Kitchen Garden

KITCHEN GARDEN AND FOOD TECHNOLOGY PROGRAMS

In 2023, Montrose Primary School proudly introduced a Kitchen Garden Program to our Grade 3 and 4 curriculums. This fun, hands on program is designed to empower students with the essential knowledge and skills to grow, harvest and cook their own fresh fruit and vegetables.

 

Complementing this program, Food Technology classes also commenced for Grades Prep – 2 and 5 – 6 to further enhance students’ positive connection with food, and the skills to prepare their own meals.

 

Each of these programs allows students to explore their world, develop new social connections, work collaboratively, think creatively, build confidence and learn authentically in a stimulating and engaging environment.

 

KITCHEN GARDEN PROGRAM

In our purpose-built kitchen, dining/classroom and soon to be completed garden, students actively participate in all stages of food production and preparation; connecting them with the food they eat, the environment they live in and the people they share their meals with.

Students learn the benefits of growing and consuming fresh seasonal produce. This develops a greater awareness and appreciation for healthy foods and the importance of making healthy food choices. The Kitchen Garden Program provides a safe space for children to try new things, and this often leads to students incorporating new healthy foods into their diet.

Our Kitchen Garden Program runs for 12 months, commencing in the second half of Grade 3 and concluding with a graduation mid-year of Grade 4. In weekly Kitchen Garden lessons, classes are divided into two groups, which alternate fortnightly between cooking and learning in the Kitchen Garden Classroom.

In cooking sessions, a culturally diverse recipe schedule is developed to make the most of seasonal produce and to teach students a wide range of cooking skills and techniques.  Using produce from the garden, students learn how to prepare healthy meals. At the end of all cooking sessions students set tables for themselves and their class guests and come together to share their prepared meal in the dining area.

In the Kitchen Garden Classroom, students have planted herbs, investigated the levels of sugar in popular foods, designed & produced food packaging, created their own food advertisements and filmed cooking shows.

In our new outdoor learning space, students will acquire gardening skills and knowledge by preparing, propagating, planting, composting, feeding, watering, weeding, harvesting and caring for a real garden. Gardening activities will provide real life experiences that will help children to learn about our climate, eco systems, plant life cycles and the importance of sustainability.

In both kitchen and garden sessions, groups have responsibility for their own tasks, their tools and their work areas. This ownership builds a sense of pride and accountability and often brings out the best in students, encouraging them to work together to achieve their common tasks.

 

The Kitchen Garden learning environment fosters a strong sense of togetherness as we grow, cook and share together.

 

       

 

FOOD TECHNOLOGY

For all classes not participating in the Kitchen Garden Program, Food Technology classes are provided twice a year. Recipes are designed to cover a savoury and a sweet meal and are programmed to meet the skill level of each year level. After 5 years of Food Technology and a full year of Kitchen Garden classes, children leave Montrose Primary School with a sound level of basic cooking skills and a suite of recipes that they can cook at home.

 

     

 

Our Kitchen Garden and Food technology Programs have inspired a passion for cooking throughout the school, with many students utilising their diverse skills to cook for and with their families.

 

        

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