Whittington Primary School is excited to be a part of The Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation.

Food education teaches students to grow fresh, seasonal produce and use it to prepare nutritious, delicious, food. Students are given all the skills, experiences and role modelling they need to learn to love their veggies and make healthier choices about what to cook and eat, for life.

WPS students are loving kitchen and garden classes! They are experiencing the joy of digging in the garden, picking fresh veggies, smelling and tasting the food they prepare, and sharing the experience with their classmates and school community. Research shows that fun has a powerful and positive impact on learning. When students are relaxed, happy and engaged, their senses are on full alert and their brains are perfectly primed to absorb the learning opportunities that surround them.

Teaching children to grow, harvest, prepare and share their own fruit and vegetables is proven to have a positive impact on the food choices students make. This learning extends beyond the classroom research shows that engaged, excited students are likely to share their new skills with their family.

Pleasurable food education is ripe with learning possibilities. In the kitchen and in the garden students discover ideas and concepts first-hand, through real-life experience. Food education can be integrated into any curriculum, to provide a hands-on understanding of literacy, numeracy, science and much more. Students also learn life skills they can take beyond the classroom that will help them to make healthier choices into the future.