CULTIVATING COMMUNITY

SCHOOL FOOD GARDENSSCHOOL FOOD GARDEN SERVICESCultivating Community can assist with:

• School Food Garden Design• Garden Construction and/or Maintenance• Garden Educator Service• Workshops and other food garden related

profes sional development for teachers and other community members

• Advice on teaching resources and strategies• Other school-based food projects

OUR GARDEN EDUCATOR SERVICEA Cultivating Community Garden Educator can attend your school one-day per week to run classes and maintain the food garden. Class teachers work along-side our Garden Educators and school-based volun-teers are also welcome to assist.

COSTSOur School Food Garden Service is not subsidised by government funding. It is based on a fee-for-service cost recovery model. In most schools this involves:

• Establishment of a one year contract for Cultivating Community to provide a School Food Garden Educator one-day per week (price is in-line with the costs of employing a mid-range experienced teacher).

• Schools budgeting for and paying garden running costs; eg. seedlings and other garden supplies.

FOR MORE INFORMATIONwww.cultivatingcommunity.org.au/schoolfoodgardens

Phone: Ben Wilhelms, Team Leader, School Food Gardens, 0411 337 133 or 03 9429 3084

EXPERIENCE AND EXCITING TIMES IN THE GARDENWe’ve been helping Victorian schools with school food gardens since 2001.

Our experienced team of School Food Garden Educators know how to engage and excite children about learning in the garden – through ‘hands-on’ education about where food comes from, how to grow it and the fun of cooking and sharing a meal together.

GARDEN LESSONS ADAPTED TO FIT CURRICULUM NEEDSOur garden lessons are adapted from school to school to achieveabestfitwithcurriculumpriorities.Arangeofoutdoorand indoor lessons are planned to ensure classes run in all weather conditions. We work in all types of schools: govern-ment, Catholic, Independent, Specialist.

We are thoroughly acquainted with all aspects of AusVels, in particular the ways in which school food garden lessons contribute directly to outcomes in:

• The domains of Science, English, Mathematics and The Humanities;

• the strands of Physical, Personal and Social Learning, and Interdisciplinary Learning;

• and the cross-curriculum priorities of Sustainability, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures, and Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia.

THE AIMS OF OUR EDUCATION PROGRAM • Learn the skills of growing a food garden• Understand why growing our own food is important• Understandhowwefitintotheecologyoftheplanet

BENEFITS TO YOUR SCHOOL• Children are learning by doing. • Children understand where their food comes from. • Children are able to make better food choices. • Children connect with nature. • Through the process of growing food in a garden, children

develop a sense of ownership for the garden and for their own food future.

• The garden is an outdoor classroom that can be used by all teachersatdifferenttimes

• It’s a great project for engaging the whole school community.