Collingwood College more than lived up to its expectations! The first school to implement the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden program 10 years ago, Collingwood has been highly praised by specialists at the other schools that I've visited. Collingwood's specialists (Desley and Poppie) and volunteers were so amazing and accommodating - I spent a full day in the program, time with the integration specialist and time with the volunteers. The day went much too fast, but I gained a wealth of knowledge and came home armed with a ton of recipes and left overs from today's cooking.
Currently housed in a small temporary kitchen (construction on the new kitchen to be completed in 2 weeks), the Year 3 students put on a fine show of skills - including the non-cooking group that was preparing grapefruit for marmalade (to be sold at the upcoming spring fair). At the end of this afternoon's meal, Matilda came up to me with a huge grin and said, "I wish we could eat it all over again! It was delicious, wasn't it?" Yes, Matilda, I reckon I agree 100%!
Rain changed Poppie's plans for the garden lesson; the Year 3's spent the hour inside. Before the rains, students had collected snails and worms from the garden. Grouped in pairs, students used magnifying glasses to investigate the worms and snails (and one sinister leopard slug) before moving to more creative ventures. Students orchestrated snail and worm races and built elaborate villages for the critters. Every single student was actively engaged, some even after the bell for home was sounded!
Special moments worth noting: I tasted my first tamarillo today...it's a fruit known as the tree tomato...tastes something like a kiwi...burgundy on the outside, orange on the inside. One of the volunteers is a former autism teacher from a self contained special ed school in Sydney...fantastic insight! Barb, the Year 3 teacher, truly embraces the kitchen garden program and links it with her classroom curriculum. I'd love to be a student in her classroom!!
It sounds as if you are benefitting from this experience both educationally and nutritionally.
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Mo: I'm at Beard for Structured Teaching training and just got my computer set up during the lunch break. Your blog is the first thing I checked! I'm amazed by the variety of experiences you are getting and all the great people you are meeting!
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Fund For Teachers has really given me a once in a lifetime opportunity...an amazing foundation that believes in letting teachers design their own learning experiences. I can't thank them enough!!
ReplyDeleteMo: Just got back from 2 weeks in the north woods. Looked thru all your blogs, videos, and comments. Loved them all. Wow!! What an amazing experience. Can't wait to see more.
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