Easier than ever for Peterborough schools to learn about food and farming in the classroom

Kids Country, the education programme run by the East of England Agricultural Society, have launched their 2023-24 academic year events calendar, with all events now run on-site in schools.

Kids Country’s education manager, Sandra Lauridsen, said: “Over the past few years we have listened to teachers who have identified travel costs as a real barrier to more children accessing our events, which focus on bringing hands-on learning experiences that help Key Stage 1 and 2 children (age 5-11) to understand things like where food comes from, the value of eating nutritional in-season produce grown here in the UK, food miles, and keeping safe in the countryside.”

“For the 2023-24 school year ahead, we are offering a more flexible approach, with our whole events programme re-worked to deliver our usually fully booked events programme into the playground and classroom. Teachers don’t need to worry about stretching the budget to coach costs, and we hope this will help even more children experience Kids Country events.”

Kids Country are also delighted to announce a new Farm Twinning event for 2024, offering primary schools across Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire the chance to ‘twin’ with a local farm, transforming how children and farmers connect with each other.

Mindful of the limitations posed on schools by rising transport costs, Kids Country have created a workshop that will see farmers local to each school coming into the classroom and developing a real relationship with those schools to help children become better connected with the field-to-fork journey of their food.

The new programme includes:

- Breakfast with Kids Country – 23-26 January 2024 – spaces available

- Grow Your Own Produce - planting – 5, 6, 8 March 2024 – spaces available

- The Beekeeper and Pollination – 9th, 14th, 16th, 20th, 22nd May, 5th, 11th, 13th, 17th June 2024 – spaces available

- Seasonal Summer Fruits – June-July 2024 – spaces available

- Grow Your Own Produce - harvesting – 9. 10, 12 July 2024 – spaces available

Breakfast with Kids Country – 5-8 November 2024 – spaces available

At Newark Hill Academy, Peterborough, earlier this year, the teaching team said: “It was great for the children to get their hands dirty and learn about how potatoes and lettuce are grown, they really enjoyed it!”

Sandra continued: “We think that children learn best when education is delivered in a hands-on and imaginative way, and of course food, farming and countryside topics lend themselves so well to that.

“As well as the confirmed programme, the Kids Country team, supported by volunteers, farmers and local food producers, we are always open to discussing creating bespoke workshops for schools – if there is a particular aspect of the curriculum that your school is interested in working into an event, then please do get in touch. In the last school year this has also included delivering workshops into school summer holiday clubs.”

Kids Country work with thousands of primary school children every year to bring food, farming and countryside learning directly into the classroom and playground, and if you think your primary school could benefit from an activity delivered directly into school, please contact [email protected]

To keep up to date with upcoming Kids Country events, please visit: Events - Kids Country (kids-country.co.uk) or follow Kids Country UK on Facebook, twitter, Instagram or LinkedIn.