It’s a spud-tacular harvest for Peterborough primary schools
The Kids Country team returned to primary schools in Peterborough this week to help them harvest the potatoes that they planted remotely in March. With over 200 children across Folksworth C of E Primary School and Newark Hill Academy, Kids Country, the educational arm of the East of England Agricultural Society, was thrilled to be able to bring a Covid-safe but hands-on food and farming learning experience to school children once again, with help on the day from sponsors Co-op Central England and Produce World, and volunteer local potato farmers.
In March, Kids Country helped a total of over 600 children to plant their potatoes with the potatoes supplied by Albert Bartlett, and the pots and compost sponsored by Westland Horticulture and Evergreen Garden Care.
Kids Country education manager Sandra Lauridsen says: “We are just over the moon to be back in schools this week, helping Folksworth C of E Primary and Newark Hill Academy to harvest the potatoes that they planted remotely with us in March. Nothing quite compares to being in schools with children, with the support of local farmers and potato growers like Produce World making the experience even more meaningful. We hope the children all enjoyed the day and cooking up their harvest when they got home!”
Well done to Alfie at Folksworth C of E Primary School, who had an extra special birthday when he won the prize for the biggest harvest from his potato plant – with 660 grams to take home and cook up!
Children at Folksworth Primary School harvest their potato crop with Kids Country education manager Sandra Lauridsen
Michelle Norbury, headteacher at Folksworth C of E Primary School said: “It is great to see the children so excited to see the products of their labour. They have been carefully looking after the potatoes from the point that they planted them and it’s fantastic to see their faces now as they realise all of these potatoes have been growing under the soil!”
Children at Folksworth Primary School learn about how potatoes and grown and harvested in the fields with Farmer James
With a programme of events that usually sees East of England Showground-based Kids Country welcoming thousands of primary school children on to site, the last 12 months has presented a real challenge to deliver as many of these events as possible either remotely in schools or as part of home-schooling, ensuring that children do not miss out on the ‘field to fork’ message that lies at the heart of everything Kids Country delivers. Kids Country will deliver their second Virtual Food and Farming Day on Friday 2nd July, replacing the annual event that normally welcomes over 4,000 school children to the East of England Showground. To access all the materials from the Virtual Food and Farming Day please visit https://www.kids-country.co.uk/draft-vffd-21/
Children from Newark Hill Academy with Produce World’s potatoes agronomy manager Caroline Williams
