School Visit To Elvetham Farm
Country Trust Visit to Elvetham Farm
21st May 2014
A Year 4 class of 28 children from a Primary School in South East London visited Elvetham Farm and spent the day learning about how food gets from the farm to their plates. The day was organised by the The Country Trust, a national educational charity, that conducts educational expeditions for groups of children and their teachers from towns and inner cities.
The children were taken around the farm by Kim Cuzner and Chris Beach. As the focus for the day was food production, Kim and Chris started off showing the children the various grains that were grown on the farm. They then took them to see some of the machines that prepared the land and crops for the end product. The children also met some cows and calves to learn about their role, life cycles, welfare and feed, followed by a magical walk through the barley. Nearby was a stock of ‘sewage cake’ which the children, and adults, were surprised to learn provided good fertiliser! This was followed by a visit to the chickens and the three-day-old ducklings. Each child was given the opportunity to hold the birds and were absolutely fascinated and enthralled by them. Few had ever had such a hands-on experience before. The day ended with a very happy trailer ride, accompanied by the voices of the children, as they sang their way around the Estate.
For further information regarding the Country Trust’s work, please call 01728-726540 or visit their website, www.countrytrust.org.uk