We were delighted to welcome the Reception class from The March C of E Primary school to the farm on 1st May for a day of fun and learning. The children were accompanied by their teacher Mrs Adams and Teaching Assistant Mrs Williams as well as a group of parent helpers.
Over the years, we’ve hosted many school visits from The March and other local schools, but this was quite a special one for Reception class as it was their first ever trip since starting school in September. It also supported what they’ve been learning about in school within their term topic which was ‘Animal Safari’.
The day started with some fun farm themed arts & crafts activities in our Learning Centre at headquarters whilst everyone got settled, before boarding the tractor & trailer for a trip to Reeds Farm. Despite the forecast the weather was warm and dry so the children got to disembark the trailer for a short walk to see the cows which they all thoroughly enjoyed (the cows included!).
Farmer Matt told the children all about the cows and how we care for them throughout the year, before heading to the dairy to see where they are milked. Inside the milking parlour, they learned all about the process of how the cows are milked twice a day and that each of our 250 dairy cows produces around 25 litres of milk per day!
Next, the children headed to The Oving Cow Shed on the tractor & trailer to sample some of the delicious milk & milkshakes that our cows produce, which was quite possibly the highlight of their day – the chocolate and strawberry milkshakes were very popular with our little guests!
Once back on the farm, the class enjoyed a well-earned lunch before our team member Karen took them on a bug hunt in one of our wild plant & flower paddocks, where the budding explorers found lots of fascinating minibeasts using their bug hunt kits.
Karen then took the children back to the learning centre where they made butter using our fresh, organic milk before it was time to pack up and head home.
The children had a fabulous day and by all accounts slept very well that night! Their behaviour was exemplary throughout the day, and we look forward to welcoming them and other classes back in the future to help educate future generations about sustainable organic farming, animal welfare and milk production.