At Berrima Public School students from Years 3 – 6 take part in fortnightly kitchen classes. In these lessons students have the opportunity to harvest and cook the food they have grown in the school garden. In small groups, and with the help of community and parent volunteers, students prepare a dish with seasonal produce that is then enjoyed as part of the meal shared by all in the class. Kitchen and garden classes are designed so students have opportunities to learn about the seasonality of produce and develop valuable skills in growing and preparing food.
The kitchen environment provides students with a unique learning space in which they can implement their knowledge from key curriculum areas. For example, students apply maths knowledge as they work with fractions and weights in calculating ingredients. Reading recipes and being able to describe the flavours of food encourages the development of language skills.
Students from Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 2 have opportunities throughout the year to learn in the kitchen so the environment is familiar to them when they commence kitchen classes in Year 3.