Primary school pupils have experienced hands-on learning highlighting the importance of wheat and food production during a visit to a Gloucestershire farm.
Children from local school Aylburton CofE Primary enjoyed the farm visit at Pardon Hill farm in Cheltenham.
They discovered where their food comes from as well as discover the importance of wheat and the countryside.
During the visit, the Key Stage 2 pupils had the opportunity to explore the working farm – some of them for the first time.
They learned about the cycle of wheat and explored the importance of soil, water and wildlife through activities such as milling wheat and a mini-beast hunt, all designed to teach children about the natural environment around them.
Warburtons devised the project, supported by educational charity, the Country Trust and Openfield, to educate children about the vital role the countryside plays in providing the key ingredients required to create healthy staple foods.
Brett Warburton, Executive Director at Warburtons and Jill Attenborough, CEO at the Country Trust attended the farm visit to engage with the children and help support the programme.
This provided the children with the opportunity to talk to a member of the Warburton family to discover why wheat is so vital to their business.
Farming education
In 2017, 438 school children aged 7-11 took part in the programme. During the visits, farmers taught the children about wheat and the role of the farmer, to help inspire young people to appreciate the countryside and the people it supports.
This year, the programme has been expanded to more school across the UK, to provide more children with the opportunity to explore the journey food takes from farm to fork.
Brett Warburton explained that this year's Farm Visits programme will reach over 600 pupils.
“It is lovely to see children so interested in nature, and this programme can help children across Britain to learn about the importance of our countryside, as well as explore exactly where their food comes from,” Mr Warburton said.
“Our partnership is important to raise awareness of where our main ingredient comes from and how we work with our farmers. We hope that this programme will help children to enjoy and care for nature and protect the future of our countryside and the farming industry.”
The school visit follows news released last year that shows there are some serious misconceptions children have about food.
According to research by the British Nutrition Foundation (BNF), which spoke to more than 27,500 children across the UK, cheese comes from plants, tomatoes grow underground and fish fingers are made of chicken.
In 2015, a survey showed that more than four in five primary age school children said they would visit a farm to find out more about where their food comes from.
