Garden to Kitchen is a hands-on group therapy session where children design and build their very own herb garden to take home. From choosing their seedlings to potting, planting, and decorating with river stones, every step is a genuine growing experience — and a rich opportunity to build real-world communication and social skills along the way.
Age Group
5 – 12 years
Group Size
2 – 6 participants
When
School holidays & on demand
Price
From $90 per person per session
Who is Garden to Kitchen for?
Garden to Kitchen is designed for primary school-aged children (5–12) who experience challenges with social communication. It is particularly well suited to children with:
- Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
- ADHD
- Social communication difficulties
No gardening experience is needed — just a curiosity about growing things and a willingness to get your hands dirty. Children do not need a formal diagnosis to participate.
How Does Garden to Kitchen Work?
Each child designs their own herb garden before a single seed goes in the ground. Using a design worksheet, they choose which herbs they want, plan their layout, and decide how to decorate their pot — then they build it, step by step, as a group.
The session includes:
- 🪴 Choosing from a selection of herb seedlings — basil, parsley, chives, mint, thyme, and rosemary
- 🪨 Decorating with river stones and personalised herb labels
- 💧 Learning how to care for their garden — sun, water, and harvesting
- 👩🍳 Connecting the herbs they grow to real recipes they can cook at home
At the end of the session, every child takes home their completed herb garden — potted, watered, and ready to grow — along with a herb care card and recipe suggestions so they can use their herbs in the kitchen straight away.
What Will My Child Gain?
Garden to Kitchen targets real social communication goals within a meaningful, hands-on context. Children who participate typically develop:
- Planning and decision-making before starting a task
- Turn-taking and sharing materials with peers
- Following multi-step instructions in the correct sequence
- Descriptive language — talking about what they see, feel, and smell
- Asking for help and offering assistance to others
- A sense of pride, ownership, and achievement
More Than Just a Session
Every child leaves Garden to Kitchen with a living herb garden they grew themselves. We encourage families to use the herbs in cooking at home — reinforcing the communication and independence skills practised in the session, and keeping the connection between growing and cooking alive long after the day is done. It's therapy that keeps growing.
When Does Garden to Kitchen Run?
Garden to Kitchen runs during school holiday periods and can also be scheduled on demand when there is sufficient interest. Group sizes are kept small (2–6 participants) to ensure every child is actively involved and receives individualised support throughout the session.
To be notified when the next Garden to Kitchen session is scheduled, or to express interest in running a group, use the form below.
Pricing
Garden to Kitchen sessions are priced from $90 per person per session, which includes all seedlings, potting mix, a pot, river stones, herb labels, a herb care card, and a recipe suggestion pack to take home. Pricing may vary depending on session length and the plants selected. NDIS funding may be applicable — please contact us to discuss your child's plan.
Express Your Interest
Fill in the form below and we'll be in touch as soon as a Garden to Kitchen session is forming. There's no obligation — we'll simply let you know when a suitable group is available.