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On Thursday 9th May, a lovely group of 17 students from Passmores Academy went on their Play Your Part Day to Essex & Herts Community Farm.
We gathered in the lunch area of the school where Emma explained what we would be doing for the day as we thought about the experiences we wanted to gain from it. All listened carefully to her instructions and were excited for the day ahead; keen to explore the vegetable and fruit farm.
We travelled to the farm in taxis and on the way the students were already interacting well with the coaches. When we arrived we were welcomed by a group of volunteers who were hosting the day. The students were then split into 4 groups, swapped their trainers for wellies and picked up some gloves as they prepared to do some gardening.
Each group followed a volunteer to different sections of the farm. The first activity was to show them around the farm, from the bee hives, to the different vegetable and fruit plots and the stream. It was also explained to us that there is no running water at the farm and that volunteers use manual pumps to fill up the various water tanks which we were then showed how to use.
Although the weather was slightly miserable, and it rained quite a fair bit during the day, students kept their spirits high and showed brilliant resilience to keep themselves working positively. After the tour of the farm, each group split up into different activities including digging, weeding, sorting out seeds into folders. We then gathered back together before lunch to see the bee hive and were even shown what it looks like inside!
After a peaceful lunch, we split into groups again. This time most of us were watering the pots and the plants inside the various greenhouses whilst two students were pumping the water manually, taking turns. The boys couldn't resist a small water fight despite the rain!
Before we left the, we gathered ourselves into a circle to reflect on the day. All the students said that their experience had been better than what they were expecting. They felt as though they had grown in confidence, used their resilience and worked well in teams.
On our way home you could sense that nature had helped calm everyone and that all the students really took something out of the day (despite the bad weather conditions!).
A MASSIVE thank you to the team of volunteers at Essex & Herts Community farm for hosting a brilliant PYP day!
- Carole Douillot, Yes Futures Coach
To find out more about how your students could get involved with the Yes Futures Programmes, please contact Sophie, Impact Manager: sophie@yesfutures.org, 07908 687779 or visit our website.
If you're interested in becoming a Play Your Part partner, please contact Helena, Head of Programmes: helena@yesfutures.org.