Kitchen Garden for Secondary Years – Vivienne Holman's perspective

You can now book a one-on-one catch-up with Vivienne on the second Tuesday of the month to talk through any aspect of your Kitchen Garden Program for Secondary Years.

What do you see as the possibilities for secondary schools taking on/running a Kitchen Garden program?

The possibilities are limitless, with member schools adapting the program to suit their students and school. Currently we have schools using it as an alternate program to re-engage students, others as part of a culinary excellence program, a semester kitchen garden program, or part of the mandatory Year 7 and 8 Design and Technology course, while other schools have made links to VCAL and VET programs.

A key thing to consider is the needs of your community and to take into account your resources – physical and human. We recommend starting small: trial integrating the kitchen and or garden into one curriculum area and expand from there.

What are the benefits of kitchen gardens for young people and secondary schools as a whole?

Young people have the chance to be actively involved in the growing, harvesting, preparing and sharing of food. They develop life-long positive food habits and other benefits are enormous: 

• spending time outdoors
• a chance for all students to shine and lead, and increase their confidence
• developing friendships and assisting with inclusion 
• slowing the pace to be in the moment – getting back to basics
• introducing career pathways around gardening, sustainability and cooking
• having fun while acquiring life skills
• trying new foods, tastes and culinary combinations
• hands-on learning about where food comes from.

For schools the benefits are vast.

• The program is a perfect fit for promoting and supporting students to become responsible for their health and wellbeing, and developing a positive relationship with food. 
• Links to the curriculum allow for teachers from all subjects to be involved, and core content can be taught through fun, hands-on experiences which help cement learning. 
• Delivery of the program is flexible and allows for different teaching styles and settings to be used, catering to a variety of learning styles.
• Many schools have reported a positive effect on school attendance and ways of engaging reluctant learners. 

How does the program align with the curriculum?

The program provides opportunities to link to many curriculum areas. For example, in the garden students cover maths concepts such as percentages, volume and surface areas, they can study sustainable biomes and liveability as part of geography, and investigate food webs and plant structure for science. They might write informative and persuasive texts related to program activities which helps build literacy skills, and every student loves to prepare and enjoy fresh, seasonal, delicious food in technologies.

Communication, and collaborating, as well as critical and creative thinking, personal and social capability, intercultural and ethical understanding can all be built on within the kitchen garden program. 

Cross-curriculum priorities can also be covered:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures can be explored through planting indigenous gardens and recipes using native ingredients, to kick off conversations around Indigenous life and culture both historically and now
• sustainability is experienced through garden observation and food preparation 
• Australia’s engagement with Asia can be investigated by planting and cooking with Asian greens like bok choy, tatsoi and mizuna.

How does the program ready secondary school students for work or further study?

The program teaches invaluable life skills such as resourcefulness, cooperation, collaboration, and leadership. It also opens students to the opportunities of career paths that might involve horticulture, sustainability or hospitality.

How does the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program differ from other gardening or kitchen programs out there?

The Kitchen Garden Program has been established for over 20 years and as such, knows what it’s doing!

Three independent evaluations have all demonstrated significant benefits for students, schools and the community. In 2018 the Secondary Program was developed in consultation with secondary educators before being piloted in 14 schools across two states. Teachers and students involved in the three-year pilot program endorsed the program and agreed that all schools would benefit from having a kitchen garden program. They also noted improvements in student wellbeing and confidence, and the school environment.

Another strength of the Kitchen Garden Program are the resources the Foundation provides member schools. These are regularly reviewed and updated to suit changing priorities. The Kitchen Garden at home set of online resources and activities developed in response to COVID-19 school lockdowns is an example of this. These materials, just like the program, can be adapted to suit student needs.

What I really like about this program is its focus on pleasurable food experiences where topics such as sustainability, nurturing the environment and working together can be taught in a fun and hands-on way. And where links between the garden, the kitchen and what is served on the table are made clear.

What are the requirements for a kitchen garden?

Setting up a kitchen garden doesn’t have to be big. You can start small with pots of herbs and grow from there. Living walls or vertical gardens are another option. Look around and you will start to notice edible gardens being grown in pots, vertically up walls, on rooftops and in greenhouses. I’m always amazed at where food can be grown with a little imagination.

Some schools have transformed existing gardens into productive and enticing areas where students gravitate to get their hands dirty and have fun learning on the go or relax in a peaceful environment

A key ingredient for success is to have at least one other person enthused and on the same page with the vision. Leadership support is also crucial to help make implementation smooth, especially in curriculum integration and embedding a whole school approach. 

Can you briefly outline what the staff commitment is for a kitchen garden, and what tasks are involved?

For the program to be successful, it’s important to have a strong foundation of at least two people prepared to coordinate things. They could be any staff member or, in some cases, parents or volunteers invested in running the program at your school. Their key role is to oversee the running and development of the program and communicate with others. They will meet regularly to map out seasonal activities, oversee garden maintenance, help run kitchen and garden classes, and work in collaboration with other educators to ensure the program underscores school objectives. 

Why is the cooking and dining part of the program important?

Transforming garden produce into delicious, colourful and aromatic meals is lots of fun and enables students to use their imagination and awaken their taste buds. The satisfaction of using something they have grown is immeasurable and wonderful to observe. Taking time out to stop and sit around a set table and share dishes and conversation is a special part of the program. It provides lots of teachable moments in a relaxed and fun setting, such as being sociable, mealtime conversation, the importance of and joy from serving and sharing food.

How are schools supported by the Foundation?

Member schools are supported through their kitchen garden journey. From help with setting up, to individual catch-ups there is always someone from the team ready to personalise the experience.

Over the twenty years of Kitchen Garden Program existence, resources and a strong team of dedicated and passionate staff have developed to help support anyone wishing to deliver the program. Support is available over the phone, email and through professional development and regular communiques.

Anything else to add?

Since joining the program I have been amazed at the dedication and enthusiasm all the Foundation team exhibit. Their knowledge, passion, care and insight is evident in the high quality PD sessions, the online support and the resources available to schools. Teachers implementing the program who have caught the vision are another inspiration, and their tales of students being impacted in so many ways though pleasurable food experiences is exciting. It’s a privilege to be involved.

Vivienne Holman is the Foundation’s Secondary Years Project Officer. She’s a Home Economics Teacher whose focus has been on equipping students with the skills and confidence to create affordable, nutritious tasty meals for themselves and others. She’s also worked as a Public Health Nutritionist promoting health and wellbeing and has been with the Foundation since late 2020. Find out more about Vivienne here.

The Kitchen Garden Program for Secondary Years was launched in 2020, with support from AstraZeneca Australia under their global Young Health Programme. Like to learn more or get involved? Join one of our upcoming free online information sessions or visit our membership page. You can also call our Support Team for a chat on 13000 SAKGF (13000 72543).