Engaging
The Living Classroom Project integrates the teaching program within the beautiful, abundant and biodiverse garden space and spacious kitchen facilities at North Arm State School.
The program aims to build the capacity of both students and teachers to create a positive learning environment, support all learning styles and actively engage children in their education.
The Living Classroom Project offers a student-centred program that builds autonomy with experiential learning and critical thinking activities through the creative and engaging mediums of cooking and gardening.
Healthy Bodies and Healthy Minds
The Living Classroom incorporates practical food education to raise awareness of where food comes from and promote a connection to food production practices that empowers participants to make responsible, healthy and sustainable food choices.
Ambassador Program
Unique to the Living Classroom is the Ambassador Program. The ultimate goal of the Living Classroom Garden Ambassador program is 'kids teaching kids'. We have a strong focus on creating a community of support and learning through all developmental stages of a student's education.
In Years 3 and 4, students are supported in their learning of the key concepts and practices in the garden and kitchen and then given the opportunity to be leaders in the program by sharing their knowledge with other students, staff, visitors and the community.
Students who become ambassadors form an integral part of the learning model as they continue into Years 5 and 6, with the ability to welcome and integrate new students to the program.
Thus we create a community of connection and belonging within the school where children are giving opportunity to be successful, make informed choices about their education and lead and inspire others to do the same.
The Living Classroom Project at North Arm State School is facilitated by a team of experienced educator and wonderful volunteers and parent helpers.
A word from our Garden Specialist (Vanessa Schofield)
The North Arm State School Living Classroom garden is a dynamic, living, natural classroom set within a beautiful purpose-built garden. Design elements of the garden such as a seating circle, wide flowing pathways, dedicated growing areas, food forest and compost spaces all focus on providing opportunities for student engagement and learning.
During the Living Classroom lessons students will learn about ethics, sustainability, soil health, the life cycle of plants and insects, seasonal growing and food production methods, indigenous history, culture and food practices, ecosystems and natural resource management, safe tool use and garden practices.
Students will also have the opportunity to be involved in projects that support the school curriculum, think critically, apply scientific understanding and gain knowledge though experiential learning, learn cooperatively and collaboratively, be leaders, be creative and self-reliant, be responsible for their own learning and connect to a community.
The Living Classroom is just that, a classroom that is alive with opportunity, a place for sharing the love of learning and of being together in nature. It is an inclusive space where students of all abilities have the opportunity to get involved, make mistakes, learn from real life experiences and apply their learning to the real world. It is a place where theory can come alive.
It is a place where everyone is welcome!
"If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need"
A word from our Kitchen Specialist (Lis Anderson-McColl)
Kitchen students participate in a 80 minute kitchen lesson, preparing and sharing a meal with classmates. All recipes can be found at the link at the bottom of this page so that meals can be cooked at home. Some of the elements students are learning whilst in the kitchen include:
Etiquette: table setting, table manners, serving food to others, eating and talking with classmates
Culture/history of certain foods and cultures e.g. Bunya nuts and Aborigines
Maths: dividing up dough, portioning, addition, subtraction, measuring, fractions
Literacy: reading and interpreting recipes, procedural genre
Working in groups/teams: cooking and cleaning up in groups
Hygiene: personal (hands, hair) and kitchen (cleaning), cooking for others
Safety: different safe techniques for particular foods that are used in the industry
Skill: knife, dough, mixing, folding, kneading, dicing, slicing
Nutrition: of ingredients e.g. Bunya nuts are low in fat and high in carbohydrates compared with tree nuts
Seasonality of foods: preserving, nutritional and economical value
Independence and self-esteem: being able to prepare components of meals and meals for the family rather than just packet mix cakes, Experimenting with and trying new foods.
Science: change of state, gases, solids, liquids, oxidation.
Health: using the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating, food groups, nutrients, focus on increasing vegetable intake, interpreting nutrition labels.
Recipes from the program are also available - download the PDF files to cook with your family at home.