Stephanie Alexander Kitchen and Garden Program

Growing, Harvesting, Preparing, and Sharing

Pleasurable food education inspires children and young people to understand and connect with fresh, seasonal and delicious food through fun, hands-on learning. This approach empowers children and young people to develop skills, an appreciation of seasonal produce, and a positive, confident and healthy relationship with food — for life.

-Stephanie Alexander

Ascot Vale Heights School is proud to run the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program. The program offers hands-on experiences and strives to develop skills in teamwork, problem solving, creative thinking and enhanced communication, whilst maintaining a strong link to curriculum.

All primary and secondary classes are involved in the SAKGP. Classes are broken up into small groups and supported to complete activities in a kitchen and garden setting.

Alongside garden specialists the students participate in activities such as composting, soil preparation, planting seeds, weeding, watering, harvesting fruit and vegetables, garden designing and collecting seed. The garden is home to our pet chickens and worm farm and our students actively participate in their care. Learning about beneficial insects and building welcoming habits to invite them to our garden has also been a focus. We tie all this into the seasons, learning what and when our produce can be planted and harvested. At the end of each session, students come together to share their garden experiences with peers.

The connection between garden and cooking is made clear when seasonal produce is transported from the garden to the kitchen and incorporated into the menu. Students work in small groups at cooking workstations, following instructions and visual recipes to make a meal. Students practice following hygiene controls such as washing their hands before cooking and tying back long hair. Students are encouraged to work as independently as possible to build skills and confidence through using appropriate kitchen equipment. On completion, everyone sits down together to enjoy the meal. Rotating through specific tasks, the students rinse dishes and stack the dishwasher, vacuuming, and put the washing away. Finally, students come together to find out who is ‘Chef of the Week’.