Year 1’s visit to Bockett’s Farm Park was a fantastic opportunity to bring our learning to life. The children practised new vocabulary in context by observing and identifying common features found on a farm. Our topic words include ‘barn’, ‘stables’, ‘field’, ‘silage’, and ‘grain store’. They used their new knowledge to classify the type of farm, which was tricky as it is both arable and pastoral. Our tour, with Famer Rachael, gave us an insight into farm life. The children learned fascinating facts such as how to tell the difference between a pony and a horse, why horses need to eat from a hay net and why pigs roll around in mud!
The children explored the jobs farmers need to do to prepare for spring. They discovered that the farm is expecting many lambs and how farmers track the number of lambs due. Ask your child to tell you the farmer’s trick with the spray can! We were very lucky to see 3-day-old piglets too!
A highlight of the day was the chilly but exciting tractor ride, where the children spotted more features of the farm and identified the animals they could see, which included Swedish Fallow Deer, lamas and alpacas. The pig race created huge excitement, with the children cheering their favourite to win.
It was a brilliant trip, filled with learning and discovery, and, of course, plenty of laughter – an unforgettable experience for all of us.
