Kids in the Kitchen
The School Promotion Activity, sponsored by Pomewest on behalf of growers, supports primary school students as they learn more about apples and pears. Local primary schools are invited to receive a carton of apples and pears to appropriately integrate into their school activities and classroom learning.
Schools can use the fruit in any way and at any year level. This leads to amazing creativity by teachers, who integrate it into many subject areas—from creative writing to maths. The ultimate outcome is that children are introduced to apples and pears and love to eat them with their peers. We aim to encourage the next generation of fruit enthusiasts in Western Australia.
Some schools have the facilities to prepare and cook dishes using WA apples and pears. At East Fremantle Primary this Thursday, the menu featured Apple and Cinnamon Turnovers and Pear and Maple Turnovers prepared by enthusiastic and capable year 1 students.
This school has embraced a Kitchen Garden Program that introduces gardening and cooking to children aged 6-11. The program involves educating children about growing produce, understanding the origin of food, preparing, cooking, cleaning, setting the table, including flowers, and achieving a MasterChef-level presentation of their creations for morning tea.
The school has invested in a fully working kitchen so all students of all ages can learn to grow, prepare, cook, and enjoy WA fresh produce in their primary school years.
East Fremantle Primary School implemented the Garden Kitchen program over a decade ago as a pioneer school in WA. Based on the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation concepts, the program provides inspiration, information, professional development, and support for educators to deliver pleasurable food education to children and young people across Australia. Pleasurable food education is a fun, hands-on approach to teaching children and young people about fresh, seasonal, delicious food so they form positive food habits for life. Delivered through a kitchen garden program, pleasurable food education has a lasting impact on health, well-being, and community benefits.
On Thursday, Pomewest was invited as a special guest and donor of WA apples and pears to experience the initiative and meet the program leader, Sally Ashbrook. The school was grateful for the fruit donation on behalf of the growers and keen to share the program's success with the WA industry members.
Executive Manager Nardia Stacy was humbled and delighted to witness the children's joy in cooking with local produce and their beautiful manners. She spoke to the parent volunteers about the program's impact at home, emphasising that the kids are learning valuable life skills and ensuring that the art of cooking is not lost.
“The kids come home, insist we buy the ingredients, and cook what they have learned at school. They replicate the program exactly, including setting the table with flowers, and they clean up! This program is an excellent way for them to understand where real food comes from.”