Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden
The Stephanie Alexander kitchen Garden (SAKG) program runs at Peachester School for students in years 3-6. The program focuses on teaching students how to grow, harvest, cook and share seasonal produce.
Peachester State School follows the SAKG model which integrates gardening and cooking into the school curriculum giving students hands-on-opportunities of literacy, numeracy, science and much more. Children are counting, doing fractions, budgeting, weighing, sequencing, and measuring. They are learning about other cultures, and the environment, and while working together they improve their listening, sharing and problem-solving skills.
Participation in planned activities in both the garden and kitchen will help children develop essential skills which will last a lifetime.
Garden activities
Students have one 60 minute garden lesson every 3 weeks. Our extensive garden includes a vegetable and herb patch, a chicken coop and a variety of citrus trees. The School's productive garden provides seasonal produce throughout the school year.
We create opportunities for children to learn through gardening. Children use mathematics when mapping out the garden space. Children need to figure out how many seeds to plant, and how much space is needed for the variety of plants to grow. Also, engaging children through gardening they learn about the science of plants, water, environment and nutrition.
The produce is harvested, prepared and cooked for nutritious, delicious food.
Kitchen activities
To participate in the SAKG program, Peachester State School built a modern home-style kitchen. The well equipped kitchen provides the space and tools necessary for children to prepare, cook and serve wholesome food. Students have one 120 minute kitchen lesson every 3 weeks.
Cooking provides an excellent opportunity for children to learn through experience. Incorporated into the cooking lessons, students learn volume and weight, use and apply fractions and do simple mathematics.
Food preparation help develop children's fine motor skills, and serving prepared food to others help build self-confidence. Students sit together at a table set with tablecloth and cutlery to eat the food they have prepared. They discuss what they have cooked, and learn and use table manners to enjoy a selection of delicious food.
The SAKG program is the fun and natural way to introduce children to health benefits of fresh, seasonal food.
