The gentle nature of children has been forever immortalised in fiction and non-fiction alike; the main characters are often virtuous, offering wisdom to their elders with every life lesson learned.
For a numerous amount of schools in the UK, there are a significant number of farms being opened up for children to learn these life lessons whilst raising animals. Reddish Vale Technology College in Stockport is one such farm, where the children learn to raise animals and grow vegetables for food.
From 7:15am, they do everything to look after their livestock, from feeding the animals to clearing out and adding to the muck heap. It may seem unpleasant, but for the children at Reddish Vale, they love it. Children that were once reluctant to get out of bed now can’t wait to get started. For most, the farm has a positive effect, endearing kindness, thoughtfulness and care into whatever the children are doing – there is more time for thinking and less time for fighting.
For the teachers, the farm also has a positive effect; they note that the children are more willing to learn, as the farm also plays into curriculum studies, such as Humanities and Science.
When it comes to slaughtering the animals, the children find it difficult – the overall price of necessity allows them to question and understand where their food is coming from. It teaches the school – and its students – the ethics surrounding the meat industry and whether the animal’s welfare is put into question.
On the other side of the scale, children are encouraged to eat the vegetables that are grown in the garden. For many that are used to the taste of ready-meals and microwave dinners, eating fresh peas from the pod is a refreshing, new experience that excites them.
The most important lesson for many involved within the project is not that the children are taught the price of things but more importantly, the value of them.
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