STUDENTS from Mount Gambier North Primary School celebrated National Agriculture Day last week with a visit from some furry friends.
Glencoe primary producer Dale Price was invited to the school to teach the students about agriculture in the South East and brought with him three lambs and a future working dog.
Children spent time with the animals during the day, learning about their roles on the farm in addition to engaging in “farm related” games like wheelbarrow racing, hay bale rolling and sack races.
Mr Price said he was pleased to be invited to the event.
“It is important for the kids to get a better understanding of what does go on at farms around the region,” he said.
“They also get more of an idea of how their food goes from the paddock to the plate.
“We do live in a regional area but not all children have the opportunity to go out to a property and see how it all happens, so bringing the farm to school is a great way to educate them.”
One thing the students repeatedly made comment on was how the lambs’ wool felt.
“The kids were amazed at how soft the lambs were,” Mr Price said.
“Luckily these three lambs are my grandson’s so they are quite used to being handled and were not too spooked by the kids touching them.
“I think the favourite of the day was Penny the puppy – all the children loved patting her and cuddling her.
“One day she will become a working dog on the farm as well which I think the kids found really interesting.”
Event organiser Steve Paleokastritis said he was excited for the children to have a hands on approach to learning.
“We wanted to celebrate and promote agriculture in a positive way to the kids,” he said.
“Agriculture is a major industry in the South East and the Federal Government has recently made a commitment to growing the industry further with the growing economy.
“We want to give that opportunity to students and show them the ideas and careers that go along with agriculture.”
Mr Paleokastritis said the children thoroughly enjoyed the day.
“They were all asking lots of questions and getting really involved which is great,” he said.
“I think they all loved seeing the sheep and definitely Penny but even just learning about farming was something they all enjoyed.
“We are really grateful to have had Dale here to help teach the kids and look forward to hopefully doing something similar again.”
Following the session with Mr Price, students from participating classrooms were able to build mini farms in class to help them distinguish between different farm types and practices.
The school hopes to expand the agricultural component of the curriculum further in the future.
