RHET Dumfries & Galloway CI
Welcome to the RHET Dumfries and Galloway Countryside Initiative page.
Our aim is to provide unbiased information on food production, agriculture and the countryside.
We provide FREE classroom resources, classroom speaker talks and farm visits to local schools.
RHET DGCI have been hard at work and last academic year facilitated:
- 37 Farm Visits
- 159 Classroom Speakers
CLICK HERE for the latest news from RHET Dumfries & Galloway CI
Below are some of the ways in which RHET Dumfries & Galloway CI can help add value to your teaching on farming, food and the countryside in your local area:
For Primary and Secondary schools.
RHET Dumfries & Galloway CI has a number of farms in the area with 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.
To book please click here to visit the Farm Visit page, or contact the RHET Dumfries & Galloway CI Project Co-ordinator (see bottom of page).
For Nursery, Primary and Secondary schools. Also see Early Years Resource Box.
We have a network of trained 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.
To book please click here to visit the Classroom Speaker page, or contact the RHET Dumfries & Galloway CI Project Co-ordinator (see bottom of page).
RHET Dumfries & Galloway CI has a range of curriculum-linked resources available FREE to schools.
Please see the Resources page of our website for the full list.
The following resources are available in the RHET Dumfries & Galloway CI area:
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 Dumfries & Galloway CI Project Co-ordinator (see bottom of page).
Early Years Resource Box:
For Nursery schools and classes.
In 2007, using funds contributed by Dumfries & Galloway Council, RHET DGCI developed a pilot project aimed at nurseries and early years settings.
The Early Years Resource Box 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 and talk to the children about food and farming for about 15 minutes. The box will then be left with the establishment for two weeks and collected by the Project Co-ordinator.
The emphasis is that this is not a toy box - instead the contents are used by the teacher to highlight and reinforce elements of a specific topic. Some thought is required about how to use the resources, and then link in to a topic. For example, included in the box are DVD’s of the Tractor Ted series, which cover themes such as milking, growing potatoes and bread-making. These are all topics a nursery can take forward to extend the children’s learning experience.
In 2008, this nursery box won the runner up prize in the 'Education Visit/Early Years Project of the Year' award by the Early Years Educator.
To book, please contact the RHET Dumfries & Galloway CI Project Co-ordinator (see bottom of page).
Eco Schools/French DVD:
Using funding from Leader +, RHET Dumfries & Galloway CI have translated the RHET DVD Farming in Scotland into French, which is particularly useful for any schools looking for ideas to maintain their green flag award.
In order for pupils to gain a global picture of farming, the DVD can be used as a tool to show a French-speaking eco-school about farming in Scotland, on the basis that they would send information regarding European farming practices and environmental issues.
PROJECTS & EVENTS
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.
NEWS FROM RHET DUMFRIES & GALLOWAY CI
CLICK HERE for the latest news from RHET Dumfries & Galloway CI
CONTACT RHET DGCI
If you would like to arrange a farm visit or classroom speaker for your school, or for any other information, please contact the local Project Co-ordinator:
Fiona Jamieson
Tel: 01576 300 142
Email: dumgal@rhet.org
