Growing from the Ground upeducational groups 2024 are now available on Saturday afternoons

Harvest Season 2023 – For children aged 5-12

6 Saturdays from 4th, 11th, 18th 25th November and 2nd and 9th December between 10.30- 12.30

Who are our groups aimed at?

All children 5-12 (younger children are welcome supported by parents/carers). Adults of children aged 5 or over are encouraged to join in the session but can drop off and pick up their children at the end of the session. Children under 5 must be accompanied by an adult.

What are the course dates and times?  

Throughout 6 weeks on Saturdays between 10-30-12.30 + followed by Bring your own lunch picnic (till 1 pm)

What are Farm School groups like? 

At Farm School, we, the leaders, and growers co-design and follow a scheme of work based on the seasons and a child-led pedagogy that focuses on the discovery, and capitalises on the senses, logical as well as intuitive reasoning. Our activities involve the hands, hearts, and heads, and revolve around healthy organic food and mindfulness and wellbeing in nature and understanding and looking after our natural world.

What will we be doing during the Harvest Season? 

Throughout 6 weeks each session we will be -

Caring and growing as we:

• Sowing oriental salads in the Polytunnels for the winter

• Harvesting and learning about different apple, squash and root vegetable varieties

• Seed saving of different varieties of vegetables

Cooking and nourishing as we:

• Press apples to make and share apple juice

• Make and share squash butter / squash soup and pink pancakes

• Blet and taste the traditional fruit: the medlars

• glean and enjoy some of the last summer crops

Creating and making as we:

• Explore different seed shapes and make seed bombs, and collages

• Find out about the Imbolc tradition of waking the earth from winter slumber

• Collect and make leaf mould from shed leaves around the farm

• Harvest and make nettle strings

On the last session, the group will prepare and cook a delicious autumn feast to share and celebrate all they have learnt and shared together.

Getting ready for Farmschool: The food we prepare will be made and eaten by the children during each session. Please bring a water bottle and appropriate clothing plus extra snacks for your child if they are particularly hungry. We allow for snack time during each session. Please bring a small flannel or towel for hand drying. Suitable clothing such as boots and coats with extra layers in cold days and sun protection for sunny days is essential. We are an off-grid open and outdoor educational farm setting so dressing warmly in the outdoors is indispensable. We do have a sheltered large kitchen on site and a fully enclosed poly tunnel to use in case of strong winds and/ or rain.