RHET Lothian
RHET Lothian was established in 2002 and covers the council areas of East Lothian, Edinburgh, Midlothian and West Lothian.
Our aim is to provide unbiased information on food production, agriculture and the countryside.
The main services we offer are Farm Visits, Classroom Speaker Talks, Projects and Curriculum-linked Resources.
All RHET Farm Visits and Classroom Talks are tailored to suit each individual request.
From 2009 to 2010 RHET Clyde facilitated 51 Farm Visits and 174 Classroom Talks.
A farm visit or classroom speaker can fit in with 'A Curriculum For Excellence', helping 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.
All our services are FREE to schools in Scotland!
Click here for the latest news from RHET Lothian
Below are some of the ways in which RHET Lothian can help add value to your teaching on farming, food and the countryside in your local area:
For Primary and Secondary schools.
RHET Lothian 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 Lothian 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 Talks page, or contact the RHET Lothian 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 Lothian area:
Mabel the Milking Cow:
For Nursery and Primary schools
RHET Lothian has a life-size milking cow called Mabel. Mabel 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 Lothian Project Co-ordinator (see bottom of page).
Early Years 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 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.
To book, please contact the RHET Lothian Project Co-ordinator (see bottom of page).
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 LOTHIAN
Click here for the latest news from RHET Lothian
CONTACT RHET LOTHIAN
The RHET Lothian committee are pleased to welcome our new Lothians Project Co-ordinator, Katrina Barclay, to the team. If you would like to arrange a farm visit or classroom speaker for your school, or for any other RHET Lothian activities, please contact:
Katrina Barclay
T: 07851 156 988
E-mail: lothians@rhet.org
