The Stephanie Alexander kitchen garden program at Bulimba State School

Providing students with rich opportunities for language and literacy learning requires students to engage in real-life, purposeful experiences in a supportive environment. This can sometimes be a challenging task for schools as classroom experiences can come across as contrived when disconnected from the 'real world'. Creating authentic, real-life learning experiences for students is no small feat. It often requires the support of families and the wider community. Drawing on their vast skills and knowledge, as well as innovative opportunities that families and community members provide, expands the learning environment of schools, creating rich learning contexts. Through the engagement of families and the community, the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden program at Bulimba State School is creating a positive and healthy food-based learning context for student language and literacy development.