Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden 

Bianca Tondo 

Garden Specialist

Hello Kingswood Community! 

Last Tuesday Sonia and I put on a morning tea to celebrate 10 years of SAKG at Kingswood. Thank you for everyone who attended and helped make it the huge success that it was.

Sonia and I would also like to thank all our amazing volunteers who help in the kitchen and garden. Without your help the program would not be possible.

Here is the speech I gave at the morning tea along with some photos. 

"I am the garden specialist here at Kingswood. I have been part of the Kingwood community in some way shape or form since 2019. I started as garden specialist at the start this year. I love gardening and when the job came up last year it was too good of an opportunity to let pass. Previously, Liz Scott and Alba Gomez who we are delighted to have here with us today, who worked in the SAKG garden for last 9 years. 

The Stephanie Alexander Kitchen garden program is all about pleasurable food education. Sonia tells the students that it all starts in the garden. And it does. Without being able to grow seasonal vegetables this program would not run. The kids can be a little disappointed on some days that they are gardening and not cooking. However, once they get out into the garden they truly do love it. On a good day they can feel the sun on there backs and the breeze on the face. They being to gain an understanding of the natural world around them. They often use the habit of mind of being in wonderment and awe. They are curious about bees in the sunflowers, the worms in the freshly dug earth and the 100s of yellow lady bugs we had on our Zucchini plants earlier this year. 

During garden classes students live by our school value of thriving in a team culture. It takes all the students in a class to clear a garden bed of weeds, to turn over the soil, to mix in some of our wonderful chicken soil,  turning it over again and finally planting a little seedling or a seed. Because without us all working together to complete the gardening job, the students understand and appreciate that we will not have the produce to cook with from the garden a few months later. So even when their backs hurt, or they are tried they all persist (another habit of mind) and rise to the challenge to get the job done. 

Garden classes bring the classroom learning outdoors. The most liked activity by the students is collecting the eggs and then going back to the garden shed to estimate the weight – everyone gets a go and its like they have won the lotto if they get it right. I have recently too see younger students overwhelmed by the class room, come out into our beautiful garden and count lemons into a basket – learning and getting the space they need at the same time. 

The kitchen garden is also a place of creativity – if you have a look around the room you can see some kitchen inspired poetry from the year 4’s and the result of a craft afternoon inspired by the program from the year 6’s. 

That’s all from me for now. I look forward on taking you on a garden tour a bit later. Thank you all for joining us for you celebratory morning tea." 

Have a wonderful and safe holiday and we look forward in see you all next term. (Go Pies!)