A lovely group of Home Educated children came out to the farm to learn about Victorians. I explained about Sandfield Farm in the Victorian times and showed them the farmhouse, including the maids bedroom window. At the farmhouse we still have a Victorian cart wheel and plough. The children helped me to make butter and I showed them an old butter churn. A metal detector found a horse shoe from a heavy horse who worked on the farm, which I showed to the children and we thought about how large the horse must have been. 

Victorians enjoyed making paper flowers and scrap books. The children made a Spring paper flower and cut up old farming magazines to make a farming scrap book page.

Butter making, butter pats and butter press 

     

It was really lovely to see the Year 1 children again and to meet the new reception children from Cropthorne with Charlton C of E First School. 

Our topic was ‘people who help us’. To start with the children told me farmers grow wheat to make bread. I then told them about what happens to the milk our cows produce. The children saw that farmers help to make milk shake, butter, liquid milk, chocolate, ice cream, cream, yoghurt and cheese.  

The children and I then looked at the toy farm I had set up and we talked about the fact that lots of people help me. I explained to the children that I work with fencing contractors, spray contractors, vets, fertilizer reps, bank managers etc…

In the farm yard, we looked at the cows in their winter housing and learnt that farmers help the animals to feel more comfortable in colder weather by putting them in sheds. We then walked to the small wood, to make winter housing for the animals. After lunch the children enjoyed the new stickman trail in the wood. 

My new favourite topic is Stickman thanks to Year 1 at Bengeworth Academy. After my health and safety talk I took the children to the small wood. In pairs the children were given a bucket and asked to count ten sticks into the bucket. They then had to arrange the sticks on the floor in size order. 

I then asked the children to collect four sticks of a similar size and arrange them into a square shape. Once done they had to repeat the exercise and place the new square on top of the original square and then repeat again, until they had made a tower of squares. The challenge was to make the tallest tower in the class. 

We then walked to the play wood and discovered the stickman trail. After lunch the children has the opportunity to search for their own stickman sticks. I then made them into mini stickmen as a take home. 

 

Sedgeberrow playgroup learnt about tree growth rings and charcoal made from burnt wood.