The NFU once again used the Science Farm Live project to livestream British farming into primary schools, says county advisor Gemma Harvey
As part of British Science Week in March, the NFU’s education team gave students from more than ten per cent of primary schools across England and Wales the opportunity to step into farmers’ shoes in a series of live lessons..
With a record number of pupils getting involved in the 2023 Science Farm Live project (190,000 from 3,434 schools), the virtual lessons showcased how farming is intertwined with so many key science subjects.
Over three virtual lessons, the programme used British Science Week’s theme of ‘connections’ to look at some of the unusual connections that can be found between farming and other sectors; they took place over three virtual lessons.
The first focused on how tractors are connected to space, with NFU next generation forum chair Eveey Hunter exploring what materials a tractor is built from and how her tractors drive themselves using GPS.
Lesson number two was with Flavian Obiero and his pig dog Rex, with children learning how he keeps his pigs happy and healthy as well as how pigs are connected to jumbo jets.
The final lesson looked at the link between sheep and seaweed, with shepherd Susie Parish and members of the Sussex Seabed Restoration Project following the journey of wool from sheep to the seabed to help restore sea kelp populations.
The premise of the virtual lessons was to highlight how science is ingrained in almost every aspect of agriculture. By taking farming into classrooms across the country it really brought the subjects to life. The fact that the highest ever number of students and schools registered this year shows that teachers are increasingly recognising the value of teaching science through the lens of food and farming.
If you or your school would like to get involved, please take a look at the NFU education website for more information.
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