Bonding Over Broccoli: A Family’s Adventure in the Garden

Obesity is common in his family, and he has lost more than one relative to diabetes. Therefore, it is very important to him to lay a strong foundation for his children’s health. Especially his younger daughter, Kiara, who is 4 years old, requires his attention when it comes to healthy eating habits. He is often frustrated by her stubbornness and lacks ideas on how to tackle the topic in a fun way.

During pick-ups from Kiara’s kindergarten, he learned about the AckerRacker programme and became involved in its learning garden, where children grow their own vegetables. With the materials provided by the programme, it was easy for Marcus to take the first step and go on an adventure with his daughter, during which she proudly showed him what she had been working on in the garden. Marcus was surprised that he could learn new things from his daughter. He says: “My daughter was previously very picky with her food. This summer was a real game changer. She tasted everything she grew in the garden—so many new vegetables. She now eats tomato sauce. Hallelujah!” 

Spending time together in the garden 

Marcus has since been making time for gardening sessions at the kindergarten. While he initially felt a bit lost in the nutritional jungle, the structure provided by the programme in the garden and the educational materials such as recipes and cooking videos shared by the educators enabled him to grow vegetables and turn them into meals his family loves to eat. The planting sessions provided a lot of fun for the father-daughter duo: finding the best spots and digging holes for the plants, carrying a heavy watering can together and making the beds beautiful. Kiara is proud that her father is showing an interest in her kindergarten activities and Marcus feels more connected to her. Perhaps most importantly, Marcus now shares a common hobby with his daughter, and they get to spend extra time together doing things they love.