Generous Grant Takes Children from the Garden to the Kitchen
Tuesday 19 May 2009, 10:53AM
By Four Winds Foundation
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More East Tamaki Primary students can now enjoy fresh vegetables straight from the garden thanks to a recent $5,000 grant from the Four Winds Foundation, with the promise of more to come.
The grant was used to purchase timber, soil, mulch, irrigation and untreated macrocarpa to build a new vegetable patch, doubling the size of the school’s existing vegetable garden, ensuring healthy eating and living is very much part of the school curriculum.
East Tamaki Primary School Principal Sarah Mirams says the vegetable garden has been developed as part of the ‘Garden to Table’ initiative designed to provide primary aged children positive experiences with nutritious food that will form the basis for good life-long eating habits.
Developed in Australia, where up to 200 primary schools receive government assistance to support the ‘Garden to Table’ programme, the aim is to introduce children to the joy of planting, growing, harvesting, cooking and eating together, at an early age. Students are involved in the entire process from planting the seeds in the garden to sharing what they grow at the table.
About 100 year 5 and 6 students (aged 9-11 years) help tend the garden at the decile 1 school. The children, with the help of community volunteers, spend a morning every fortnight either picking the vegetables or preparing the vegetables for a shared lunch. Throughout the year, the groups alternate between the garden and the kitchen learning both gardening and meal preparation skills.
“The concept is really working well,” says Ms Mirams. “The children have really embraced the idea. They are very keen on the garden and what they are able to grow.”
The initiative aims to address child health issues, including obesity and diabetes caused by an unhealthy diet and lack of exercise, by having children take an interest in where food comes from and how it can be turned into nutritious meals.
“We are getting very good feedback from parents,” says Ms Mirams. “Many of the children and their parents are now growing vegetables at home for the first time.”
Ms Mirams says the programme has produced a number of positive spin-offs from a social and health perspective. “It’s getting the children, volunteers and teachers talking to each other and we’ve noticed very good interaction from the students which is reflected in a better appreciation for learning at school.
“We’re keen to get the healthy living and eating idea taken right through the school and the community to ensure our families are eating and living well. Thanks to the grant, more of our students can take part in the programme,” she says.
Four Winds Foundation chairman Ari Hallenberg says the request from East Tamaki Primary was one his trust had no hesitation in funding.
“We are keen to support organisations and groups who play such a vital role in the community,” he says. “We regard $5,000 for East Tamaki Primary to increase their vegetable garden as a great investment for the future of young people in the area. And we will look to support them again.”