Hey, do you know the Kitchen Garden Man?

A coronavirus-lockdown hobby that got out of hand, which started in his apartment by sprouting an avocado stone and a packet of old broccoli seeds. It grew into a popular Instagram channel and eventually his own business. The school in Hoensbroek also picked up on the videos Simon made and asked him to think and work along with them. They wanted to include nature and kitchen gardening in their school curriculum. But the school also realized that this required knowledge and time that could not be obtained directly from the teachers themselves.

Since transforming an overgrown section of the school playground with condemned play equipment into an area with fruit trees, herbs, fruit bushes, a frog pond and a vegetable garden, Simon has been visiting every week. The school works with talent periods, with four talent themes, one of which is “nature.” Divided into groups for younger, middle and older children, all the children choose a talent theme on Tuesday that they would like to take part in. Each theme must be followed at least once a year.

With Simon, nature lessons and vegetable-garden lessons naturally merge into one another. Sowing, caring for plants, harvesting and tasting are all covered, but a frog lesson is also linked to the vegetable garden: frogs eat the slugs that would otherwise feast on the lettuce. Perennial plants also have their place, in his view: the Food Forest Garden, created together with IVN Nature Education, provides a wonderful addition to harvesting and tasting. Don’t like beetroot? Children love it in a smoothie with strawberry and raspberry!

He sees children who do not always excel in the classroom literally blossom in the school garden. This is especially clear at another primary school in Hoensbroek, Mheyster, where, alongside the regular vegetable-garden lessons during the growing season, Simon is employed to provide year-round lessons for children who do not always thrive in the classroom. Even when the Kitchen Garden Man is not there, teachers at the school now know where to find the vegetable garden for children who need to get out for a while. The headmistress recently told him that a girl who became overwhelmed in class was sent to the vegetable garden to pick something for a while. She returned with a calm mind.

While spending time outdoors and working in the vegetable garden, the children naturally share all kinds of stories and unburden themselves. For example, they talk about their home situations, which can sometimes be distressing in the deprived neighbourhoods where these schools are located. In addition to the important role of learning about healthy food and exercise, Simon therefore also sees great added value in social-emotional development. More time outdoors, more doing and less sitting still—that is what Simon wishes for all children in the Netherlands. A school garden for every child!

A coronavirus-lockdown hobby that got out of hand, which started in his apartment by sprouting an avocado stone and a packet of old broccoli seeds. It grew into a popular Instagram channel and eventually his own business. The school in Hoensbroek also picked up on the videos Simon made and asked him to think and work along with them. They wanted to include nature and kitchen gardening in their school curriculum. But the school also realized that this required knowledge and time that could not be obtained directly from the teachers themselves.

Since transforming an overgrown section of the school playground with condemned play equipment into an area with fruit trees, herbs, fruit bushes, a frog pond and a vegetable garden, Simon has been visiting every week. The school works with talent periods, with four talent themes, one of which is “nature.” Divided into groups for younger, middle and older children, all the children choose a talent theme on Tuesday that they would like to take part in. Each theme must be followed at least once a year.

With Simon, nature lessons and vegetable-garden lessons naturally merge into one another. Sowing, caring for plants, harvesting and tasting are all covered, but a frog lesson is also linked to the vegetable garden: frogs eat the slugs that would otherwise feast on the lettuce. Perennial plants also have their place, in his view: the Food Forest Garden, created together with IVN Nature Education, provides a wonderful addition to harvesting and tasting. Don’t like beetroot? Children love it in a smoothie with strawberry and raspberry!

He sees children who do not always excel in the classroom literally blossom in the school garden. This is especially clear at another primary school in Hoensbroek, Mheyster, where, alongside the regular vegetable-garden lessons during the growing season, Simon is employed to provide year-round lessons for children who do not always thrive in the classroom. Even when the Kitchen Garden Man is not there, teachers at the school now know where to find the vegetable garden for children who need to get out for a while. The headmistress recently told him that a girl who became overwhelmed in class was sent to the vegetable garden to pick something for a while. She returned with a calm mind.

While spending time outdoors and working in the vegetable garden, the children naturally share all kinds of stories and unburden themselves. For example, they talk about their home situations, which can sometimes be distressing in the deprived neighbourhoods where these schools are located. In addition to the important role of learning about healthy food and exercise, Simon therefore also sees great added value in social-emotional development. More time outdoors, more doing and less sitting still—that is what Simon wishes for all children in the Netherlands. A school garden for every child!