New milestones with Cities for Better Health

The Logan Kitchen Garden Project: Cities for Better Health is a significant community project on Yugambeh Country in Queensland, aimed at addressing local health inequities.

Last November, Logan became the first Australian City to join the global Novo Nordisk Cities for Better Health network. Building impactful prevention partnerships at the city level, with the aim of promoting and expanding local community priorities, the network has partnered with the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation to contribute to positive food education for preschool and primary school-aged children.

Close to 2700 children across four schools and seven early childhood services in Logan will be directly impacted from the partnership, with the ripple effects into home and community reaching even more residents. 

• Eagleby South State School (Logan Kitchen Garden Project learning hub)
• Berrinba East State School
• Eagleby State School
• Mabel Park State School
• C&K Woodridge North Community Kindergarten
• Kiwi Kids Childcare Centre
• Kingston Tiny Tots Learning Centre
• 123 Grow Child Care Centre
• Harmony Early Education Yarrabilba
• Deadly Kindy Jajumbora
• Deadly Kindy Burragah

All participating schools and services have received a two-year Kitchen Garden Program membership and an infrastructure grant to kickstart their food education journey with items they need to ‘start small and dream big’. This might include garden tools, garden beds, cooking appliances or even a chicken coop!

Their Kitchen Garden Program membership enables the educators to confidently deliver hands-on food education to suit their school or service and gain access to professional development sessions and ongoing coordination and support from the Foundation’s expert team.

The first steps

The Foundation team visited the new Logan members to embed kitchen and garden learning over a full day of hands-on education for educators.

Gathering at Eagleby State School, excited educators shared their hopes for their budding Kitchen Garden Programs. The Foundation’s passionate team walked the group through practical, easy-to-implement kitchen and garden activities:

• Setting up kitchen and garden learning spaces.
• Ideas and inspiration for their first kitchen and garden classes.
• How to get started with the resources and capabilities they already have in place.

"All the activities have given me confidence and more in-depth ideas to run with the children." — Woodridge C&K Community Kindergarten

Building strong roots

In the garden, educators were taught the essentials of gardening with kids, including how to garden with a class of young children safely and harmoniously. Everyone rolled up their sleeves to learn sustainable garden activities to take back to their schools and services, and empower children to:

• Plant seasonal seedlings suitable for their climate zone.
• Fill a garden bed with nutrient-dense soil.
• Start a composting system.

Sharing global flavours

After washing up from garden duties, the learning moved into the kitchen to explore flexible kitchen set-ups and quick, simple and delicious recipes like dips, flatbreads and pasta made by machine and hand. Everyone learnt through direct practice how to run a kitchen class for children. It was incredible teamwork, utilising just one stove and one sink.

Educators were delighted to share their vibrant, delicious dishes around a table of exhilarating conversation and new friendships. Here’s what was on the menu:

• Beetroot raita with sweet potato flatbreads
• Fettucine with tomato and basil pasta sauce
• Capunti pasta with parsley pesto
• Warrigal greens and ricotta fritters

Leaning on their wonderful community and the opportunities granted through the Logan Kitchen Garden Project: Cities for Better Health, these local educators are primed to embed positive health, wellbeing and sustainability habits in their younger generations.

For more information and to get involved with the Logan Kitchen Garden Project: Cities for Better Health initiative, please reach out to our Project Lead Suzie Wilton: suzie.wilton@kitchengardenfoundation.org.au