Bridgwater College’s The Walled Gardens of Cannington recently welcomed a number of classes from Meare Village Primary School, as part of a tour around the Cannington Centre.
All groups started their day by visiting Bridgwater College’s Rodway Farm, where they learnt about a day in the life of a dairy farmer and where food comes from. After seeing newly-born calves and taking a tractor and trailer ride, the children had a chance to milk Cannington Centre’s special model cow, Daisy.
During the afternoon the classes visited The Walled Gardens of Cannington, where they received a garden tour. Highlights included squirting cucumbers, Cola-scented geranium, a giant pumpkin, and foxglove tree leaves that were as big as the children’s heads!
Key Stage 1, the Mallard and Moorhen classes did activities including pond dipping, where a range of water insects were found, which included dragonfly larvae, water stick insects and water boatmen, which linked to the classification modules within their science curriculum. The Key Stage 2, Kingfisher class looked at autumnal changes, including leaf colour change, berries and fungi, and harvesting.
Mrs Fellows, Class Teacher said,
“We are currently studying 'our homes' and this activity fitted in beautifully. We identified that all living organisms have their own unique habitats and we will be undertaking follow-up work back at school to research what we found. The children had an amazing time and thoroughly enjoyed themselves.”
Emma Butler, Associate Lecturer at Bridgwater College said,
“The children’s faces when they emptied their pond nets was a picture. They were absorbed in what they were doing, and amazed at what they found.”
The school visit was part of FarmLink, of which Bridgwater College is a partner. FarmLink educates thousands of children in the South West and Staffordshire about where food comes from, farming and the countryside.
If you would like more information about The Walled Gardens of Cannington call 01278 655042, email walledgardens@bridgwater.ac.uk. If you wish to find out more about FarmLink, including free school visits and assemblies, please contact dani@farmlink.org.uk or visit www.farmlink.org.uk.
