School Assembly talk

[Sonoftheheir]

Morning all,

I have been asked by our local Primary School to do a talk about harvest and how crops are produced. It was originally just to have a talk to the reception class, but when the Head heard about it she asked if I could do the whole school!
Now I only found out about it yesterday and with work commitments I can only do it Monday so I don't have much time to prepare!
I've done a few speeches before at weddings etc so am hoping children shouldn't be quite as daunting.
I was just going to talk about the 4 crops I grow from seed to harvest.And what the crops go for such as bread, chips etc.
They also wanted me to take a tractor in for them to look at.

Just wondered if any of you have any good tips?

Thanks,

Gary

 

[Thick Farmer]

Keep it interesting. Kids can be a tough crowd!

 

[muppet]

Take a couple of buckets in with different samples for the kids to look at and put their hands in. Anything that makes a mess is always good and gets their attention! Getting them involved, maybe ask them questions to see if they know what wheat gets made in to etc or get a volunteer or two to come up.

Keep it simple, sort and sweet. Good luck!

 

[llamedos]

@Princess Pooper may have some good tips
You may also find some helpful material here http://www.face-online.org.uk/

 

[Sonoftheheir]

Keep it interesting. Kids can be a tough crowd!

Don't want to hear that!

 

[davedb]

Can you do the talk outside? I'd take the tractor and plough or something like that, being outside will let you make a mess with some buckets of wheat, barley ect just don't go ploughing up the Plainfield
I always remember when a farmer came into my first school, he came with a slurry tanker full of water and after we'd all had a look round and sit on he spread the water on the sports pitch

 

[FonterraFarmer]

It should be like the "mini skirt" sermon, "Short enough to capture the attention, but long enough to cover the essentials."

 

[Welsh Farmer]

That's quite a tall order reception to Year 6 because you will have to make it age appropriate from aged 4 to 11. Interaction is vital as is anything hands-on that they can touch and feel. Carrots are always a good visual and touchy one because so many children don't see them with the green tops on and spuds to chips plus grain to bread are also winners because the children can relate to those food items.

The tractor will go down a massive hit .... just don't forget to remove any sharp items from the cab tool box and they key from the ignition

Go dressed as you would for work and talk about the clothes that you wear on the farm and why .... it's all part of the learning process is work appropriate clothing so don't overlook it. Above all, keep it simple, engage the children but most importantly enjoy it because school visits are wonderful fun and 99.9% of children love hearing about farms

 

[yin ewe]

You could take some wheat/ potatoes/ milk along with some bread/ yoghurt/ cheese/ chips to let them see the connection between the raw material and the end product.

 

[caveman]

Have you been crb (criminal records bureau) checked?
Don't wish to be negative but could be a problem.
My missus has to pay for and be checked for every institution she teaches in. One check to cover all ain't enough apparently.

 

[Princess Pooper]

Have you been crb (criminal records bureau) checked?
Don't wish to be negative but could be a problem.
My missus has to pay for and be checked for every institution she teaches in. One check to cover all ain't enough apparently.

Unlikely to be necessary as you will not be left alone with children. Although I have a check I am very rarely asked for it in 20 school visits per year and it is mainly the very large ones. If she is 'teaching' then Caveman's missus is probably alone with the children which is a different kettle of fish.

 

[2wheels]

grandson's school had a tractor in the playground one day, the kids were impressed. kids not daunting,ha ha.

 

[Princess Pooper]

Some good tips already given. Samples of grains / produce a must, they do love running their fingers through them, probably too late but if you have any whole plant remnants then they are useful too, you can demonstrate winnowing and 'sorting the wheat from the chaff' just rubbing and blowing. I always remind kids as well that we might think we are hungry but we aren't really and to think of those in other parts of the world where they are. I also remind them how important the weather is to us, we are at is mercy. We also 'harvest' for our animals to feed them in the winter so that they can feed us. You could leave the grains with the school to either have a go at growing a crop and or to do some grain collage pictures with the younger ones. Best to advise a hand wash after handling grain.

Find out how much time you have got - 10 mins or 45 makes quite a difference to what you can do! Keep it simple, avoid jargon but explain (or ask them to define) any farming terms you use.

Explain role of seasons and essentials for plant growth - soil with nutrients, water, sunshine, how important it is to protect crops from pests and diseases - plant breeding for the older kids, (and making it clear that this does not automatically equate to GM, which a lot assume) as well as plant protection products. You could write some cards out - seed merchant, soil lab technician, agronomist, fert and chem rep, grain buyer, sprayer operator, service technician etc feed/flour miller through to end product, allocate them to a child and bring them up at the front to tell the story of all the people involved in getting the food to their table as schools need to work on careers awareness from an early age.

I also take along some hedgerow fruits sprigs of hawthorn etc and explain how important the wider countryside is for wildlife, birds etc and that it needs to be managed.

As well as FACE, There are some brill materials at http://www.foodafactoflife.org.uk/index.aspx which is the route that most of the levy boards use to channel their educational activity (as well as supporting FACE) as it is the first port of call for many teachers. Even if you don't use any materials yourself then you can make sure the schools access it for prep or followup activity. Taking the tractor gives a great opportunity to engage the older ones about the science - GPS, variable inputs, etc, as well as the ag engineering side, even if you don't use them you can talk in general terms - to educate the teachers as much as anything as most haven't a clue!

Have fun, it'll go like a breeze!

 

[Sonoftheheir]

Well I've written about 6 pages of A4, kept it simple. Will probably condense it to cards with bullet points if I get chance.Will use various props and ask the audience questions. Just hope nerves don't get the better of me!

My wife is coming to support me as she is a school nurse and she was the one who was asked if I'd do it. So hopefully that will help me rather than hinder!

 

[Daniel]

You'll be absolutely fine Gary, I've done it at my wife's school, though just to her class. If there's a projector available then pictures and video clips of machines working stimulates discussion.

 

[MickMoor]

Have you been crb (criminal records bureau) checked?
Don't wish to be negative but could be a problem.
My missus has to pay for and be checked for every institution she teaches in. One check to cover all ain't enough apparently.

CRB check shouldn't be needed if you are not left alone with the children.
Tractors are always a big hit. Say a bit about the machines it drives, like "a plough attaches here, and turns the soil and weeds over to give clean soil for the next crop. When I was a teacher, the best farm visit I organised let them each drive the tractor up and down the yard.I'd be hung for it now, of course.
Samples of growing crops in various stages if you can find them, (bet they like the word 'rogue'), and as harvested. They could pretend to be combine harvesters, cutting the tops off the plant, (teacher?) then rubbing to separate the grain from the chaff, and blowing it to get a clean sample. Or digging up some soil with a carrot or two in, to cut the top off and then shake clean.
I would limit yourself just to farming, they will get a confused message if you digress into the countryside generally, orTB, or 'conservation'.
A pet dislike of mine, don't let anybody use the word they will have picked up from american films and Tv, it is soil, not dirt. Dirt sounds unhealthy and unhygeinic.
Just realised, Princess Pooper has said it all, better than me!

Best of luck!

 

[GTB]

The local primary school came here. I explained to them about making silage so that the cows could be fed over winter. Then explained to them about having to spread the muck/slurry on the silage ground so it would grow another crop the following year. One kid asked "so you keep the cattle.... so you get their muck... so you can grow silage for them?". What could I say? He pretty much summed up my whole career in one sentence.

Great fun though, just keep it short and simple and be prepared for those awkward questions. Best of luck!

 

[GTB]

Forgot to say they really liked the fact that I told them that a certain bunch of lambs would be going to The Coop stores and that another would be going to Sainsburys and that our finishing cattle were destined for either Morrisons or Tesco or even the local butcher at Bow Street via Celtic Pride (Castell Howell). This was something they could relate to.

 

[Princess Pooper]

A pet dislike of mine, don't let anybody use the word they will have picked up from american films and Tv, it is soil, not dirt. Dirt sounds unhealthy and unhygeinic.

yeah one of my pet hates too!

 

[Headless chicken]

Carrot and stick

The use of a stick maybe frowned upon

Could be best to stick with the carrot.

One thing I have learnt from my expirience of looking after God child is children are like dogs they have selective hearing. Sweet rappers always seem to perk them up a bit though