Altona Meadows Primary School

Trains, trams and buses....those were today's modes to get to Melbourne's outer 'burbs...well worth the trip! Today was a kitchen day at Altona Meadows Primary School (lucky in our case, as the weather was MOST uncooperative with heavy rains). I was a "guest volunteer" with a group of Year 4 students, which meant I donned my apron, rolled up my sleeves and guided a group in the mixing and baking of mini apple cakes. No box mixes here - everything is from scratch (which is rather new for me, I must admit). I'm loving this opportunity to see the Stephanie Alexander program in action...the kids are so relaxed while cooking, they work as a team, they help each other out (such as getting a bandaid for Georgia when she grated her finger instead of the apple), they problem solve and most importantly, they INTERACT. I didn't have much time to wander amongst the other groups (one grating accident was enough; I wasn't going to circulate while they were using the sharp knives or the hot oven!), but it was great to be in depth with the four students under my "tutelage." There were lots of questions and comments about America (as Jayden commented: I've been to Los Angeles. Americans eat a lot of fatty junk food) and questions about why I wanted to visit schools in Australia. These kids are really proud of their accomplishments in the kitchen - the smiles on their faces express so much more than words!