Here at Waltham Place we offer the exploration of a working farm, and its surrounding countryside, as the point of departure for a multitude of learning experiences. Our visits are factual, sensory or aesthetic, but in practice are usually combinations of all three and give children a chance to reconnect to the natural environment. We emphasise discovery, observation and exploration rather than lecturing.
Waltham Place is a member of the Soil Association Demonstration Farms network and Rupert Aker, of the Soil Association, described the Estate as ‘an excellent venue for educating school children and the public about organic production and environmental principles’.
We cater for any age group, from nursery through to university of the third age. Each visit is individually planned to meet the needs of your students and curriculum requirements.
News from this season •
2009 saw our busiest season to date with over 1400 children visiting Waltham Place. The farm, gardens and woodlands rang with the voices of children exploring their environment and sharing new sights and ideas. No two visits are ever the same here at Waltham Place – we never know what Nature will give us on each new day. From games in the kitchen garden to find out what part of each plant we eat to nest building games in the woods to understand our impact on the natural cycles around us. From feeding the piglets on a farm tour to observing red bottomed bumblebees pollinating the flowers each visit is unique and activities change as the seasons progress.
This year 14 schools from Kensington and Chelsea visited as the Borough funded the project for the second year running to teach their children about healthy food and organic farming. We worked with the Food for Life Programme showing children where their food comes from and made delicious Apple juice. We also teamed up with the Co op’s Food to Fork Programme to host a visit from two local schools of hearing impaired children. With help from the Pif Paf Theatre Group we put on a multi sensory day teaching the children not only about Food and Farming but about the important role bees play in our food production.
Local schools visited to learn about Dig for Victory, Harvest, Sustainability, Habitats and Organic Farming.
In 2009 we were proud to work with White Waltham Primary School to create a nature garden which will be used as an outdoor classroom. Over the course of the year a steep and boggy area has been transformed into a vibrant garden. Every child in the school helped (as did many of their parents) with jobs ranging from planting fruit trees, willow, ash, dogwood and honeysuckle to planting up tyres and a raised bed. The project finished with year 6 laying the turf for what is now a thriving lawn. The garden is managed organically and the children have made leafmould and compost this year, which they will be using in further planting in 2010.
Please contact education@walthamplace.com if you are interested in advice or an Inset day/course on creating a Nature Garden for your school.
