Go to the Field to Fork Website.
The Field to Fork website has been developed by Countryside Learning under the Going for Green initiative Green Code Programme for Schools. The website features the Green Family, who form the link between all the Going for Green teaching materials.
The Green Family are taken out of their home town and into the countryside. They stay on a farm and learn about the origins of their food.
The site has three distinct, but overlapping, sections are there are Teachers’ Notes explaining how the particular activities might be used.
Interactive activities, and those with worksheets which can be printed off for use in the classroom, are identified. Many are ideals to be used as preparation for a farm visit. The notes also indicate activities that are complementary to each other.
The first section deals with the countryside. Two play scripts introduce the Green Family and the concept of the Country Code. There are animal fact cards and footprints to print off and match.
There is a worksheet investigating the differences between needs and wants, in an animal context. Children are asked to contrast the requirements of wild and domestic animals.
A simulated field trial enables invertebrate catches from a flower rich meadow and an arable field to be compared. This leads into investigations of some of our rare birds.
The second section deals with farming.The general principles of inputs and outputs are explained. Conventional and organic farming are compared. There is a virtual farm where the many different enterprises on a mixed farm can be followed over the four seasons.
There are more detailed dairy farm diaries and a ‘Sunshine Energy Song’ to learn. For more capable children, there is a challenging farm shop to cost out and promote. Two activities which are immediately relevant to a farm visit are the Farm Machinery and Farm Safety worksheets.
The final section deals with the food on our plate. The section begins with a market research survey looking into consumer shopping habits. The main thrust of this section begins with the Fruit and Vegetable case studies. This leads into the concept of seasonality, air miles, how fresh food can be stored and menu planning.
There is a virtual garden which shows what is happening in different parts of the garden through the four seasons. There is a complementary literacy activity following seed packet instructions.
The site looks at a whole range of fun activities covering the whole of The National Curriculum. It is easy and attractive to use and should give the confidence to any teacher to introduce food and farming into their classroom.
Follow us on