For kids

Ernährungswoche for Kreuzberg

During the Ernährungswoche (Food Week), primary school children from Kreuzberg 36 learn everything they need to know to eat well, healthily and enjoyably in the long term – in six cookery courses and two visits to market gardens and farms.

The children experience food crafts in the neighbourhood, sow, harvest and process fresh vegetables and herbs - and get to know the everyday life of farmers in the region. They prepare simple dishes together in the cookery school's mobile kitchen: every child has broken an egg at least once, prepared dough and chopped vegetables.

At the end of each project week, the children present what they have learnt and cook a communal dinner for their families, teachers and themselves – they eat together at a long table. By the end of 2024, 40 school classes, so more than 900 children, had already taken part in this project developed in collaboration with primary schools in Kreuzberg.

The project strengthens children's nutritional and health literacy and promotes their appreciation of food by teaching them about its origins. In this way, it contributes to a more sustainable and fairer world.

We would like to thank the German Postcode Lottery, Deutsches Kinderhilfswerk, the HELLO Foundation and the Senate Department for Education, Youth and Family for their financial support for the 2024 project period.

Cookery courses at Markthalle Neun

The historic grounds of Markthalle Neun are the starting point of the project week. Here we bake and roast, cook and season, taste and eat together in our mobile kitchens. As well as learning a variety of cooking skills, the children also learn about nutrition in a playful and sensory way.

Experiencing artisan food production

During the project week, the children learn about crafts related to food. The Markthalle becomes a place of out-of-school learning. We visit bakers in their bakery, talk to cheese-makers and look over the shoulders of butchers. There is plenty of time for the children to ask questions.

Farm visits

With a Farm to Fork approach, we also give our young participants a practical insight into agriculture. On two days, we leave the Markthalle to visit and cultivate our vegetable patch at the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg gardening school and travel to Brandenburg to experience a farm in action.

The Great Meal

After an eventful week full of culinary experiences and compact knowledge about nutrition, we say goodbye with a feast to which the children invite their families to a large table in the middle of the Markthalle. The food is prepared and served by the class and then eaten together with all the invited guests.