In the last week of Term 1, the children at Lower Plenty Kindergarten made Alphabet Grissini as part of our Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program. The children measured and mixed, observed the texture of the dough and used their strength and coordination to knead the dough.  They set the dough in the sun and watched it rise. The children rolled sausages of dough and shaped the letters of their names. 

Some of the children’s thoughts on the dough were “It feels good and soft. It’s like kinetic sand” “I don’t like the taste but I love the smell” and “I made flour snow!”

The purpose of the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation is to introduce pleasurable food education to children during their learning years, in order to form positive food habits for life. 

Pleasurable food education emphasises the flavours as well as the health benefits of fresh, seasonal, delicious food. Dishes cooked reflect the vegetables, herbs and fruits grown, season-by-season, by the children in their organic gardens, and also reflect the Australian Dietary Guidelines.  Pleasurable food education is designed to be fully integrated into the curriculum as it offers opportunities to reinforce literacy, numeracy, science, cultural studies and all aspects of environmental sustainability. Pleasurable food education encourages critical thinking, teamwork, an understanding of cause and effect, and increased levels of observation.