When it comes to eating veges, many kids turn up their noses. But not the kids at Manurewa East School.
The decile 2 school is the first in South Auckland to participate in Sanitarium's Eat Your Words programme.
Children from year 5 and 6 learned about different food groups and plant-based foods before cutting up vegetables to make their name.
They then put their cooking skills to the test by making burgers with chickpea patties and home-made coleslaw.
Twins Briejahna and Foumoka Siosiua say the cooking was fun and the burgers turned out "delicious".
"I like grapefruit and leek but I don't like broccoli," Briejahna says.
Eat Your Words is an in-school education programme that aims to educate Kiwi kids through hands-on education and cooking workshops.
Sanitarium nutritionist Susan Buxton says the feedback has been great.
"The kids enjoyed it so it's definitely something we want to roll out to more schools next year," she says.
"We want to get the message out to children and their families that you can eat healthy on a budget but it's about eating cheaply and seasonally.
"A lot of kids don't cook and rely on takeaways so we're trying to give those cooking skills to kids."
- Manukau Courier