Testimonials and Results from Schools
Macraes Moonlight School
Participating in our full year ‘Food of the Week’ programme in 2017
“Your whats for lunch program has been a great way to support our gardening and healthy food ongoing focus. It has allowed students to make connections with the real world outside of school and the processes involved, as well as career information for our older students. The program has been integrated into mixed ability reading and has helped to lift topic vocab. They really enjoy the science component too. What a great resource.”
Yani Ferens - Ngataki School
Participating in our ‘Food of the Week’ programme 2016 and 2019
“My class of New Entrants are really enjoying the 'What's for Lunch?' programme. We have established a class garden and are now waiting for the vegetables to grow so that we can harvest them. The children are learning about worms as we have a mini worm farm in our classroom as well.”
Sharon Best of Te Pahu School
Participating in our 2019 fully year ‘Food of the Week’ programme
“On Thursday we not only made and ate our cucumber sandwiches in a very dainty manner, with our beautifully painted finger nails, but also placed slices of cucumber on our tired eyes, while soaking our feet in bowls of bath salts. Who knew that cucumbers could be so much fun.”
Carole Archibald - Totara North School
Participated in our full year ‘Food of the Week’ programme in 2018
“Both our classes at Fairton are having a great time with the programme! The activities and resources are perfect and they have slotted into our class timetable well. The kids have really enjoyed trying some new foods and learning about them. Parents have said that the kids are pointing out these foods in the supermarket and telling their parents to buy them so that they can remake what we have made at school.”
Rebekah Clement - Principal, Fairton School
Participated in our full year ‘Food of the Week’ programme in 2017
Case Study - St Anne’s Catholic School, Wellington
A class of fresh six year olds were full of energy and ready to take on the new school year. Little did they know what their teacher Mrs Bruce had in store for them this year. The children like most six year olds were oblivious to the fact that the food they eat could be the theme for an entire school year and take them all over the country and world. Most lacked any understanding of the connection between what they eat and their growing bodies and many had a limited palette and repertoire. To them food was just food and they would eat familiar safe foods day in day out. A lot of the time children have no say in what they and their families eat.
The first term of the year majority of the children were trying the new food of the week but there were a few who were unsure and holding back. As the year progressed the children’s appetites and curiosity for new foods and flavours grew. By the end of the year every child in the class was trying each new food with ease and able to talk and discuss the new flavours and textures. They became confident food conisuires.
Food and their lunchboxes became a great topic of conversation that was also taken home. Children started to tell their parents what they should be eating. Many logged onto the website and made the recipes at home with their families.
As the planning and material is done for her Mrs Bruce found she didn’t have to worry about anything. She was able to integrate the program into all curriculum areas and the children always had something fresh and new to focus of every week. She said “it makes my job so easy.”
Throughout the year the pupils learnt about a total of thirty two different healthy foods through the interactive stories. They carried out science experiments on each food, made a recipe with each food and did various other activities such as worksheets, story writing, art work and reading. Everything tied nicely into the curriculum and gave opportunity for further inquiry.
The transformation in the pupils is amazing, knowledge is power. These pupils are now equipped with practical knowledge about how to live a healthy lifestyle and feed themselves nutritious food. The simple act of learning about foods has given them the power to shape their future health and well being.
Where to next
Because of the success and love of their year learning about food St Anne’s School is now in the process of starting the Garden to Table programme. With the foundations achieved from the ‘Food of the Week’ programme they are in a perfect position to take things to the next level.
“At the beginning of the year the students were not aware and had no understanding of the different types of food. Now they can identify healthy foods from unhealthy foods and feel very proud when they open their lunchbox.”
“What’s for Lunch? has opened the children up to trying and working with different foods.
Being fully involved with the whole process (story to cooking) creates interest and a desire to replicate the recipe at home.
The science experiments are great and aspects lend themselves well to both literacy and numeracy.
All children look forward to finding out our new ‘food of the week’ and are now working with their parents to create delicious and healthy meals at home.
This is a great program that benefits all.”