"I Don't Like……."

Harvest for our broccoli soup
Our 'yucky' produce from the garden for our broccoli soup
So your kids say ‘I don’t like broccoli’? Well they certainly wouldn’t be the first. In fact I heard it quite a bit just this week at school. We had a lot of broccoli growing (or bolting actually) in our school veggie garden so I thought it was time we harvested and used it in the kitchen. Continue reading

Caterpillar Hunting for Kids

Kids love searching for caterpillars
Caterpillars - Cute little critters aren't they?
Caterpillars! They sure look cute and kids love finding them in the garden but boy can they cause some destruction! When I first started working in the school garden the students were so excited to show me the caterpillars that lived there. They thought of them almost like pets. That was until I explained that they were the reason the poor kale plants were looking the worse for wear. Well, then the hunt was on to rid the garden of each and every little green caterpillar that lived there. Continue reading

How Do Seeds Grow?

How do seeds grow?
Kids often ask me 'How do seeds grow?'
At the start of the school year I asked my students to come up with some questions they had about gardening. Some common questions were ‘How do seeds grow?’, ‘What do seeds look like under the ground?’ and ‘What do seeds need?’ so I set about coming up with an activity to demonstrate. It is a simple and inexpensive activity that kids can undertake themselves and uses items that can be easily sourced. Continue reading

What to Plant with the Kids in Winter

There is plenty that kids can plant during winter
The weather has definitely turned chilly in many parts of Australia so now is the perfect time for kids to be planting some winter crops in the garden. Many people think that not a lot can be grown in winter however this is not necessarily the case. There are still plenty of great fruit and vegies that can be planted now that kids love. Continue reading

Vegie on View – Mushrooms

Mushrooms for kids
Fungi are fascinating for kids
This week’s ‘Vegie’ on View are mushrooms however they aren’t really a vegie at all – they are a type of fungus. These fascinating fungi are perfect for kids – they don’t require a garden, they grow in the dark and can even be grown in cupboards! Here are some other fun facts about the humble mushroom: Continue reading

Chang's Noodle Salad

Changs Noodle Salad
Pak choy growing in the school vegie patch
One of my fellow gardening teacher colleagues put me on to this recipe for cooking with kids. It is a variation of the classic Chang’s Noodle Salad using pak choy or bok choy. It is a very popular salad dish that children love making. It is simple to prepare, uses produce that can easily be grown in the garden, is cheap and to top it all off – it is delicious! Continue reading