Farm Visits as a Learning Tool

A CPD training day

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Farm Visits as a Learning Tool

A CPD training day

Introduction to the day

Here at the Food for Life Partnership, we strongly believe that a visit to a farm shouldnt end with a wave from the back of the bus as it drives down the lane at the end of the day. Such an enriching experience has a range of learning opportunities across the school curriculum and beyond. Todays Farm Links CPD training has been created to provide you and your school with the tools that you may need in order to embed any farm visit firmly into the schools curriculum. As well as helping to bring your curriculum to life with practical classroom and farm-based activities, there will also be opportunities to learn more about the practicalities of setting up a farm visit. Sessions on the day will include:
Session 1 - Farm tour and open discussion on educational activities offered, as well as the practicalities of setting up a farm visit. Session 2 Embedding farm visits into the school curriculum. Session 3 Planning for the visit - Paperwork, funding and health & Safety.

There will be a lunch break as well as opportunities for tea / coffee throughout the day.

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Farm Visits as a Learning Tool

A CPD training day

What are the aims and objectives for the day?

Training aims: To explore ways in which a farm visit activities can be embedded into the school curriculum To identify how to set up and maintain a strong and sustainable farm link. Training objectives: By the end of the day, all delegates will be able to: List some ideas for linking farm visit activities to specific curriculum subjects. Describe some of the considerations involved in planning a farm visit. Identify some of the risks and associated control measures associated with school farm visits.

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Farm Visits as a Learning Tool

A CPD training day

Activity 1- What are the benefits of a school farm visit?

In order to get you in the mood for the day (and as part of that obligatory CPD icebreaker) lets have a think about some of the benefits that a visit to a farm can bring to learners. Introduce yourself to the person next to you and then spend a minute or coming up with a few ideas about any potential positive outcomes of a farm visit. These outcomes could be educational, social, environmental, physical, Jot your ideas below. When we are done, we will go around the group. Take it in turns to introduce the person you worked with and describe one of the positive outcomes that they came up with. NOTES:

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Farm Visits as a Learning Tool

A CPD training day

A farm visit gives learners the opportunity to connect with the living environment. Interacting with living plants and animals provides a very rich, hands-on learning experience in which both formal and informal education can flourish. The benefits of a farm visit are widespread.
Young people will get the chance to learn in new, more relevant and exciting ways - in particular these can benefit those who find classroom learning difficult. The school can use these new approaches to raise achievement. The wider community can benefit through involvement. Its an ideal way to transmit some key messages such as healthy eating.

By visiting a farm, we want learners to be able to:

Make connections between the food they eat and where it comes from Have a meaningful experience of daily life on a farm Develop a positive relationship with a farm with sustainable, on-going links Begin to think about the food choices they have

Having a genuine relationship with a local farm shop improves the childrens knowledge of where food comes from. David Maddison, Headteacher St Peters, Wem

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Farm Visits as a Learning Tool

A CPD training day

Food for Life Partnership awards criteria Bronze

We organise an annual farm visit, and this is linked to wider learning.

Silver
One or more of our year groups keep in touch with a local farm throughout the year. We organise at least one annual visit to or from small local food businesses.

Gold
Our pupils have the opportunity to take part in a programme of farmbased activities throughout the farming year.

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Farm Visits as a Learning Tool

A CPD training day

Session 1 - Farm tour

This session is your opportunity to see around our host farm for the day. It will be led by the farmer / a member of the farms staff. During the tour, you will be able to find out more about the farm itself and the kinds of educational activities that are offered to visiting schools. During the tour, you will get the chance to create your very own map stick. This is a suggested activity that is ideal for KS1 / KS2 farm visits. You can find more information on this activity on the next page. NOTES:

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Farm Visits as a Learning Tool

A CPD training day

Map Sticks - Suitable for most farm tours Time: This activity can be divided into two parts, of at least 45 minutes for each. 45 minutes on-site putting the map stick together and 30 minutes back in the classroom
working with the stick.

Resources needed: Sticks (Small garden canes are ideal), string and sellotape. Preparation: Using the sellotape, attach one end of a 50cm piece of string onto the end of the stick. It is possible to get learners to create the sticks as part of the activity. Description of the activity: 1. Divide the group into pairs. Give each pair a map stick. 2. Tell the group that they are going on a walk and are tasked with collecting memories of their walk. Memories may include leaves, bits of grass, flowers etc. 3. These memories should be held firmly by holding them onto the stick and wrapping the string firmly around the memory. 4. Agree ground rules. Eg: Size of each memory. Memories should not be picked from living vegetation, unless permission has been given from the farmer. Discuss H&S. 5. Once the walk is finished, take the memory sticks back into the classroom. 6. The sticks can be linked with a number of curriculum activites of your choice. Getting started: Tell the story that a journey stick has been 'delivered' to the school with a note from an old man who wants to share with the group the wonders of a local farm. He thinks the best idea is for them to go and create their own journey sticks of the place, and find out what a wonderful place it is. Take some time to think about maps, journeys and farms - what do they mean to us, as a society, and as individuals? Research maps, farming etc. Extensions: Create a display of the site mapped out and interpreted using the map sticks. Write to a descendant of the old man (son / daughter / wife / husband) and ask them to come and visit the school and share the journey sticks.

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Farm Visits as a Learning Tool

A CPD training day

Session 2 - Embedding farm visits into the school curriculum.

As we saw during session 1, a farm visit can offer a wide range of opportunities for learning. Learners will be able to talk at length with the farmer, get a closer look round the farm and to begin to understand the yearly cycle of work. The experience will help learners to start making connections between the food they eat and where it comes from, as well as helping them begin to think about the food choices they make. Experience has shown that the most rewarding farm visits are those which are followed up back in class. Speak to the farmer before the visit and discuss ways in which the visit can be tailored to link in with particular curriculum units that are being delivered at that point in time. In order to help you plan this effectively, we will now examine ways in which the farm visit can be embedded into the school curriculum.

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Farm Visits as a Learning Tool

A CPD training day

Activity 2- The farm classroom

We will split into four smaller groups. Each group will be given some pens and flipchart paper. On the paper, list as many curriculum units as you wish. If you would like to focus on units that you personally deliver or one which your year group is currently working on, thats fine But do try to cover some other units as well. Using your map stick from the previous session as a memory jogger, think about your farm tour and list ways in which a farm visit could be linked to specific curriculum units.

Here are a few examples to get you started

Literacy: Learners could discuss the sounds and smells of the farm and write a sensory poem. Art & Design: Undertake the map stick activity and then create a collage of the memories that were collected ICT: Research the farm on the internet.

and now its your turn. Let your imagination run wild!

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Farm Visits as a Learning Tool

A CPD training day

History

Mathematics

English

Religious Education

Geography

Art & Design

Key Stage 2 - Food and Farming Food & Farming

Drama Music Design Technology PSHE and Citizenship

ICT Physical Education Science

NOTES:

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Farm Visits as a Learning Tool

A CPD training day

Food for Life Partnership

Stuffed

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Farm Visits as a Learning Tool

A CPD training day

Farming and Countryside Education (FACE)

Farms for Schools

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Farm Visits as a Learning Tool

A CPD training day

Grain Chain

UK Agriculture

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Farm Visits as a Learning Tool

A CPD training day

Session 3 Planning the visit

Once you have identified a suitable farm to visit, there are a number of steps to address to ensure a successful visit. These include: The pre-visit Health & Safety Organising transport Funding the visit We will now examine each of these stages in detail

Activity 3 Be prepared!
We will split into four smaller groups. Each group will be given a Food for Life Partnership farm visit resources pack. As the lead members of staff for your schools upcoming farm visit, you have been asked by your head to find out more about the main steps to organising the farm visit. Using the supplied resources, spend a few minutes researching one of the steps before feeding back to the rest of the group. You may use the table on the next page to make notes.

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Farm Visits as a Learning Tool

A CPD training day

The pre-visit

Health & Safety

Organising transport

Funding the visit

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Farm Visits as a Learning Tool

A CPD training day

Activity 4 - Risk assessment

We will split into four smaller groups. Each group will be tasked with preparing a risk assessment for a specific activity that they plan to undertake on their schools upcoming farm visit. The four activities are: Pond Dipping Soil sampling in the field A woodland wander Meeting the animals In your groups list some of the potential hazards that may be experience whilst undertaking this activity. Decide whether the hazard is low / medium or high risk and then come up with a control measure that could me put into place in order to minimise the risk.

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Farm Visits as a Learning Tool

A CPD training day

Hazard

Pond Dipping Activity Risk level (Low / Medium / High)

Control measure

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Farm Visits as a Learning Tool

A CPD training day

Hazard

Soil Sampling in the field Risk level (Low / Medium / High)

Control measure

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Farm Visits as a Learning Tool

A CPD training day

Hazard

Woodland wander Risk level (Low / Medium / High)

Control measure

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Farm Visits as a Learning Tool

A CPD training day

Hazard

Meeting the animals Risk level (Low / Medium / High)

Control measure

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Farm Visits as a Learning Tool

A CPD training day

Risks assessments on the taking of students to farms should include hazards associated with E coli 0157 and other infections as well as those arising from the misuse of farm equipment. Key precautionary measures include: making sure that students wear appropriate outdoor shoes and clothing. covering cuts and grazes on hands with waterproof dressing. never allowing students to kiss animals or place their faces against them. ensuring that students wash their hands thoroughly before and after eating, after any contact with animals and again before leaving the farm. making sure that students do not use or pick up tools (eg. spades and forks) unless permitted to do so by farm staff and that they do not ride on tractors or other machines. If a member of the group shows signs of ill health after farm visit, they should consult a doctor as soon as possible and explain that they have been in recent contact with animals. You can find further information on school farm visit risk assessments at: The food for Life Partnership website: http://www.foodforlife.org.uk/Resources/Teachingresources/Resourcevi ew/tabid/79/ArticleId/242/Everything-you-need-to-organise-successfulfarm-visits.aspx Farms for schools website: http://www.farmsforschools.org.uk/ffsinformation/healthandsafety.htm

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Farm Visits as a Learning Tool

A CPD training day

Notes:

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