Meadowbank Primary School and Dawson Primary School in Otara are leading the way in pushing the healthy eating message amongst their peers. The two Auckland schools are among eight finalists in the second annual Mother Earth Reward Programme and now just need Aucklanders to vote for their efforts.
The Mother Earth Reward Programme recognises Enviroschools that are making an outstanding contribution to the promotion of healthy eating within the community and there's three $2500 prizes up for grabs. There's also a people's choice prize voted on online.
Meadowbank Primary School - Garden to Table project
- The students have established and tend their own vegetable gardens.
- They cook different dishes using vegetables they have harvested encouraging children to eat vegetables they wouldn't normally eat.
- They are spreading the healthy eating message by cooking for community projects and events as well as school events
They're also using their reading and maths skills to follow recipes.
Other projects initiated include growing lettuce and herbs hydroponically and using their wood-fired oven to cook in a sustainable way.
View Meadowbank's submission here (Adobe PDF)
Vote for Meadowbank School in the people's choice award here.
Dawson Primary School - Cookbook project
The children have established gardens which they tend to themselves, harvest and use the harvest to cook healthy nutritious recipes.
They are aiming to use their prize money to produce a cookbook in both written and digital formats so that they can share their learning with and encourage their families and community members to cook healthily.
Other achievements
- The Dawson point children are learning how to make nutritional choices
- They are discovering how to process excess goods from the harvest
- They are cooking vegetables they don't normally eat at home
See Dawson's entry to Mother Earth here (Adobe PDF)
Vote for Dawson Primary in the people's choice award here.
Two of the three winners last year were from Auckland schools - Patumahoe School in Pukekohe and Owairaka Primary School in Mt Albert. Patumahoe is planning to build a new child friendly kitchen and Owairaka has purchased 200 lunchboxes to supply new pupils to the school.You can read more about them from this previous story in The Aucklander.
The four winning schools, including the People's Choice winner, will be announced on October 24.
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