An online learning initiative created by a collaboration of Guild members has yielded extraordinary results.
EatFarmNow launched a suite of learning resources for primary school children in April to help parents and carers with the difficult task of home schooling.
A total of 75 activities and resources were created by farmers, chefs and scientists and were updated daily with a different theme every week.
Topics included agri-technology, horticulture, wildlife, food and livestock farming.
The initiative got the backing of food and countryside champions Kate Humble, James Wong and Jimmy Doherty and was promoted on social media using #LockdownLearning.
Sponsors NFU Education, Adama, Harper Adams University and Breedr added their weight to the campaign.
Three months on, more than 30,000 users have visited the site creating 77,000 page views and an average dwell time of 1 minute 39 seconds.
The resources include projects for the family, including how to bake, grow plants and have your own bug hunts in gardens, as well as fabulously creative lessons like Slime Time with Dr Jenna Ross on slugs.
Jenna’s fun facts cover what the differences are between slugs and snails, she explains that slugs have poor eyesight, rely on their senses of smell and taste, and have between 2,000 and 8,000 teeth – compared with just 32 in the mouth of an adult human.
“Jenna’s lesson has gone down a storm, because kids love slime, muck and goo,” said Will Evans, a farmer and EatFarmNow co-founder. With four young daughters himself, he’s found the resources invaluable for keeping his girls engaged with their learning.
“Like many parents, finding the time, especially when you have children at different stages of learning, can be nigh-on impossible. What I love about the #LockdownLearning lessons is that they are suitable for all primary ages, and they’re a really engaging way to learn about so many things.”
Simon Haley, EatFarmNow’s co-founder, added: “We’ve heard from teachers all over the UK who have thanked us for the content on the website, saying that it has given them ideas on how to keep learning fresh during what has been a very intense and demanding time for them.
“We’re delighted at the level of interest in the website and hope that it will continue to propel the learning opportunities created in the food and farming industries.”
EatFarmNow’s core team includes Guild members Simon Haley, Will Evans, Jane Craigie, Emma Craigie and Jez Fredenburgh.
Click here to visit the website.
