Children are leaving the toys and digital screens behind and are instead seeking out soil and sunshine as they help plant and grow vegetables at their early learning centre in Highfields.
The hard work of these young gardening enthusiasts is just about to pay off – sometime in the next week Goodstart Highfields will harvest its best vegetable crop of the year with cabbages, beetroot and lettuce among the vegetables nearly ripe and ready for picking and eating.
Goodstart Highfields, which has 150 children attend the service over a week, uses the fresh produce grown in their gardens to provide children with healthy nutritious meals throughout the day, all prepared in the centre’s own certified kitchen.
Senior kindergarten educator and centre sustainability project manager Georgia Godwin said it was thanks to the generosity of a number of community partners who have made the vegetable garden project a reality.
“Thanks to the generosity of the community, and our little gardeners of course, we now have four beautiful vegetable beds in the centre so we can grow our own fresh produce for children and their families to enjoy,” Miss Godwin said.
The local Junior Landcare delivered vegetables each semester for the children, and other local businesses such as Craig’s Hardware, Highfields Garden Centre and the local fire and police services have also given their time or contributed through discount products or donations.
“Giving children the opportunity to do hands-on learning through gardening helps them to build an understanding of and respect for nature and our environment and they also learn other skills such as observation and team work,” she said.
“As a side benefit, children who participate in growing edible plants are more likely to be motivated to taste, eat, and enjoy fruits and vegetables.”
Goodstart Highfields will continue to embed age-appropriate sustainable practices into their centre for children of all ages.