Family Cookery
Equipping families to make long lasting changes in their diets by teaching foundational cooking skills and nutrition is proven to help develop resilience against food poverty, poor diet and poor health outcomes.
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Teddy frowned at the flyer we handed him in the playground. “I hate stories,” he said, insisting there wasn’t a single book worth his time. By his final session of Story Tellers, he’d become one of our most thoughtful reviewers.
When six year old Teddy’s dad signed them both up for Story Tellers in the school playground, Teddy looked at our flyer and said “hmm I’m not sure about this. I hate stories.” He came along, but spent much of the first session frowning and insisting that he didn’t like any books. Teddy told us that he always wanted to do something else instead. His dad chuckled beside him, saying this is exactly why he’d brought him along to Story Tellers.
After chatting with Teddy while he gave our first book a scathing, but surprisingly detailed review, we promised him we would find a book he would enjoy. The next week we read the Cook and the King, a hilarious Julia Donaldson classic. When it came to the review, Teddy gave the book an amazing 5 stars. He said he enjoyed the characters and humour and thought the ending was surprising, but satisfying.
We let him choose next week’s book out of our carefully selected library. By week three, he was turning the story pages himself, even making sure his friend was also paying attention. Teddy went from being quietly sceptical, believing he had nothing to say about stories, to being eager to share his detailed thoughts and feelings on the narrative, characters, illustrations and rhymes in the stories we read. It was incredible to see him feel excited about channeling his bright, creative mind into reading, thinking and talking about stories. His dad happily reported that it had been much easier to encourage him to read, and in fact, he didn’t always want to do something else.
During our last session, while Teddy reviewed his final book (another 5* stars!), we asked him what he thought about books, and in his usual thoughtful, reserved tone he said “You know what, there’s actually some that are pretty good!” For this boy, an absolutely glowing review of our group, and of stories themselves.
We couldn’t change lives without the support of our partners.
Equipping families to make long lasting changes in their diets by teaching foundational cooking skills and nutrition is proven to help develop resilience against food poverty, poor diet and poor health outcomes.
A love of reading and reading for pleasure is one of the most powerful foundations for future success – it sparks imagination, builds confidence and has the power to transform the lives of children growing up in challenging circumstances.
Helping our most vulnerable children build resilience and develop social and emotional skills is life-changing, and lays the foundation for a brighter, more successful future.
Supporting parents and nurturing early childhood development in those critical first years lays the foundation for brighter futures and lasting impact.
Being socially connected is a more important protective factor for mental wellbeing and life expectancy than employment or education level. Children who have access to community activities and social support have better educational outcomes and increased social skills.