Coles is proud to help Aussie kids form positive food habits. Here are five ways to do just that, thanks to the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation.
Top tips for kids from the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation
30 Jun 2022
1. Ask them to help
The Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation is all about getting kids involved in preparing and cooking with fresh and seasonal produce. Where possible, get the kids in the kitchen to do small tasks, such as carefully chopping veg or stirring a mixture together. Asking them to choose the ingredients in their lunch or dinner can help spark an interest in healthy eating, too.
2. Start a compost bin
Get your kids to create their own compost bin. Ask them to gather the materials needed to make one: brown leaves, sticks and twigs, plus weeds and fruit or vegetable peels or scraps. Make sure they also have gloves and something to store the compost in, depending on the size of your space and garden. Once the compost bin is set up, they’ll need to ensure the mixture stays moist but not too wet, as well as turn over the compost mixture from time to time to help the decomposition process.
3. Take the lead
Children learn from the adults around them. Leading by example and making healthy choices for your own meals means your child will be more likely to want to eat better food.
4. Talk about seasonal produce
Encourage kids to learn how seasonality works, and that some fruit and vegetables are more abundant in certain seasons – such as root veggies in winter and avocados in spring.
5. Grow your own
Want to make your own veggie garden? It’s easier than you may think. As a start, save the root ends from veggies such as spring onions – place them, cut-end up, in a container of water until they sprout from the cut ends. Once sprouted, plant in a large pot of soil and water regularly.
Coles & the Kitchen Garden Foundation
Together with customers and fresh produce suppliers, Coles has donated more than $1 million to the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation (SAKGF) through the sale of fresh produce, to support positive food education for Aussie children. Coles has donated more than $250,000 directly to school communities through its school and store partnership program, and developed more than 60 educational resources for 2000 schools across Australia. For more information about the Kitchen Garden program, go to kitchengardenfoundation.org.au.
