Food and Farming Day for primary schools at East of England Showground on Friday 1st July
Over 2,000 primary school children are already signed up to take part in this year’s Food and Farming Day at the East of England Showground, which returns on Friday 1st July 2022 after two years of ‘Virtual’ Food and Farming Days, with limited spaces available for more schools to join this unique learning event.
Visitors to the Food and Farming Day, Kids Country’s flagship event, will be able to take in learning experiences with over 60 educators, ranging from farmers through to conservation charities, and almost everything in between. Kids Country, the education initiative managed by the East of England Agricultural Society, has divided the educators across eight learning zones (Field to Fork, All About Animals, Interactive Area, The Sheep Show, History of the Working Horse, Machinery, Small Displays, and Tractor Rides), for a day that offers learning that can match many aspects of the National Curriculum.
The Food and Farming Day, which connects children from across Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Rutland with hands-on food, farming, and countryside learning, is this year expected to be attended by over 3,000 key stage 1 and 2 children from 50 primary schools.
Children learning about growing vegetables in 2019
The Food and Farming Day is sponsored this year by the Chadacre Agricultural Trust, the Agricultural Engineers Association, the Milking Equipment Association and Avalon Fresh Ltd.
Kids Country education manager, Sandra Lauridsen, says: “We are thrilled that so many of the schools that we worked with before the pandemic stuck with us throughout the last two years, taking part in our various virtual and ‘event in a box’ remote events and now joining us back at the East of England Showground in Peterborough, for what we hope will be one of our best Food and Farming Days yet.”
Sandra continues: “Not only have schools been so keen to sign up again, but we have also been overwhelmed by the support of volunteers and educators, who realise that now more than ever we must help connect children – the consumers and employees of the future – with where our food comes from, how it is grown, and how to care for the environment around us. We can’t wait for July!”
The Food and Farming Day 2019’s ‘Design a Farm’ competition winners, with VIP and judge JB Gill
As well as attend on the day, schools are encouraged to take part in the Food and Farming Day competition, which this year takes on a Platinum Jubilee theme. The competition asks schools to design a plaque for their school themed on the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and including an element of farming that happens within five miles of their school. The plaques should be made in salt dough, and the full competition guidelines and salt dough recipe can be found on the Kids Country website. The winning school will win a fruit tree for their school to be planted in the school grounds.
To view the full range of events on offer this year and book your school’s place at the Food and Farming Day, please visit https://www.eastofengland.org.uk/all-events or email slauridsen@eastofengland.org.uk with any questions.
