Discovering Learning in Sustainable Food Production.
Food is fundamental to life. More fundamental than education. Without food there would be no 123 no ABC no Education
See how fundamental with our 20 Food Facts Tweets – 20 Food Facts
So why, even when food production is all around us in every part of the country, do we know, or teach, so little about where, or how, food is produced.
Why is food not at the centre of education and the curriculum?
Why do your ABC’s and 123′s not involve food production, agriculture, horticulture and the countryside?
Two reasons:
- A lack of knowledge of just how food production, agriculture, horticulture and the countryside are rich with Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths, steeped in our History, part of our surrounding Geographical world, inspiration for our Art, Music, Literature, part of Religious belief.
- Even when food production is all around us in every part of the country, it is invisible, untouchable, unknown until now!
Food production is not just an ultimate career choice, it is an exciting and invigorating subject to learn about.
Discovering-Our-Countryisde can change that make Food production part of the 3 R’s Reading wRiting countRyside.
Discovering-Our-Countryisde makes food production, agriculture, horticulture and the countryside visible, touchable, accessible and exciting for everyone of all ages. Our simple yet innovative use of modern technology brings the farm yard right into your classroom, but without the muck, smells or dangers or inherent costs! See how below…..
Benefits of having the Discovering Our Countryside farm yard into your classroom?
My passion for sharing and experience of agriculture led me to develop teach.discovering-our-countryside an innovative virtual learning platform (VLE) which contains a series of farming, growing and food production teaching resources in line with the new curriculum for September 2014. These include engaging video diaries, teachers’ packs and student workbooks – each subject is designed as a self contained, yet integrated lesson plan that builds up the pupils’ knowledge and interest in the countryside.
How to get the Discovering Our Countryside farm yard into your classroom?
Well watch the videos of why, how and then make it so with our free trial – details below or click to Discovering-Our-Countryside Free Trial Now
The Discovering-Our-Countryside themes:
- Yr1-2 Are your pets really alive?
- Yr1-2 Plants – what use are they?
- Yr3-4 What goes in….
- Yr3-4 Follow the poo…
- Yr5-6 Can sheep really read numbers?
- Yr5-6 Farmers V Bugs – It’s WAR!
Mission of Discovering Our Countryside.
The films and commentaries have been developed specifically to help teachers in the classroom. We offer suggestions and provide specific links to the National Curriculum and your Eco School work – it covers many of the topics under the Eco Schools initiative, such as: transport; waste, recycling and litter; care of school grounds; healthy living; energy; bio-diversity; and the global perspective.
The programmes also play a role in related national Government initiatives such as: healthy schools; sustainable schools; Every Child Matters; and Learning Outside the Classroom.
We hope you will use the programmes to enhance the work that you are doing in your own classrooms.
Discovering Our Countryside not only follows the national schools guidelines, but also encourages learning through discussion and interaction by children in pairs and groups, circle time or class discussion, as well as providing a clear, interesting and informative picture of the important role of agriculture and rural affairs in the lives of pupils from an early age.
Discovering Our Countryside is a modular approach to the seasonality of rural affairs. Agricultural content covers crops, from seed to harvesting, through to how food reaches the table; livestock rearing, including birth, milking, and rearing; and how often large and overpowering vehicles and farm machines work. And the programmes also include the importance of wildlife, including mice, rabbits, hares, badgers, foxes etc. through to the vast range of birds that are often seen as just distant wings on the horizon, as well as flowers, shrubs and trees.
Agriculture and rural life goes on all year round, and Discovering Our Countryside captures this seasonality.
Whilst many schools operate farm visits, these are invariably held during term time and usually when better weather can be expected, but farming goes on day after day through all the seasons. Discovering Our Countryside not only brings autumn, winter, spring and summer right into the classroom, but it also allows pupils to get ‘up close and personal’ with such activities as milking, sowing and harvesting, and gets closer to farm machinery than any risk assessment will allow.