Welcome to the March issue of the primary newsletter intended especially for teachers and pupils. Please pass on any ideas or information that you find useful to parents and carers too.

Special reminder to all registered schools! We’re now half way through the Year of Food and Farming so now is the time to add news of your activities to date and your plans for spring and summer on your very own Space. Let us know just what you’ve been up to by posting photos, stories, blogs or video on your Space.

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This month’s theme is growing… a simple enough idea? Not necessarily for young children. Does growing mean flowers or vegetables or does it mean themselves? Does it mean baby lambs and calves growing into sheep and cows or does it mean cress growing white and sideways if it is kept in the dark? Teachers tackle the various concepts of growing in several ways as their pupils’ understanding broadens. In the context of the Year of Food and Farming it is important to be very clear about what we want our young pupils to understand by the word ’Growing’.

Young children need to understand that growth is something that happens to all living things and what it means to be living and to grow. They need to understand that successful and healthy growth is dependent upon the existence of certain conditions. Primary schools generally teach these concepts through growing experiments in the classroom and more recently through the real experience of a school garden.

You can use the Year of Food and Farming to broaden your children’s understanding of growth by investigating the link between the healthy growth of farm livestock and crops and the healthy growth and lifestyle of themselves, their friends and families. In this way we can help our children grow into environmentally aware and responsible young people.

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What’s in season in March?

Vegetables: Calabrese, purple sprouting broccoli, carrots, leeks, spring greens, spring onions, radishes, beetroot, sorrel, parsley and mint.
Fruit and nuts: First rhubarb.
Game: Rabbit, hare and pigeon.
Fish: Halibut, mackerel, sea bass, sardines, wild salmon, sea trout and lobster.
Cheese:Cotherstone and Wensleydale.

What’s happening on the farm?

Livestock farmers get very busy this month. On sheep farms breeding ewes need to be vaccinated and have their feet trimmed to protect them from footrot. They are grouped according to the number of lambs they are expecting and housed ewes are put out to grass. As lambing gets underway sheep farmers must give their animals 24 hour attention so they prepare for many sleepless nights. Baby goats can also be born this month.

On dairy and beef farms calving begins and dairy farmers are also busy with milking. The spring beef cattle sales also take place. Chicken farmers are busy too as their hens begin to lay more eggs as the days lengthen and of course the baby chicks are being born. Some hens keep their own eggs warm and some eggs are brought on in incubators. Arable and vegetable farmers are busy planting and ensuring their land is in top condition for the growth of their crops.

For more information on the importance of farming today click on the link to "Resource Bank – Farming Matters" on the home page

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Find the Real Shaun Competition

Get out into the countryside with your pupils, their parents and carers this spring and see if they can find the real Shaun the Sheep. If you teach 5–12 year olds, head to the countryside with a digital camera and have fun looking for Shaun. When you find the closest look-a-like, simply take a photograph and enter it into the ’Find the Real Shaun’ competition by the 8th June 2008, at www.yearoffoodandfarming.org.uk. The best look-a-like will win an exclusive framed still from the Shaun the Sheep series, signed by the director. Let parents and carers know about the competition too because there’s also a free family ticket to a national farm attraction up for grabs. For all the details visit www.yearoffoodandfarming.org.uk

B&Q; Growing Packs for schools

As part of the Year of Food and Farming’s campaign to offer every child first-hand opportunities to learn about food, B&Q; has been giving away enough tomato plants for 175,000 primary school children to ’grow their own’ in a demonstration of its commitment to One Planet Living.

Primary school teachers were urged to register for enough free plants for every child in their class, on a first come first served basis. The packs where all snapped up within days and successful teachers received a pack in the post containing everything they need to get going on their class growing activity. The pack includes a propagator containing 35 pre-sown young plants – enough for one plant, per child, per class.

The propagator needs to be opened immediately and the young plants within it watered and put on the windowsill for a week to establish. By the end of this first week, the tomato plants will be ready for transferring into larger pots so teachers will need to have collected their free bag of peat-free compost from their local B&Q.; The classroom activity enables teachers to plan a lesson around the ’growing’ of food and help their children learn about where food comes from.

Having grown the tomato plants to a reasonable size in the classroom, each child can take their own plant home. To encourage the continued growth and care of the plant at home, B&Q; is also running a free prize draw to encourage teachers to feedback to B&Q; with pictures and information on their class growing activity. The lucky winner will win a coaching session for their school with CBBC presenter and wheelchair basketball star, Ade Adepitan MBE. Ade is a familiar face on children’s television and is most likely to be recognised by children as ’Baggy’ from the CBBC drama, ’Desperados’, about a wheelchair basketball team.

Packs are no longer available because they were snapped up so quickly, but please do check for other offers and for information about the competition at www.yearoffoodandfarming.org.uk/b-and-q

British Potato Council:

The British Potato Council has been running its Grow your own potatoes scheme for four years now and this year, in partnership with the Year of Food and Farming, it is hoping to extend its links to over 8000 schools in England, Scotland and Wales through the Adopt-a-School scheme. To register now for GYOP 2009 and for lesson ideas and links to the image library and farm visit section if you are already participating this year visit www.potatoesforschools.org.uk

’Growing Schools’ Conference:

You need to book a place this month if you want to attend this year’s conference which will take place on the 7th April at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. The ’Growing Schools’ educational providers will be present to provide a range of participative workshops which will help teachers with lessons covering science, geography, citizenship, art and mathematics. The day will also see the opening of the ’Growing Schools’ garden. For more information and to download an application form go to www.teachernet.gov.uk/growingschools

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March sees the start of the lambing season. You could not give your pupils a better opportunity to experience farm life at its most exciting. Arrange a visit to a sheep farm which welcomes young children and allows them not only to watch the lambing but also perhaps to help feed young lambs and talk to the farmers.

Alternatively you may be able to arrange a trip to see calves, chicks or baby goats being born. Whatever you do, extend your pupils’ understanding of new birth and growth on all livestock farms in the spring time. Back in the classroom very young children will love to play with sets of animal mothers and babies. Develop their understanding through stories, drawing and discussion. Help them make the comparison between animal babies and themselves as babies. What did they need when they were newly born? Food, warmth, love, protection? Are there any differences in the needs of young animals or birds?

Older children can investigate these similarities more closely. How do farmers provide what their baby livestock need? How do they ensure that their young animals (or poultry) are kept in conditions which help them grow healthily? Do the pupils think there is a need for farmers to ensure young animals feel loved and protected? For pupils who are able, this slant on the discussion could lead naturally into the more sensitive areas of animal welfare. It is important not just to consider whether animal welfare is taken into consideration on farms but why it should be. Encourage children to consider the rights of life and living things. Undoubtedly the best way to start this sort of investigation is by talking to farmers themselves. Perhaps you can arrange this as part of your visit?

Pupils also need to investigate the importance of growing conditions for arable, vegetable and fruit crops. These are also living things. What conditions do they need if they are to grow healthily? Older pupils can investigate the differences between different farming methods and consider the benefits of organic farming. Help the children to make the connection between the quality of the food they eat and the impact that this has on their own bodies, their growth and their health. Encourage pupils to consider ways in which the farming community can be supported and sustained. Help them to appreciate the historical importance of farming and to understand how it has evolved. Can the more able pupils suggest how farming should be developed in the future? Encourage them to consider what help farmers need to enable them meet the demands of a discerning public in terms of animal welfare and organic produce.

Establish a class (or school) garden, allotment or even just a small growing area so your pupils can discover for themselves what conditions need to be in place for healthy growth of plants and vegetables. You can still carry out the usual classroom experiments but don’t just rely on runner beans in jam jars, open the door and go outside!

For an up-to-date take on growing cress in the classroom, why not grow a selection of sprouting seeds. You can use a commercial sprouter (not expensive) or sterilised jam jars covered with muslin. Whichever you use it is essential to wash and drain the beans daily to prevent mould and bacteria developing. Select quick sprouting seeds with your pupils and let them see them before you take them home to soak overnight on Sunday. On Monday morning the pupils can ’plant’ the (very swollen) seeds and you should be able to ’harvest’ them by Friday.

All of the following (and others) will sprout within a school week: mung, alfalfa, mustard, cress, sunflower, sesame, lentils, adzuki, chickpeas, green peas, quinoa.

Let’s get ’sprouting’:

  • Drain and thoroughly rinse the soaked seeds twice then place them in the sprouters or jars which are then placed on their sides in a sunny, warm place.
  • Rinse the seeds at least twice daily through the ’sprouting lid’ or muslin
  • When ready, rinse and drain the seeds.
  • Put out bowls of the sprouting seeds, other ’traditional’ salad vegetables and salad ’sprinkles’. You can use seed (sunflower, pumpkin, sesame etc) sprinkles here or you could let your pupils fry off croutons or bacon bits.
  • A stock cube or stock powder to taste
  • Encourage pupils to make up ’group’ salad bowls, selecting what they want from the ingredients. If you want to make it a bit more of a challenge, you could provide them with the ingredients to make a dressing.
  • Eat!

* For teachers wishing to work with pupils on animal welfare (including farm animals), please see the link under ’School activities and resources’.

For more information on sourcing your food locally click on the link to "Growing" on the home page

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The school vegetable garden :

  • Make sure that the ground you have dug over is clear and ready for planting.
  • Plan and put into place any tactics you might need to use to prevent birds eating the seeds you are about to plant out.
  • You can now plant out a large variety of seeds if they are in a reasonably warm sheltered place. These include carrots, lettuce, peas,radishes, tomatoes, turnips, leeks, garlic, shallots, onions, parsnips, dwarf French beans, kale, kohl rabi, broccoli, cauliflower, sea kale, spinach and swedes.
  • You can plant out early seed potatoes too and you might want to start off marrow plants in pots this month.
  • Take care to protect your crops from frost and cold if necessary.

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Curriculum links:

If you structure a programme of learning around this newsletter’s focus on growing and the related curriculum activities, you would have the opportunity to visit the following links in programmes of study. Please be aware that you would have to ensure coverage of the links through your own planning.

Science:
KS1: Science 2-Life processes & living things: 1a, b, c; 2b, f; 3a, b, c; 5a;
 Sc 1Knowledge, skills & understanding: 1, 2a, b, e, f, g, h, I, j;
 Breadth of study: 1a, 2a, b and also 1c, d if growth experiments are undertaken
 KS2: Science 2-Life processes & living things: 1a, b, c; 2b, c, e, f; 3a, b, c; 4a, b; ja;
 Sc 1 Knowledge, skills & understanding: 1a, b; All of 2;
 Breadth of study: 1a and possibly b, c, d in extension activities; 2a,b;

Geography:
KS1: Geographical knowledge, enquiry & skills: 1a, b, c, d; 2a, d; 3a
 Breadth of study: 7a, b;
 KS2: Geographical knowledge, enquiry & skills: 1a, b, c, d, e; 2a, b, d, (possibly e), f, g;3a, d, e; 5a, b;
 Breadth of study: 7a, c; Possibly Theme e;

PSHE:
KS1: Knowledge, skills & understanding: 1a, b, c; 2a, b, c, e; 3a, b, c, d, g; 4b;
 Breadth of study: 5a, c, d, e, possibly g;
 KS2: Knowledge, skills & understanding: 1a, c; 2a, d, e, f, possibly h, j, k if used in extension activities for able pupils; 3a, b; 4a, possibly through historical aspects
 Breadth of study: 5a, d, g;

Design and Technology:
KS1: Knowledge, skills & understanding: 1a, b, c; 2a, b, f;
 Breadth of study: 5b, c;
 KS2: Knowledge, skills & understanding: 1c, d; 2a, b, c, f; 3a, c; 4a;
 Breadth of study: 5b, c;

English:
KS1: Knowledge, skills & understanding: 1a through to f; 2a through to e; 3 a through to e;
 Breadth of study: 8a, b, c, d; 9a ,b; 10a,b,c;
 KS2: Knowledge, skills & understanding: 1 a through to e; 2 a through to e; 3 a through to d;
 Breadth of study: 8a, c; 9a, c; 10a, b, c.

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Sprowston Junior School:

This school has an established wildlife garden, a mini orchard and a small vegetable patch and composting area and it is the school’s ethos to incorporate the outdoors in as much of the curriculum as possible. Pupils from Year 7 are going to design and build some raised beds on an area of grass. The pupils are currently growing garlic, broad beans and peas. They plan to grow potatoes, carrots, radishes, lettuce, spring onion, sweetcorn, tomatoes and beetroot. At harvest time the pupils had amazing success – producing bumper harvests of beetroot, carrots, sweet corn and their very own pumpkins to carve for Halloween and delicious roast pumpkin seeds to savour. The children run a veg stall after school where they sell organic school grown produce to the parents.

https://www.yearoffoodandfarming.org.uk/spaces/sprowston-junior-school/School

Rendlesham Community Primary School

The nursery class at this school spent last half term looking at ’Where our food comes from’. They studied flour and flour products, and also milk, cheese, butter and eggs. The teacher used stories, role play, number work, songs, ICT, cookery, tactile experiences, visits and visitors in order to find out more about the foods we eat! For example, the children have been harvesting and grinding corn, measuring flour, making playdough, salt dough, bread and garlic bread, re-telling the little red hen story using a story sack, looked at lots of non-fiction books about harvests and enjoyed Farmer Duck too! This class has their very own Rendlesham Farm Shop for developing early writing and numeracy skills through role play as well as a small world farm set – complete with mud, grass and hay bales. Outside, the pupils have created a farm workshop with tools for mending machinery, Farmers Weekly magazines to read during breaks and order forms to order new supplies of seeds and equipment. It is hoped that the children will develop a better understanding of how food is produced and how it can be used to make tasty nutritious meals.

Farmer Roger Cosgrove from Farm2Form spent a morning with the nursery class – and his milking cows, his onions, carrots, potatoes and sweetcorn – all on a tractor which the children were able to sit in and enjoy pretend ploughing! After giving a brief introduction about food grown in our local fields the class went outside to harvest carrots, sweetcorn, potatoes and corn which he brought with him. The children had a go at milking and then climbed into the tractor cab to do some serious ploughing. They tried a range of produce for snack – all really hungry from their time outdoors, watched a DVD about the milling and baking processes. Roger read the lovely Little Red Hen story and then introduced a special visitor – a little red hen who clucked gently to all her new friends in nursery. The children have been left in no doubt about where their food comes from.

https://www.yearoffoodandfarming.org.uk/spaces/rendleshamschoolnurseryclass/School

Further resources

The International Year of the Potato was launched on the 18th October at the United Nations HQ in New York. It aims to raise awareness of the importance of the potato – and of agriculture in general – in addressing issues of global concern, including hunger, poverty and threats to the environment. Visit the website www.potato2008.org for resources, quizzes and recipe ideas.

The Potato Story, an initiative by McCain Foods (GB) focuses on food provenance using the journey a potato makes from ‘field to fork’ to teach children in a fun, interactive and engaging way. The website provides easy to use modules about nutrition plant and potato growth, targeted at Key Stage 2 whilst fully aligned to the National Curriculum (www.thepotatostory.co.uk)

The RSPCA can provide information about the Animal Welfare Act and how this applies to people involved in education (including keeping farm animals). This is now available in the FAQ section of the RSPCA education website (www.rspca.org.uk/education).

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Did you know…?

A baby chick can:

  • breathe inside its eggshell because air goes in and out of about 8000 tiny pores in the shell.
  • fly a short distance within two weeks of hatching.
  • quickly learn to love humans. Once it does, it will follow you anywhere and hop into your hand, turn its head and gaze into your eyes to show its affection.

Sources:

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