Fremantle centre’s new kitchen garden lays good foundation for youngsters

Foundation Early Learning centre’s newly upgraded outdoor area now includes a kitchen garden where children learn to plant, grow, pick, prepare and get to eat delicious produce.

Foundation Early Learning educational leader Maria Dose said the promotion of healthy eating through a kitchen garden could help to prevent chronic diseases when they were adults, something they were happy they could now provide after the much-needed upgrade.

“Before there was hard fake turf grass that was high maintenance, tiny sandpit, plastic gross motor equipment and toys, no trees or greenery and it was uninviting and difficult to set up learning environments for the children,” she said.

“Now we have fruit trees, vegetable garden beds, a dry creek bed with water pump, ample sandpit, mud kitchen, native trees and shrubs, large wooden fort and slides, a stage, large bird cage, limestone brick seating and more.

“It now offers many more opportunities for learning, it enables educators to run an indoor/outdoor program, it supports teaching children about sustainability, life cycles, caring for the environment and encourages a healthier and environmentally-aware community of learners.

“The children visit the kitchen garden every day, the younger ones touch and feel the plants and produce, they smell the herbs and the older ones water, weed and take care of the area, using the child-size rakes, brooms and watering cans.”