholesome food through enjoyable, interactive experiences. This journey equips children and young people with useful abilities, a fondness for seasonal ingredients, and a joyful, self-assured, and nourishing bond with food. It starts with those first moments of pleasurable food education and lasts a lifetime.
The Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation is a not-for-profit whose flagship Kitchen Garden Program supports educators to develop their own kitchen garden journey that suits their specific and unique needs, and most-importantly, shares the joys of pleasurable food education.
Start small, dream big
At the Kitchen Garden Foundation, members are encouraged to start small and dream big. Just as a tiny seed gradually transforms into a vibrant plant, so do aspirations and passions grow with patient dedication. From learning to mix batter to cultivating a small herb garden, each humble endeavour empowers children and lays the foundation for a positive and healthy relationship with food, for life.
Hawthorn Early Years’ kitchen garden began in 2019 with some raised garden beds and a dedicated leader in Rachel Konstantinou. ‘We start with our littlest learners, offering sensory experiences for the beginning of their journey’ says Rachel.
The Kitchen Garden Foundation can help your kitchen garden dreams blossom into a reality, all you need to do is begin (and they’ll help you there too!). Embrace the beauty of starting small, for it is often the smallest beginnings that pave the way to the grandest harvests of achievement and fulfillment in the kitchen, the garden, and life itself.
‘Having the resources available from the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation and [resource hub] the Shared Table has been helpful since the beginning of our program and our program grows each year along with the resources available,’ says Rachel.
Finding what works for your unique space
From mashing pre-boiled potatoes to shaping pasta dough, little bursts of kitchen inspiration litter the school day at Clarendon Children’s Centre. These brief experiences of opt-in, hands-on, play-based learning form the centre’s ‘roaming kitchen,’ an innovative approach to facilitate cooking experiences with young children.
Julie Lemmon, the centre cook, ‘roams’ around the different rooms several times per week, armed with a portable kitchen trolly, offering children a full and vibrant cooking experience. ‘We are not changing habits here, we are creating them,’ said Julie.
Clarendon Children’s Centre doesn’t have a dedicated, permanent kitchen, but they have created their own practical example of how to create a flexible kitchen space in an early childhood setting. As with all education spaces, early childhood spaces are unique in their capacity, learning spaces, and needs.
‘Pleasurable food education should be a pleasure for all the participants, children and facilitators alike. Finding an approach that works for you and your unique service is the key to the success of your program. I absolutely love the ‘roaming kitchen’ example/method. In the end, it is our shared goal to have as many Australian children involved in growing and eating their own seasonal food as possible,’ says Natasha Grogan, Kitchen Garden Program Manager.
Taking the first step
If you’re chasing enjoyment, empowerment, and hands-on, pleasure-based education, a kitchen garden is for you. To get started on your kitchen garden adventure, you can join a free information session on beginning your kitchen garden journey. This webinar offers hands-on advice and clever techniques to craft captivating kitchen and garden moments even when resources and space are constrained.
Register for the free information session, ‘Start Small, Dream Big’ via the Foundation website.
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