Farming Fortnight, which starts next Monday (June 1) is set to shine a light on farming and food production to inspire young minds of all ages about where their food comes from, how it is produced and its relevance to issues around climate change, healthy diets, wellbeing and future careers.
Managed by LEAF Education, and developed in partnership with Brockhill Park Performing Arts College in Kent,Farming Fortnight offers a wide range of engaging and informative learning resources covering all key stages for parents and teachers to access via the Countryside Classroom online portal – whether at home or in the classroom.
These include videos, topic sheets, lesson plans and activities – all aimed at bringing the world of farming closer to young people. Each day of the campaign has its own farming theme and accompanying social media hashtag – ranging from arable farming (#TractorTuesday), the sheep industry (#WoollyWednesday) through to fruit and vegetable production (#TastyTuesday) to careers in farming (#FutureFarming). Everyone involved will be encouraged to share their learning experiences on social media.
Carl Edwards, LEAF Education’s director of education and public engagement, said: “The response we had to last year’s Farming Fortnight was amazing. The children really valued the chance to learn about farming and the natural world and many told us it helped raise important discussions around issues such as diets, sustainability, food security, climate change and future careers.
“Last year, we saw 3,839 resource downloads and over 100,000 video views – we hope to see many more people take part this year.”
Farming Fortnight runs from the June 1-12. It is free for schools and parents to get involved and all campaign resources are available from www.countrysideclassroom.org.uk/farmingfortnight.
