At our school, we have a "Garden to Table" program where each week, we either work in the garden or cook with the fruits and vegetables we grow. Te Waipuna students have their own garden bed and hothouse, while the whole school enjoys the fruits from our orchards. This program helps us learn how to grow food, take care of plants, and cook healthy meals. It’s a fun way to learn about nature and enjoy fresh food.

Week 3

This week, Te Waipuna went out to our garden box and weeded it. We pulled out the weeds and old plants to make it ready for us to start planting our seeds. We had fun finding potatoes still growing in our garden and learned about some new bugs along the way!

Week 5

This week, we did some more weeding in our garden box and took a look at our class sunflower. It’s growing well, and we’re excited to see how tall it gets!

Week 6

This week, we joined Te Roto and Te Puna to help weed our school sandpit. We had fun cleaning it up, but it got so hot that we needed to take a break. Now, our sandpit is much better for us to play in! It was a big job, but we’re glad it’s all done.

Week 7

This week for Garden to Table, we walked around the school to look at where our compost bins, orchards, and hothouse are. We briefly talked about what goes into the compost, what we're growing in our orchards, and how to take care of the hothouse. We also picked pears from the orchards, which was a fun hands-on experience, and then we cooked them up and enjoyed them with ice cream as a delicious treat. It was a great way to see how our garden and orchard work together to provide fresh ingredients for our meals!

Native tree planting

Today a small group of us were chosen to help plant native trees around the school. The plants were kindly gifted to us from Ngāwhā. We worked hard digging holes in the tough, muddy ground and got our hands dirty. We feel really lucky to be part of looking after our environment and helping our trees grow.

Term 3 - week 1

This week we did research on our chosen vegetable groups, Carrots, tomatoes Spinach, beans and Broccoli. finding out the best time to grow them, how much to water and feed them, how they grow and recipes using our groups chosen vegetables. We even upgraded our vege wall turning our vegetables into hero's.

Week 2

This week we made scones with Whaea Tina. In our groups we took turns mixing and adding the ingredients. Whaea Shelly helped us bake them. After that, we wrote the recipe step by step in our writing books. They were so much fun to make and tasted delicious!

Week 3

This week we baked chocolate chip cookies with Whaea Tina. Everyone had a turn helping measure, pour, and stir the ingredients together. Once the dough was ready, Whaea Shelly showed us how to bake them in the oven. When they were finished, we wrote the recipe in our writing books so we could make them again at home. The cookies were warm, gooey, and delicious!

Week 4

Today we learnt how to make apple slices. First, we washed and cut the apples carefully. Then we sprinkled them with cinnamon and a little sugar before baking them. When they came out warm and soft, we all got to taste them. After that, we wrote down a step-by-step recipe in our writing books. They were sweet, tasty, and so easy to make!

Week 5

Today we learnt how to make cheese wafers. First, we grated the cheese and mixed it with flour and butter to make the dough. Then we rolled it out and cut it into small shapes before baking them in the oven. When they were ready, the wafers were golden, crunchy, and cheesy. After we finished, we wrote down the step-by-step recipe in our writing books so we can make them again.