Community Kids Narre Warren recently loaned the Cooking Together Tub for the second time — and showed us what’s possible when educator passion, family engagement and creativity come together.
Inspired by Hunt Club Children’s Centre and its use of floor books to capture children’s voices, the team at Community Kids Narre Warren extended this idea across its kindergarten program. Children were invited to draw or write about their cooking experiences, their thoughts on exploring fresh ingredients from the core food groups, gardening, and the many hands-on learning opportunities woven into everyday practice. These reflections became a powerful record of children’s voices, learning and joy.
Building on the resources within the Cooking Together Tub, the service went one step further by creating its own Family Cooking Together Booklet. This family-friendly resource is now given to new families as part of the service’s induction and welcome process — helping cooking and connection start from day one.
The booklet beautifully captures children developing new skills in the kitchen, while modelling neutral food language and promoting stress-free, positive mealtimes. It also features heartfelt stories from current families about how cooking together at home created meaningful moments of connection around the dinner table. Importantly, it highlights the service’s partnership with Monash Health and the success of the Cooking Together project within the community.
Under the leadership of Centre Director Supreet, alongside Centre Cook Cindy and the wider team, Community Kids Narre Warren has shown how a resource can be embraced, expanded and embedded in a way that truly brings families along on the journey.
The centre’s commitment is an inspiration to us all — and a powerful reminder of what’s possible when we take collaboration to heart.
Pictured: Centre Director Supreet and Centre Cook Cindy holding their Family Cooking Together resources.