Presenting to a school - an idiot's guide
I did a talk in school for the first time on Monday. I wanted to see first hand what it was like. Luckily a local school were having a science week and they had found my details from the megamap on the Year of Food and Farming website. It was a really fun morning and I would recommend it to any farmer as really enjoyable. The school were so grateful for me coming and had organised everything in advance so I went straight from one group to the next (Yr1&2, Yr 3&4, Yr 5&6). They were having a science week and were complementing my talk with cooking and growing activities for everyone. This is a school in a really run down ex-mining community, so if they can do it, anyone can. Props are essential. I took a cardboard box with the following: a bag a wheat, a magnifying glass (to look at the wheat closely), a packet of breakfast cereal, a packet of flour, a loaf of bread, a packet of rich tea biscuits, a bottle of rapeseed oil (Mellow Yellow to be precise - alright Duncan!), a tub of margarine, a bunch of bananas, a mango and a lemon (to show what we can't grow in the UK) and an NFU 'Why Farming Matters' pack (use the picture cards as a prop during your talk). I also did a powerpoint presentation, which seemed to work really well. If anyone wants to use it as a starting point, then you will find it as a downloadable resource on my YFF space at http://www.yearoffoodandfarming.org.uk/spaces/tony-cookes-farm/General.aspx. As you might expect, at the end of the talk, there was a lot of interest from the school in coming and making a farm visit, so this is a great way of promoting your farm for a visit either in school time, or for Open Farm Sunday. The bottom line was it was easy and really enjoyable. If I can do it, anyone can.