Today the kids and I went to an Educational visit to Plumpton college. There are a couple of colleges in Sussex / Hampshire specialising in farming / agriculture / animals which I earmarked several years ago as potential places for both Davies and Scarlett to get qualifications in the things they are interested in if they remain the same as now. I’ve spoke to reps from Plumpton at various South of England Show events and other places, so it’s somewhere I’ve been hoping to get along to with them for a while but their open days have clashed each year with something else we’ve already planned to do so we’ve never quite managed it.
A localish Home Ed mum is pretty good at organising trips of this sort and arranged a free visit there so we booked and went along. As we were not sure about my car Ady managed to plan his days work over that way so he could drop us off and pick us up. As it happened, despite really heavy rain in the night my car started first time when I turned the key on the off chance when I went to get my wellies out. It also started again later despite a heavy frost so am keeping fingers firmly crossed that the distributor cap was the problem, although we will still change the spark plugs at the weekend.
Ady dropped us off with picnic and wellies and we spotted C and her children so walked to meet them coming from their car. We ended up being first there as many of the other attendees had either gone to different entrances or were operating on Home Ed time (ie late). That was fine as we got full access to Lynne, the woman running the session and the kids enjoyed talking to her about a couple of animal skeletons – a dog and a sheep. The kids guessed them both and made some really good observations about teeth, jaws, feet etc to help them identify them. There were also various birds nests to look at. All of this cheered Scarlett up as she was stroppy about having to wear wellies, a fleece and a coat, but she conceded it was worth it. For her wearing proper clothes and maybe even socks is going to be one of the biggest challences this year. I do have sympathy though as I’d rather be coatless and barefoot too really.
The morning session was a tour around part of the working college farm. Once everyone else had arrived, the obligatory H&S talk and introduction had been covered – Plumpton runs a mixed farm with animals for meat and produce and arable crops for animal feed. It is not organic or intensive but is on a pretty large scale and does supply supermarkets. For us it was a very interesting introduction to farming and will be a great benchmark for other things we see this year.
We started with the dairy cattle, looked at some (who I think were penned as they were about to birth), then the calves who were adorable and gorgeous but given their overwhelming instinct to suckle at anything that came close – I spent ages with one licking my hand and then another sucked at my waxed jacket while I stroked it, I couldn’t help feeling they should still be with their mothers rather than being encouraged onto straw ‘solids’ while their mothers were off being milked for human consumption.
Next the milking parlour and cow shed, which was airy, well ventilated, clean and spacious but still not a field! Davies really didn’t like the fact they spend most of their year indoors, despite all of the woman’s explanations about how it’s better for their feet and they churn up the soft grass and ground if they are out in late autumn, winter or early spring. I did note that the beef cattle are out year round and I have heard about a grass and clover seed mix which is hardy enough to create greenery year round and stand up to cows feet. I did mention that there have been cows far longer than there have been cow sheds….
Next to the pigs, where they have all stages of pig rearing from pregnant sows, birthing sows and tiny litters of newborns, weaned litters kept in sibling groups, then a ‘finishing’ area. The birthing area was slightly disturbing (as actually most birthing areas for animals that have been open to general groups of people wandering through have always been disturbing to me – it’s one of those things I just feel should be as calm an environment for as possible, regardless of species or end destination for mother and offspring). The sows were clearly stressed by us walking through and the piglets were at huge risk of being stamped on.
Back to the classroom for lunch and some interesting chats about meat and animal product eating between Davies, Scarlett and I. Both children really grasped why I am so passionate about animal welfare, natural behaviour and of course good treatment, respect and ethical slaughter. I really enjoy meat, dairy and poultry and have no intention of stopping consuming, although I do have massive respection and understanding of vegans views (less so for vegetarians really as despite not eating actual animal flesh, there is just as much poor treatment of animals in the production of milk, cheese, eggs etc.) I am looking forward to seeing the difference in self sufficient animal rearing when the need is just to feed yourself rather than farm sufficient levels to make money. So slightly saddening, very educational and just good to be outside, on a farm, with animals.
Lunch did that thing of raising blood sugar levels and creating crazed children ๐ Who were then cooped up in a classroom :(. Davies, Scarlett and I had lunch sitting with Ali & C which was nice, but we watched several of the other children getting increasingly louder and badly behaved around us. The afternoon session was about the arable side of farming, so there was talk of cereal crops, what is made from them and then some bringing out grains and seeds to mill and grind in hand powered and electric grinders and rollers.
This was done in that style of teaching I find particularly irritating – encouraging children to finish the end of your sentences by guessing the answer and putting their hands up. This excludes a huge swath of children who don’t bother listening if they are not being directly talked to and I just find patronising. If the kids know the answer then they get bored being tested, if they don’t know the answer then why not just tell them and then they will. I much prefer a session on giving information, which includes everyone; those who already know get it reinforced, those who don’t get to learn it, then questions from the children to back it up rather than questionning the children.
Lots of toddlers were being noisy, wandering around the room, lots of children old enough to know better were also being distracting and I got two boys out from under a table where they were sitting being really annoying. I hate that parents bring kids who clearly have no interest in learning anything somewhere, allow them to be disruptive, rude and prevent others from learning and sit back without dealing with them at all. It is all of the very worst of Home Ed trips ๐ Don’t bring younger siblings who will ruin it for older children, don’t bring kids who are incapable of sitting still or being respectful to places where they need to demonstrate those behaviours and don’t sit on your arse ignoring your kids being gits!!!
In the main it was a good morning, I just wish it had been a slightly smaller group of children who would have had the chance to learn a bit more as it could have been pitched more to their ability and allowed them to ask more questions. When the woman was doing more of a one to one chatting to D and S earlier about animal skeletons she was excellent so I think it was simply lowering her pitch to the lowest common denominator when the larger group was that which brought out the ‘teaching style’ that I disliked.
Ady picked us up and dropped us home, popping in for a coffee. We spent the afternoon playing PvZ, Scarlett made some more bouncy balls, Davies played with the geomags and I cooked their tea. I took a phonecall from the agent booking a viewing for tomorrow, Ady came home and I went off to Reading Group.
It was my penultimate one and it’s looking likely it might be everyones last group next time. B, the chief librarian who runs it is taking voluntary redundancy so we will both be leaving at the end of February. We had thought a couple of the group would be up for taking it on but no one seemed willing to and they all just looked sadly at B and I saying ‘oh it will be really sad if the group stops, we wish you weren’t going’. But we are, so if they want it to continue then they will need to make it happen themselves. I’ve really enjoyed being part of the group, it was an evening out once a month way back when the kids were very small when I got to talk to adults, I’ve read loads of things I would never have looked at before, it was instrumental in me getting the library job and I’ve made some good friends, particularly Mike & Rose, the not-swingers, through the group.
Back home for bad, good, learnt today, dinner and watching ‘The Nuture Room’ which I found both sad and uplifting.
Scarlett:
Bad: Some of the children at the college were ‘gits’
Good: Went to the college farm and really enjoyed it
Learnt: That there is a runt in a pigs litter which can be loads smaller than it’s siblings
Davies:
Bad: Sad about cows being inside for three out of four seasons of the year
Good: Piglet I was worried about was fine
Learnt: People knit jumpers for ex battery hens to keep them warm when they have lost feathers
Nic:
Bad: Too many examples of the behaviour that gives Home Ed a bad name
Good:Car started after heavy rain and heavy frost
Learnt: that the phrase ‘chalk and cheese’ to suggest two very different things may have origins in the fact cows grazed on chalk land would not produce very creamy milk and therefore it would not be much good for cheesemaking. Not at all sure how much I believe it and a quick google (as opposed to a proper google) suggests it is more likely they are simply two things which are nicely alliterative and different, but something new for today nonetheless.
Ady:
Bad: Worried that potential tenant might not be perfect match
Good: Tenant viewing tomorrow
Learnt: The earliest cultivated crop in history is garlic
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