The Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation is growing a food revolution from the ground up! The Minister for Heath and Aging Nicola Roxon announced on 17th October 2011 that St. Patrick's Primary School Pyramid Hill received $54,000 from the federal government to develop a kitchen garden program.

The foundation is changing the way Learners approach and think about food. All around the country, children are enthusiastically getting their hands dirty and learning how to grow, harvest, prepare and share fresh, seasonal food.

The fundamental philosophy that underpins the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program is that by setting good examples and engaging Learners curiosity, as well as their energy and their taste buds, we can provide positive and memorable food experiences that will form the basis of positive lifelong eating habits. As participants in the Kitchen Garden Program, all Learners spend time in a productive veggie garden and home-style kitchen each and every fortnight. There they learn skills that will last them a lifetime, and discover just how much fun it is to grow and cook their own seasonal vegetables and fruits.

What is the program? 

• Each fortnight all Learners spend one hour working in the garden. Learners then use the food harvested to prepare a shared lunch.
• The program aims to introduce pleasurable food education into primary schools.
• The program not only exposes the Learner to a variety of flavours but aims to educate Learners on the health benefits of fresh seasonal food. 
• Dishes cooked reflect the vegetables, herbs and fruits grown season by season, by the Learners in the organic garden. 
• Our desserts are predominantly fruit based and a “sometimes” only.
• The program is integrated into all curriculum areas and explicit connections are made throughout the sessions. Learning is reinforced in Literacy, Numeracy, Science, Languages and Personal and Social Capabilities. 
• The program provides opportunities for the children to interact in a new social setting with a focus on teamwork and group planning.
• Parents are an important part of the program and can assist by being volunteers, guiding planters or simply joining us for a Friday lunch. 

We are extremely lucky to have our very own Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation School in Sandhurst –

St. Patrick's Primary School Pyramid Hill.

For furher information visit the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation website

http://www.kitchengardenfoundation.org.au/