Published on 14 January 2019

Living classroom supports school’s curriculum

More than just food production, Clarendon Primary School’s kitchen garden enriches subjects across the entire curriculum as well as propagates community relationships and helps students discover the bounty of our ancient land.

Clarendon Primary School’s kitchen garden is a living classroom that enriches learning across all subjects and year levels.

The preferred laboratory for science and technology is the kitchen, where students are learning how to build a solar-powered oven and how to harvest rainwater. Lessons address food security, land management and the importance of biodiversity.

Maths and literacy skills have quantifiably improved through hands-on experience where students weigh, measure and record data as well as count and collate their harvest each season. Botany, history, and social skills also thrive, with parents and the broader community adding their expertise to the program, building relationships that blossom beyond the school boundary.

And students are flourishing.

For Molise, 9, the best part about the kitchen garden is “finding beasts” such as witchetty grubs and blue tongue lizards. Perry, 5, likes making mud. “I mix leaves and dirt with water,” he explains. Luca, 7, says his favourite activities are digging, cooking – “because we do lots of maths” – and picking carrots and apples straight from the garden.

Soon, students will be able to harvest indigenous herbs and fruit thanks to a City of Onkaparinga environment grant and support from the Natural Resources Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges as well as the SA Native Food Association.

Saltbush garnish on a wood-fired pizza, warrigal greens in a salad, or lemon myrtle in stir-fries will value-add to the students’ taste experiences as well as increase their botanical knowledge and understanding of sustainable agriculture. An added benefit is a connection to the local Aboriginal culture.

“Our aim is for our students to appreciate and connect with the world around them, because if they understand it, and love it, they will protect it,” says Principal Josh Anderson.

NRM Education Coordinator (Southern) Rob Wallace agrees. “It is refreshing to see Clarendon Primary School using a hands-on approach to sustainability by incorporating local native plants in their kitchen garden so students and families can learn about these plants from local Kaurna and Peramangk people.”

Free grant workshops to support your organisation

Grant and sponsorship applications open on Monday 28 January and close at 5pm Tuesday 12 March. A free grant information session will be held on Thursday 31 January, 4–6pm at the City of Onkaparinga’s Civic Centre at Noarlunga. Bookings are not required. 

In addition, the following grant writing workshops are also free but bookings are essential at onkaparingacity.com/grants

  • Thursday 7 February, 10am–2pm at Woodcroft Morphett Vale Neighbourhood Centre
  • Wednesday 13 February, 5.30–9.30pm at Woodcroft Morphett Vale Neighbourhood Centre
  • Friday 15 February, 10am–2pm at McLaren Vale and Fleurieu Visitor Information Centre
  • Monday 18 February, 5.30–9.30pm at McLaren Vale and Fleurieu Visitor Information Centre

A grant budget session will be held on Thursday 21 February, 4–6pm at the City of Onkaparinga’s Civic Centre at Noarlunga.

Grants and sponsorship information will be available from 25 January 2019.

For more information visit onkaparingacity.com/grants

Luca, Perry and Molise tend the school’s kitchen garden; finding pine beetles add to the experience; Luca harvests Lemon Myrtle leaves