Cooking

In 2014, we built an outdoor kitchen. This space provides the perfect place for the children to be involved in preparing, cooking and eating with their peers and  educators.

Our cooking program supports healthy eating and offers a chance for the children to learn about different foods and nutrition. We use fresh produce from our garden such as herbs and vegetables and eggs from our chickens. Our cooking program also reflects the different cultures ofour families and introduces new foods for the children to try. We find that if children have been involved in cooking the food from scratch, they are more likely to give new foods a try.

Cooking with preschoolers is not only a great time to spend together, it's also a rich education experience.

• There are many maths concepts associated with cooking - measurement, weight, size, counting, temperature, estimating and sequencing.
• Cooking experiences can help children become effective communicators, expand their vocabulary, encourage verbal conversation, asking and answering questions and beginning reading skills to follow a recipe.
• Cooking is also fantastic for fine motor skills allowing the children to experiment and practice their fine motor skills and strength.