LEAF EDUCATION HELPS PRIMARY SCHOOLS TEACH PUPILS WHY FARMING MATTERS?
LEAF Education, in partnership with BASF Agricultural Solutions, is delighted to announce its newly updated programme for Primary school children, Why Farming Matters, to help inform generations now and in the future about the role of farming, food production and the natural environment on their everyday lives.
Going live on Monday 16th January, the newly updated programme is targeted at primary school teachers, inviting them to help students to find out Why Farming Matters and why it’s the ‘Biggest Job on Earth’!
With new resources available for use in the classroom and outdoors, teachers can register to receive a free copy of LEAF’s new booklet and access video content and other resources to download. Activities include a focus on farmland habitats, soil types, the role of energy, supporting learning on telling the time, stimulus for writing, discussion topics and learning new age-appropriate vocabulary all in exciting new ways. Supporting teachers to deliver national curriculum in a unique way through a hugely interesting topic, that affects us all – food, farming, and the natural environment.
As part of the launch, LEAF Education and BASF Agricultural Solutions is offering two training dates for teachers to sign up to free online training courses to then get all of the Why Farming Matters resources too. Sessions are taking place on 31st January 2023 4-5pm and 9th February 2023 4-5pm. Find out more and book onto the CPD courses at www.countrysideclassroom.org.uk/whyfarmingmatters.
The Why Farming Matters teaching material covers the big questions primary school children ask about farming – how is our food produced? Who produces it, and what are the many jobs associated with farming and the countryside? What impact does the weather have on farming? What effect does farming have on the environment? And the biggest question of all, why does farming matter? As well as engaging pupils in discussions to ensure future generations can flourish, the activities are designed to help teachers weave the themes of food and farming through the curriculum areas of English, maths, geography, science, art, and design. They can be approached separately or as part of a larger topic on food, farming, climate change, history, wildlife, and the natural environment.
In the last academic year, LEAF Education, has broken its own record, engaging with more young people, teachers, and schools on-farm and in the classroom than ever before. The number of students benefiting from the organisation’s work has doubled since before the pandemic, the organisation has directly provided 35,610 young people with bespoke interactive sessions, worked with 1,570 teachers, and supported 485 farmers with wider professional training, totalling 40,206 hours! Through its partnership with Farmer Time which connects farmers with schools to learn more about life on a farm where visits are not always possible, 995 schools and farmers have been paired, engaging 30,286 children, and offered 72,511 learning hours.
Carl Edwards, Director, Education and Public Engagement at LEAF Education, concludes: “One of our most popular resources to date being used by 10’s of 1000’s of children across the UK we are delighted to provide this much needed update. Today’s school children are tomorrow’s farmers, consumers, parents, politicians, leaders, and thinkers. They are the ones who will need to meet current and future challenges, whether that be the climate crisis or feeding and ever-growing population. With young people and schools keener than ever to connect with food production, farming and nature we aim to inform, engage and inspire them. With our updated resource pack, video content and training, pupils will deepen their understanding of the role of farming in the UK, discover its powerful impacts, and be encouraged to ask questions and begin to find out and formulate their own understanding of Why Farming Matters.”
Joining LEAF Education BASF Head of Communications, Ali Milgate says, “With food, it all begins with farming. For every meal that ends up on our plate, a farmer has grown or raised the ingredients. Without farming, we can’t hope to realise our true potential and that’s why we at BASF believe farming is the ‘Biggest Job on Earth’. We are honoured to partner with LEAF Education to on the Why Farming Matters school’s resource to help inform generations now and in the future about the impact of farming on food production and other less known activities such as sustainable energy supplies.”
Register now to receive a free printed copy of Why Farming Matters and access video content and other resources to download, at www.countrysideclassroom.org.uk/whyfarmingmatters
