In every walk in nature, one receives far more than he seeks. ~ John Muir
On Friday, 20th November and Saturday, 21st November, students of preprimary, classes 1, 2 and 3 were taken to a farm house in Malihabad. The visit was done to help students admire the beauty of natural phenomenon and understand how food crops are grown, animals are raised and how the method of irrigation is carried out through canals.
Field trips are a great way to introduce concepts to real world applications. When the weather is right, it’s not unlikely to find people enjoying afternoon at farm house.
There was a wide array of farms that incorporated animals into everyday operations. The kids were extremely excited to see a wide variety of animals such as chicks, hens, goats, buffaloes, etc and they got even happier to see the baby animals. The different things that we get from the animals were well explained to the kids.
Being able to see animals firsthand gave students the opportunity to use their senses to investigate the type of care and thought needed to raise animals for food, fibre and fuel on a working farm.
Students identified simple machines (pulley, wedge, etc). The children were explained how different tools and machines help in doing things quickly. The students also saw how irrigation is done through canals and learnt the importance of the same for the farming. Seeing these things in real life, which they used to read in books, was a very enjoyable and enriching experience for them.
There was a wide variety of different plants in the farm like turmeric, mustard, lentils, corn, etc. The students were given a detailed explanation of the stages of the life cycle of the plants.
Adding to the adventure of the trip, the kids were also taken to a village to show them the difference between kutcha and pucca houses. The kids enjoyed using the hand pumps and chakkis.
A day at this farm was worth spending as it was a day of learning and playing.
Staford School places great importance on the requirement of a practical learning and field trips rather that bookish learning. This field trip was another example on how, at Staford School, understanding things and concepts are emphasized over blindly memorizing the same.
For photographs of this event, click here.