Down on the Farm!

Year 5 have just returned from a "farm-tabulous" week at Wick Court in Gloucester. We have braved the mud, the cold and the smells and returned pink-cheeked with a suitcase full of fantastic memories.

For instance, there was the hill walk, where Mr Larder and Mr Dudley got trapped in the mud. You will notice in the photos that Mrs Vaudin helped by laughing and as for Mrs Whitmarsh - well, someone had to capture the moment!



Then there was the basket weaving. We tried not to poke each other in the eye as we manipulated our willow, and everyone had a lovely basket to bring home.



Of course, being on a farm, you must expect to see (and smell!) animals. First, there were the Tamworth and Gloucester Old Spot pigs. They needed mucking out, and more importantly to them, feeding!




Then were were the horses. Some beautiful hunting horses, a retired racehorse, and Windy, the stallion who liked to eat coats!




Our trips to the dairy farm at Oldbury, as well as giving us the opportunity to feed the calves, watch the milking and hoof trimming and sweep the "river of poo", afforded us the very special moment of seeing a calf being born. A truly memorable experience.



Pecking beaks met us at the free-range, organic chicken farm. Still, they meant no harm and were only being inquisitive, so we were happy to give them a bit of a cuddle!



As well as all the animals, we learned about growing plants and produce, cooking (we made a lovely vegetable soup and rolls, followed by a scrumptious apple crumble which we had for tea!) and we filled our lungs with the clear, fresh air of Gloucester, with views of the Severn River in almost every direction.



What a fabulous week! But, we would like to apologise to the year 5 parents who have recently received a bag of very muddy, and quite possibly, very smelly, washing! But it was worth it!