Hunt Club Children’s Centre recently embraced the Cooking Together Project using Claire Warden’s Floor Book Approach—a simple yet powerful method to engage children meaningfully in the classroom while strengthening connections with families.
The Cooking Together Tub, provided as part of the project, includes child-friendly cooking equipment and a practical educator toolkit. It encourages hands-on food experiences that spark curiosity, creativity, and conversation. At Hunt Club, educators took a whole-of-service approach, inviting children to explore food through cooking and then reflect on their experiences using the floor book.
After each cooking session, children were encouraged to draw, write, and discuss what they made and tasted. One memorable activity involved exploring three different coloured apples. Children shared their thoughts and preferences— “I loved red apple slinky” and “My apple is red”—and illustrated their apples in the floor book. These visual reflections created a rich tapestry of learning, language development, and cultural sharing.
The floor book became a living document of the children’s voices, showcasing their favourite foods, cooking moments, and family-inspired recipes. It also served as a bridge between home and centre, with families contributing recipes and stories that deepened the experience.
This approach demonstrates how early childhood services can use simple tools to foster meaningful engagement, celebrate diversity, and build stronger educator-child-family partnerships. Hunt Club’s journey is a beautiful example of how cooking can connect hearts, minds, and communities.