RHET Fife CI
RHET Fife Countryside Initiative works to support schools in Fife with projects and topics on food, farming and the countryside.
The services and resources we offer are free to schools and nurseries in Scotland as we cater for children aged 3-18 years.
They are Curriculum-linked and can help you work towards Eco-schools, Determined to Succeed, Hungry for Success, and Health Promoting Schools targets whilst providing a valuable and memorable learning experience for children involved.
Find RHET Fife's event updates, press appearances as well as the most recent newsletters, on our News Page. Please LIKE our Facebook Page and FOLLOW US on Twitter.
Some of the ways in which RHET Fife CI can help add value to your teaching on farming, food and the countryside in your local area are:
For Primary and Secondary schools.
RHET Fife CI's core activity is organising bespoke farm visits. We are currently the leading provider of year-round risk assessed farm visits throughout the area with 22 host farms and a network of volunteer farmers and their families who kindly give their time to support RHET.
A farm visit can support many areas of the curriculum such as environmental studies, IT and business studies, technology, science, mathematics and enterprise. It supports the principles of A Curriculum for Excellence and complements many initiatives such as Eco Schools, Determined to Succeed and Health Promoting Schools.
We carry out regular risk assessments of all participating farms to the standard recommended in the Health and Safety Executive’s Guidelines on Educational Excursions. Around two weeks prior to the actual visit, the class teacher will visit the farm with our Project Co-ordinator to meet the farmer, walk the route and check over the risk assessment.
NB: Limited funding is available to cover transport costs for Farm Visits.
Over the 2011-2012 academic year, RHET Fife CI facilitated 69 Farm Visits.
To book please see the Farm Visit page, or contact your RHET Fife CI Project Co-ordinator (see bottom of page).
For Nursery, Primary and Secondary schools. Also see Nursery Resource Box.
RHET Fife CI has a network of trained RHET volunteer classroom speakers, made up of volunteer farmers from the local area, who can visit your school and bring farming and the countryside to life. Once a booking has been confirmed, the speaker will contact the teacher to discuss the format, content of the session and curriculum links.
Some ideas are:
- The story of milk, from cow to carton
- A day in the life of a farmer
- Scottish agriculture
- From farm to fork
- Recycling on the farm
- Careers in the countryside
These are only suggestions and all talks are tailored to meet individual needs.
53 Classroom Speaker Talks were given in Fife over the academic year 2011-2012 by the RHET Fife Committee and their volunteers.
To book please visit the Classroom Talks page, or contact the RHET Fife CI Project Co-ordinator (see bottom of page).
Schools can order a range of curriculum-linked classroom resources direct from RHET. We have a number of interactive materials covering subjects such as meat production, farming across the seasons, standard grade Geography and a newly-developed Higher Biology online resource.
All RHET resources are FREE to schools in Scotland. Please see the Resources page of our website for the full list.
The following resources are available specifically to the RHET Fife CI area:
1. Nursery Resource Box:
For Nursery schools and classes.
We have an Early Years Resource Box, which is usually provided in conjunction with a classroom speaker.
This is a treasure chest for children! Filled with dressing-up clothes, CDs, DVDs, toys, puppets, books and farm products, it gives children an early experience of what is seen and heard on the farm and farming life in general.
The classroom speaker will bring the box to the school or nursery (usually on a Monday) and talk to the children about food and farming. The box will then be left with the establishment for two weeks and collected on the second Friday by the Project Co-ordinator.
To book, please contact the RHET Fife CI Project Co-ordinator (see bottom of page).
2. Mabel the Milking Cow:
For Nursery and Primary schools
Mabel is a life-size fibreglass milking cow who travels in a horse box and can visit primary and nursery schools with suitable access. Mabel is provided in conjunction with a classroom speaker - usually her farmer - who will give a talk on dairy farming and milk production and give pupils the opportunity to “milk” the cow.
To book, please contact the RHET Fife CI Project Co-ordinator (see bottom of page).
3. The Runcie Camera
Donated by the Runcie Family, each RHET Countryside Initiative received a new digital camera in 2011.
This is available at every RHET event, for the children to take photos of what they like and are learning about during their trips and visits.
Over the 2011-2012 Academic Year, thousands of pictures were taken from each Initiative.
The best were selected to go on show in the Children's Discovery Centre at the Royal Highland Show 2012.
Charles Runcie and his mother Margaret attended the show and were delighted with the "Runcie Archive" exhibition on display
The RHET Fife photos chosen are shown below:
As well as our farm visits, speakers and resources, RHET also run a number of events and curriculum-based projects throughout the year.
Visit our Project & Events page for more details.
Food & Farming Days
RHET Fife: Tuesday 13th November 2013 - Cluney Clays
Sponsored by the Scottish Government (Food and Drink Industry Division), these Food & Farming events are designed to give pupils a better awareness of where the food on their plate is produced, plus the importance of the Scottish countryside. These events are an effective and fun supplement to a farming or healthy-eating topic in school and support Curriculum for Excellence.
Please contact your RHET Fife CI Project Co-ordinator (see bottom of page) for details.
NEWS FROM RHET FIFE CI
Find RHET Fife's event updates, press appearances as well as the most recent newsletters, on our News Page and our Facebook Page
CONTACT RHET FIFE CI
If you would like to arrange a farm visit or classroom talk for your school, or for any other information, please contact your local Project Co-ordinator:
Carole Brunton
Tel: 01333 310 523
E-mail: fife@rhet.org
