 Schools on the Farm
Stimulate the 5 senses: Sight– Nature’s colours; Smell – Floral and herbal scents; Touch – Contrasts between hot and cold (the burning fire and the water from the well), rough and smooth (tree bark and the washed wool from our sheep); Hearing – Bird song and animal sounds and the rustling of the leaves in the trees; Taste – sampling our farm products. Also experience, with guided supervision, our farm ‘in-motion’: interact with our animals, pet them, and imitate their movements.
Educational Activities Scheme ›››› Download Booking Form ›››› Prices ››››
NOVELTY 2012 - 2013: EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES COMPLIMENT
Bio-mimicry
In modern schools, physics lessons do not devote time to the fundamental relationships between physics laws and theories and the conditions that are the basis of production. development and survival. It is amazing how everything in nature has learned to use physics to its own advantage. Perhaps it is due to the fact that, unlike the natural grammar of biology, in the laws of physics there are no exceptions. The sun rises every day, the apples fall from the trees and the swings of high and low pressure generate wind...
The human race is a natural component of the ecosystems, it comes from them, hence it cannot live without them. Ours, is a physical universe. All life and matter around us is developed according to the predictable, and without exception, laws of physics.
The ecosystems have adopted and perfected, over millions of years of evolution, survival techniques, optimizing the use of energy and raw materials so they minimize waste... We need to study the ecosystems that harness the natural and raw materials at their disposal to meet their basic needs and "copy" them... One of the Bio-mimicry pioneers, Janine Benys, suggests that we begin an era based not on what we can extract from nature, but on what we can learn from it. The aim is not to keep protecting the environment but to regenerate it.
Activities:
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Study and observe, on the farm, the very common burdock and re-invent Velcro.
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Study the structure of termite mounds and their heating and cooling systems based on the width and length of tunnels and chimneys, built to keep the levels of humidity and temperature constant... is it a miracle or mere use of physical laws?
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Do you know why nature, to lower the temperature of the skin, gave the zebra black and white stripes? They are simple laws of physics involving temperature and pressure...
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In Nature there are many non-toxic glues, first of all flour, then wax, and more
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Think of a room built without toxic materials... this is possible by observing the solutions proposed by nature.
These are just some curious ideas in an aim of identifying the physical laws that keep nature alive and evolving. (From Blue Economy of Gunter Pauli)
Eco - Bag Pack
We analyze the entire life cycle of our industrial products: how the products that we use originate, how it is used, how it is processed at industrial levels, how much energy it contains, how much raw materials, soil, and water are needed to obtain it, if it is reused or recycled, and finally what it is done with it at the end of its life cycle.
We try to understand the concept of "environmental space" which is defined as the amount per capita of energy, renewable resources, land, water, timber, and the ability of absorbing pollution that can be used on a global or regional area without causing damage to the environment, without compromising future generations, without affecting everyone´s right to access to resources, and without effecting a good quality of life. The main criteria for the proper management of the relationship between the metabolisms of natural and social systems relates to a minimization in the use of energy, optimization of the duration (life spam) of products and their ability to be reused and/or recycled. In nature there is no concept of waste. Sustainability can only be achieved when our system eliminates the concept of waste just as nature has.
Let´s examine what he impact upon our environment is when we buy a yoghurt at the supermarket instead of making it at home, buy bread from the baker and not make it at home, use razor blades and dental floss, or produce plants in our own garden from seeds that we would normally throw away.
We have never thought how much waste a cup of coffee produces! How can we reuse it? What is in the snacks? How much pollution is produced by anti ice salt? Velvet lips with cocoa butter! Homemade deodorant! Alternatives to white sugar! These are just some of the thousands of questions that we should know the answers to... (From Blue Economy of Gunter Pauli)
Ethics
Responsible citizens working towards a sustainable world. Biodiversity (the importance of hedgerows as a barrier against pollution and as a fertile microcosm for the survival of insects beneficial in agriculture, the importance of collecting seeds, storing and replanting them, the game of clay balls...) and Sustainable Tourism (have fun with simple games to understand and respect nature).
Scientist on the Farm
From the theories taught at school, to the Farm practices of that knowledge: we organize experiments related to physics, maths, and natural science with the teachers to verify all those things found in the classroom.
Imagination
We see nature through our imagination. Art, poetry, paintings, games... kites and clouds. We collect, from the farm and the fields, natural materials to create works of art either as an assigned subject or free of guidelines. The pictures, sounds, scents and colours of nature invite to meditation and inspire poetic and pictorial expressions. Imagination in the kitchen: using herbs, flowers and wild berries.
Local Dialect and Rural Traditions
"The mastery of the dialect then helps to go deeper into the Italian language and even into English" wrote Gian Antonio Stella, citing the opinion of the writer Luigi Meneghello. Some examples of this thought are:
Today = Venetian Dialect: Oncó, Italian: Oggi - come from the Latin "hinc hodie". Oggi is a stronger form of Hodie.
Bacchiglione River in the Veneto Region = In Venetian dialect known as Bachilion, was called "Baccalon", "Bacaglion", "Bachion", which means the "whisperer" connected with the dialect term "bacajare" (to make noise) that comes from the Latin "bacare" that means cackle.
Money = Schei in Venetian dialect that comes from the German "scheidemunze" which was the denomination for Austrian cents.
Rural traditions: the term "fegato" (liver) does not come from the Latin "eicur" nor from the Greek "epar", but rather from the tradition of farmers to fatten the livers of geese with figs: Ficus.
PRICES
SPECIAL OFFER from September 2012 to April 2013, June and July 2013
Half Day
9.30 – 12.30, two activities to be chosen from the Educational Activities Scheme.
Groups of up to 25 people (with one Farm custodian).
From September 1st to November 13th 2012, April, June and July 2013 € 150,00
From November 14th 2013 to March 30th 2013 € 125,00
May 2013 € 175,00
Groups over 25 people: €5,00 per extra person (with one Farm custodian).
Full Day
9.30 – 16.30, four activities to be chosen from the Educational Activities Scheme.
Groups of up to 25 people (with one Farm custodian).
From September 1st to November 13th 2012, April, June and July 2013 € 225,00
From November 14th 2013 to March 30th 2013 € 200,00
May 2013 € 250,00
Groups over 25 people: €8,00 per extra person (with one Farm custodian).
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EDUCATIONAL FARM
