Down at the Farm
The Tinternwood Farm and Dr Kate Richards have been a wonderful resource for our ELC Farm Program this year, tailoring our farm visits and enhancing our curriculum.
We often go down to the Farm to discover ideas and concepts relating to the inquiry we are exploring in the classroom. During Term 2, our Fire Inquiry was explored down at the Farm, utilising the firepit. We explored concepts such as safety, Indigenous culture, cooking, the uses of fire and fire byproducts. At the end of the Inquiry, Dr Kate helped us light the fire to toast marshmallows as a celebration.
When our inquiry focused on lifecycles, Dr Kate tailored our lessons to teach us about the different lifecycles at the Farm. We dug deeper into the chicken lifecycle, minibeasts lifecycles and plant lifecycles.
The highlight of the Farm this year was meeting Cookies and Cream the two calves who came to Tintern for a visit. We learnt about what they like to eat, how their body functions differently from humans and all the food we can make from their milk.
Every visit this year, no matter what the intent, has always been hands on and engaging. Dr Kate makes sure the children experience ‘farm life’, mixing up feed for the animals, letting the animals out of their enclosures, picking grass for the rabbits and guinea pigs to eat, collecting eggs from the chickens and delivery hay to the goats.
The learning is endless at Tinternwood Farm, I wonder what we will learn at the Farm next year?
Sustainability Grant
Sustainability is a major focus for the ELC, and we were lucky to win a Sustainability Grant from Nick McGown MP. We used the grant to purchase garden tools, garden bed covers, books, and games on sustainability. We look forward to further developing our Sustainable program with this grant in 2025.
Kristin De Vos | Head of Early Learning Centre
