Kids Can Cook Kitchen

Kids Can Cook Kitchen

As the end of Term 2 approaches I take off my chefs hat to all teachers as I now know how much work is involved in teaching the next generation.

The ability to sow the seeds in a younger generation is more tasty and fulfilling than my past cooking roles.

The Kids Can Cook Kitchen has visited over 25 thousand children in schools nationwide in the last 6 months I can see there is certainly a growing inability for some parents to provide the basics in life and I am not just talking about breakfast. I have visited many different decile schools in many different regions and what some of our children need most is respect, mana, self-esteem and self-belief.

They need to be able to believe that they can make a difference, that they can rise above basic social and economic problems as generations before us have done. This is the role of parents but unfortunately it has now also been passed onto schools as with many other basic needs

Some of the highlights of Term 1 and 2 for the Kids Can Cook Kitchen include

Epuni School - 100 Students - Lower Hutt - The best School Garden in New Zealand

Te Wainui a Rua School - 20 Students - Whanganui - Most remote school with Mana

Mohaka School - 33 Students - Hawkes Bay - Respect, Respect, Respect

Manurewa Intermediate and Manurewa High School - 700 Students - Auckland - The most encouraging schools with great facilities

Waimauku School - 640 Students - Aucklad - Polite, Curious, Respectful and Helpful

Awhitu School - 123 Students - Franklin - Great area school that walks the talk

Canvas Town School - 38 Students - Marlborough - Most fun and came up with the name for the Kitchen

Linwood North School - Aranui School - New Brighton Catholic School - Chisnallwood Intermediate- Beckenham School - Casebrook Intermediate and Christchurch South Intermediate - 1000's of students - for having mana, self esteem and self belief after the earthquakes affected all

To see our other school visits and find recipes and tips go to our Website - www.kidscancookkitchen.org.nz

I look at Epuni School in Lower Hut and I see their school garden, I see the difference in the children’s eyes as they are all involved in something special; the sowing of future seeds. I see the difference in the fact that they are been given the tools in life to be able to look after themselves in the future. I see the respect and mana in their eyes. Well done to all involved in our education sector, the health and nutrition sectors and the mums and dads who do sent their children off to school each day with the correct tools to be able to grow and prosper in today's modern busy modern world.

I believe if you give a child a breakfast then you feed them for a day. Teach a child how to grow and cook and you feed them for a lifetime

Chris Fortune - Founder of Kids Can Cook Kitchen and Chairperson of Farmers' Markets NZ and Localvore
ends

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