EDIBLE GARDENS
The children learn where their food really comes from:
Taste what good fresh fruit and vegetables really taste like.
Develop a healthier diet. Learn how to use organic growing methods
and get a bit closer to their classmates,
their families and their planet.
This school-based project gives children hands-on exposure to growing, tending and eating fresh vegetables. Along the way we cover science, nutrition, and co-operative learning. For some it is the first time they have seen a fresh vegetable, or a vegetable in the wild.
Edible Gardens involves parents and other community members in the creation and maintenance of the gardens, with all involved gaining new skills in growing and producing food for their own homes and increasing social contact within communities.
Gardens have been set up in Caversham, College Street, Calton Hill and Forbury Schools. These gardens use organic principles to grow plants that the children and parents can harvest and cook together on the school site. Recipes and vegetables are also taken home.
As well St Leonards; Fairfield, Concord and High Street Schools have each had start-up kits (planter tubs, compost, seed and edible plants, a worm farm and a children's gardening book). Since these have been introduced, each of these schools has developed their own edible gardens.
