SAKG NEWS
Despite heading into the final two weeks of term the students have been very busy and productive in the kitchen and garden. It is pleasing to see a lot of students taking up the opportunity to visit the garden at lunchtime, Monday through to Thursday, visiting the animals and helping with some jobs. We always appreciate your presence.
In the garden, over the course of the last rotation students have been brainstorming names for four different garden zones. This has been part of a process for mapping the garden. This creation of a map will help students keep track of where things are in the garden. Students have had fun coming up with names that suit each of the four zones and this fortnight they will vote on their favourite names!
Students have also been planting microgreens and due to the beautiful recent spring weather and they have popped out of the ground quickly. The hard wood cuttings were covered in plastic bags so that they didn't dry out while growing roots. Silverbeet, mizuna and kale seedlings were planted into raised beds.
And in addition to all of this the many daily jobs in our garden involving care of animals and harvesting produce for the kitchen have been carried out. Throughout this term students have shown responsibility, care and skill when completing these tasks which has been so pleasing. Whether they have done them many times (Year 6s) or in some cases doing tasks for the first time (Year 4s).
During the last rotation which commenced this week, students will continue to germinate seeds in punnets so that there are a lot of seedlings to plant out into the garden in October. They will also finish the term with games such as Veggie Heads and Veggie Bingo, learning how to identify vegetables in a way that is enjoyable and ends the term on a high note!
On the menu, in the kitchen, this past fortnight students have served up a "Best Ever Veggie Soup" with cauliflower and greens from the school garden, "Cabbage Steaks" roasted with an olive oil and seasoned garlic marinade, and topped with parmesan cheese, "Fried Rice of the Imagination" with fresh eggs, Asian greens, and multicoloured capsicums, and last but not least "Carrot Cake Muffins". The students have been learning many different cooking terms and techniques, such as the difference between "roughly chopped", "finely chopped" and diced, and efficient ways to mix and stir so that food is evenly cooked without too much spillage! We can't be wasting any of that beautiful fresh produce that has been so diligently chopped up to perfection!
In our baking adventures the students have been sifting and whisking and learning (sometimes by making an error) the importance of accurate measuring, and the difference between cups and table/teaspoons. We have been creative with our cream cheese icing for the muffins, with some making orange, some making green, and some even making blue and pink! The students have had a blast. Please see recipes below if you wish to try at home.
On a final note the SAKG team would like to thank all of those families who put their hand up to host our guinea pigs over the holiday break. They are all off on an adventure and we know they will be cared for very well. And also any families who purchased Father’s/Special Person’s Day seeds, we thank you for supporting the SAKG program.