Today I hosted a visit for the Class 1 children from Ebrington (St James and Ebrington Church of England Primary School), it was an absolute pleasure to welcome the children and staff on to the farm. We had such a lovely day. After the health and safety talk we went for a walk along the tramlines of the wheat field. As the children walked along they let their hands run through the wheat ears which felt sticky and softer than they expected. Once we reached the far hedge we discussed evidence of badgers on the farm, later we saw the badger latrine and could see the seeds in the poo!

The children were very enthusiastic in the pond dipping session and found lots of baby newts, dragon fly nymphs and water boatmen. Although there weren’t many dragon flies whizzing through the air, there were plenty of butterflies for us to spot. 

At lunch time, the majority of the children decided to sit on my picnic logs amongst the daisies, which was very pleasant and relaxing. After lunch the children really enjoyed the mud in the playwood! 

Today was an unusual day down on the farm, as I had a professional chef and educator from Farming and Countryside Education join me. The wonderful Year 4 came today from St. Barnabas CofE First and Middle School. 

They spent part of the morning learning about the dragon fly lifecycle and pond dipping and the second half was spent preparing lunch for the whole group. Staff took some great photos of minibeasts out on the farm, so that the children can identify them back at school. They were such an enthusiastic group that the morning flew by. For lunch we had vegetable soup and fruit salad which were delicious.

After lunch the children were very creative with the various items in the play wood.  

The photo is the Cinnabar Moth. 

Splash was a lovely topic to do with the reception children from Gretton Primary School. After the health and safety talk the children made boats from recycled fruit punnets, straws and yoghurt pots. After snack the children proudly carried their creations to the pond. The wind was quite strong today and I was a little worried that the sails on the boats wouldn’t survive the journey. 

Once at the pond the boats were launched. Luckily the boats didn’t tip in the wind. Unfortunately this dry weather has left the ponds water level very low and the plant life extensive and so the boats didn’t sail far. The children were happy watching their boats move in the breeze and relieved that I could easily get their boats out after pond dipping. I did forget my wellies and so my feet had mud treatment today as I fished out the boats. 

The pond dipping was very successful with lots and lots of newts and water boatmen found. After lunch the children really enjoyed the free play in the woodland. 

The weather was perfect today for dragon fly spotting. The very lovely Class 1 children from St James school in Chipping Campden were a very enthusiastic group, which made my job all the more fun. After the health and safety talk we decided to do a short walk to the pond, where the children found some great pond creatures. Our aim was to find the dragon fly nymphs lurking in the water, of which there were many. One girl found a really big newt and a boy found the first water scorpion of the pond dipping year. It was all very exciting and clear to me that the children were used to handling minibeasts as they asked to hold them. 

At the point of the weather being too hot, we went into the shade of the wood and saw the habitats of the farm chickens and pigs. The children had lots of great pig questions. After lunch we went back into the shade of the trees. Some of the children picked up cones and stuck feathers into them. A simple but very effective idea. 

Today, a group of Child Care students from Evesham College came out to the farm. The students and I talked through some of the topic linked activities I do with children, when they come out to the farm. The first group to visit this morning walked down to the pond to see the amazing dragon flies. When the second group came out at lunchtime we decided it was too hot and so we stayed in the shade of the trees. I asked them to see how easy it would be to make stickmen, as it is an activity I think will work with some of the groups who visit Sandfield Farm. I really liked the different approaches we all took and feel sure it will work as a great team building activity.