Natural England

Natural England has launched a series of lesson plans to build children’s knowledge of food and farming after research showed youngsters are more likely to have holidayed abroad than to have explored England’s fields and farms.

Press call / photo opportunity
The launch of the Farm Visits Learning Day packs will take place at the Royal Show on Friday 4 July at 2.00pm on the Natural England stand (plot 50, 2nd Avenue)

The “Farm Visits Learning Day” is an online pack of teaching materials and lesson plans designed to help pupils get the most out of a farm visit in the countryside by having a day devoted to the subject in the classroom beforehand.

Significant proportions of pupils lack even basic knowledge and understanding of food and farming and one in five never visit the countryside. The recent Childwise study of 1,000 pupils also revealed:

• more than a million children across the country have absolutely no contact with the land;
• a further 17% have only been to the countryside "once or twice", meaning a third of children have little, if any, experience of the rural world;
• a fifth of children say they have never picked and then eaten fruit – one of the staples of classic outdoors life.

However the research* also found that the majority of children who had visited a farm within the last 3 years enjoyed the experience (72%), and that seeing the birds, animals and wildlife were the most enjoyable element of the countryside for young children aged from 7 – 11 years old (48%).

Dr Helen Phillips, Chief Executive of Natural England speaking at The Royal Show in Stoneleigh, Warwickshire said: “Natural England wants to boost children’s knowledge of food, farming and the environment. We hope these packs will go some way towards convincing more teachers to put their boots on and head to the farm for out-of-classroom lessons.

“Over half of all the farmland in England is now managed for the benefit of the environment through one of Natural England’s green farming schemes. We want more children to understand the work that goes into managing our natural environment and the benefits it provides for them and for wildlife.”

Christine Tacon, General Manager for The Co-operative Farms, said: "The Co-operative has hosted farm visits for over 5,500 children since we started our From Farm to Fork programme in 2005. Parents and teachers love coming to visit our farms and learn almost as much about food and farming as the children.

“It is because of this that we are so proud to be involved with the Learning Days curriculum pack. The Learning Day can be used by teachers to deliver a full day's activities for children and prepare them to make the most out of their visit to the countryside.”

Some of the classroom activities and aspects the children can now learn about include:

• a mathematics exercise to work out the income to be gained from a field of wheat or rows of strawberries.
• working out all the steps along the food chain for wheat and milk.
• considering what different farms and their landscapes look like, and how they change through the seasons.
• matching various species to habitats on the farm.
• building models of a mixed farm including food production, landscape features, habitats and wildlife, and footpaths.
• what hedges are used for, how they can be important habitats, and which creatures live in them.
• the importance of following the Countryside Code when enjoying the countryside.

The Farm Visits Learning Day has been produced as a part of the Year of Food and Farming campaign (September 2007 – July 2008).

Notes for Editors:

1. The Learning Day has been produced by Learning Days Ltd as part of the Year of Food and Farming, and sponsored by Natural England and The Co-operative. It aims to support the use of the outdoors as a classroom and improve children’s knowledge about how food is produced and where it comes from.

2. The main activity is the creation of model farms by children in groups. The Learning Day’s lesson plans are accompanied by guidance for those hosting farm visits, which includes suggested activities and links and tips. The packs are free to download to all primary schools (registration required) from http://www.learningdays.co.uk/foodandfarming.php

3. The Year of Food and Farming is a campaign to provide youngsters with the opportunity to learn about food, farming and the countryside through first-hand experience of seeing, growing and cooking food (www.yearoffoodandfarming.org.uk). Throughout the Year thousands of farmers, food producers and other organisations have come together to share activities and events, information and teaching materials with children and young people to inspire a greater interest in food, farming and the countryside.

4. *Research quoted is from: Benchmarking the views of children on food, farming, and the countryside, Childwise for FACE/YFF, 2007.

5. The Co-operative is passionate about the food it sells – and in all the stages of its production and consumption. As well as being Britain's largest farmer, Co-operative Farms also supplies products to its Co-operative Food stores. Through its From Farm to Fork programme and sponsorship of the Year of Food and Farming, The Co-operative is aiming to help bring about improved awareness of food production, a greater understanding of farming and, ultimately, lifelong healthier lifestyles.

6. Natural England works for people, places and nature to conserve and enhance biodiversity, landscapes and wildlife in rural, urban, coastal and marine areas. We conserve and enhance the natural environment for its intrinsic value, the wellbeing and enjoyment of people, and the economic prosperity it brings www.naturalengland.org.uk

7. For further information contact the Natural England press office on 845 603 9953, press@naturalengland.org.uk, out of hours 07970 098005.