I wanted to return to a farm unit, a subject which we have not covered in about five years, but we approached it from a more mature general agricultural perspective to keep the older ones interested. Having said that we did have some fun this week, exploring what a year on a farm would look like, making use of various toys and cuddlies while we covered each season.
Winter
*ploughing the fields
*spraying cereal crops
*feeding the livestock their winter feeds (sugarbeet, hay and silage)
*general farm maintenance
*housing the sheep
*eggs from the hens
*scanning the ewes for pregnancy
*weaning the calves and feeding the livestock
The children created a seasonal and monthly diary for their work on the farm.
Spring
*vaccinating the sheep
*liquid fertiliser applied to the potatoes
*lambing
*fertilisiing the fields ready for grazing
*tailing the lambs and tagging their ears
Summer
*shearing the sheep
*making hay
*irrigating the potato fields
*baling and carting the hay
Autumn
Many farmers consider Autumn to be the beginning of their year. They sow new crops, plough, cultivate and harvest.
We spent a morning accounting, working out profits from the harvesting and selling of cereal crops, potatoes and hay, and also the selling of livestock after lambing and calving.
