News
Seeing and believing the value of direct experiences to bring alive learning
On Tuesday April 22nd, HRH The Prince of Wales, Patron of the Year of Food and Farming, was joined by leaders from industry and the public sector to see how a city school uses its farm to bring alive learning about growing food, healthy eating and caring for the environment.
The Year of Food and Farming, in partnership with Business in the Community, organised this visit to Coventry as part of The Prince’s ‘Seeing is Believing‘ Programme to illustrate the link between education, food production and a healthy lifestyle.
The visit demonstrated to The Prince the wide variety of ways young people experience learning outside of the classroom, especially those pupils who learn best by practical application of concepts and theory. The Prince of Wales visited Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School and Language College with Rural Dimension whereby HRH spoke to pupils about how they care for the farm animals and gardens. This visit promoted ‘growing, cooking and eating’ experiences and the value they have in inspiring youngsters not engaged by traditional classroom teaching methods, as well as giving pupils an insight into careers in cooking, food production, environmental and agricultural sectors and veterinary sciences.
Research commissioned by the Year of Food and Farming shows that there is a generation of ‘concrete children’ with very little understanding of food, where it comes from or why our bodies need it. Children are increasingly experiencing the world through TV screens, video games and the internet. 11-15 year olds spend an average of 55 hours per week in front of a screen and 1.1 million children have never been outside of an urban area. In addition, youngsters who have regular contact with nature and growing food are much more likely to care about what they eat, leading to better food choices for themselves.
Given the current debate around the need to teach children cooking skills, there is a selection of easy recipes with clear explanations, ranging from breakfast to healthy treats and party food. The recipes are in line with current healthy eating guidelines.
Tony Cooke, Programme Director of the Year of Food and Farming said:
‘The message of the Year of Food and Farming is clear: in order for children to have a healthy relationship with food, they must have first hand experiences of growing, cooking and farm visits. I am delighted that Cardinal Wiseman School, as such a shining example, is playing host to this important event to highlight the importance of outdoor learning to children.’