Vegetables.co.nz

FOOD SKILLS FOR LIFE – CURRICULUM PROJECT UPDATE FOR TEACHERS

Words by Julie North : Vegetables.co.nz

You will know of the flagship cooking in schools programme developed by vegetables.co.nz a few years ago in partnership with the Heart Foundation. You may have noticed a subtle change in the title above, as we now call this programme Food Skills for Life – a curriculum project, focussing on the importance of food and cooking as a life skill.

As part of this programme, we provide a professional learning day for teachers every year. The day includes an update on nutrition guidelines and science, issues in the food regulatory space and topical food trends. Linking it all back to the Food Skills for Life programme and giving useful resources or tips for teachers to take back to the classroom and integrate into their lesson plans. While Covid-19 put a stop to the planned session in Auckland, vegetables.co.nz recently held one of these sessions in Wellington and have a further session in Christchurch soon.

Focussed on Chinese style cooking with Asian greens, it was a wonderful opportunity to launch the new lesson plan, theme presentations and the hands-on kitchen demonstration.

Did you know online shopping was available 25 years ago? You could use your fax machine to place orders

The lesson plan is the result of a Masters student project earlier this year through Otago University, with review by external professionals and completed in partnership with the Heart Foundation who provide the design elements. Wellington’s session was a jam-packed day. We presented on the United Nations’ 2021 the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables with an overview of food systems

Asian greens from John Young, a grower in Levin, were used for the cooking session

and the role of vegetable production beyond health and nutrition. General manager of Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), Glen Neal, gave an engaging presentation on risk management and the dilemma they manage where the risks that kill people and the risks that alarm them are completely different. Nutritionist for Countdown, Deb Sue, covered trends in retail. Did you know online shopping was available 25 years ago? You could use your fax machine to place orders! Auckland dietitian, Yuhan Zhang, who was born in China and immigrated here as a young girl, also spoke about food in the New Zealand Chinese culture, celebrations and family traditions. To really bring our new lesson plan to life, food development chef, Di Swann, led a hands-on kitchen session. The day prior she visited Levin grower, John Young, to pick up bundles of fresh delicious Asian greens; shanghai bok choy, gai lan and choi sum. The teachers thoroughly enjoyed a sensory session, cooking demonstration, then a friendly ‘dumpling pleating’ competition while listening to Di’s stories of John’s garden and their growing practises.

All in all – a great day with fantastic feedback from all who attended:

“Totally relevant to our classroom practices – thank you.” “Keep doing what you’re doing.”

“Very interesting – great variety of presentations and great to be provided with new resources.”

The lesson plan is the result of a Masters student project earlier this year through Otago University, with review by external professionals…

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