I had the pleasure of spending a morning at Aldenham Country Park Farm on Wednesday, with a small group of students (they attend for a full day each week).

I have been aware of the day at the farm for over a year now and have heard nothing but positive things from the students and the staff, so I was eager to see what they got up to.

When I arrived, the students were finishing their tea / coffee / hot chocolate and were getting their gloves and outdoor farm jacket on. They all looked happy and were keen to tell me all about the farm. They students were then divided into two groups: 1) the ducks and 2) the goats. The ‘ducks’ then had to clean the duck pen (swap the straw, fill up the feed trough and replace the water) and the ‘goats’ had to clean the goat enclosure (swap the straw, fill up the feed trough, sweep the pen and brush the goats).

Once these tasks were complete, all of the students had to collect the chicken’s eggs, clean them, box them, place a best before date sticker on each box and take them to the farm shop so they could be sold. It was then lunch time.

After lunch, the students had to check the fruit trees that had recently been planted, dig through the earth with manure and monitor the vegetables and herbs.

It was lovely to see the sense of responsibility demonstrated by each student throughout. They had to collect the necessary tools for each task, complete the jobs and supervise the animals throughout. The adults present merely observed, helped when needed and encouraged individuals from time to time. The students not only exhibited important life skills, but they were happy and were proud of their accomplishments.

I am looking forward to another visit in the summer term.