Seed to plate experiences at Maples

There was delight for children at Maples Day Nursery in Winchester as they picked their harvest of tomatoes, having patiently grown them from plants in the garden outside.

After embarking on a summer gardening project, children from the award-winning setting on Hatherley Road were delighted to see the results of their hard work from the daily watering and pruning, before picking the ripened red tomatoes and taking them in to wash.

Back inside, children spoke about kitchen hygiene and protocols, before putting on their aprons and using safety knives to chop their homegrown tomatoes, along with other fresh vegetables, which they added to the blender to prepare soup which was enjoyed for lunch.

Throughout the experience, children were able to learn about the process from seed to plate, whilst showcasing their early language and mathematics skills to monitor and log the growth of the plants and identify when their crops would be ready to harvest through observations. 

It is for such activities that Maples have been awarded the prestigious ‘Green Flag’ from Eco-Schools, the highest accolade in the international scheme, which is awarded for exceptional environmental awareness and conservation practices, with activities at the nursery including creating habitats for wildlife and litter picking sessions in their local area.

Maples Day Nursery Team Leader, Casey Woodbridge explained;

“We’re hugely proud of the children for seeing this project through from start to finish, and everyone loved the soup we created as a result. Teaching our children about self-sufficiency, healthy eating habits, and the joy of teamwork is a key part of their development. This was a fantastic experience and we look forward to trying more of our homegrown herbs and veg.