Food, farming and nature heads to Cheshire
On September 6th, 2011 around 70 people came together for the second annual 'Let Nnature feed your senses conference. We gathered at Reaseheath College in Cheshire and the day buzzed with inspiration!
Speakers shared ideas for delivering powerful visits for people with disabilities, the elderly, and people from areas of high social deprivation. A range of stimulating questions were tackled; What is distinctive about a sensory rich farm visit and what health and well being impacts have visitors reported? How can elderly people with dementia be encouraged to reminisce during farm visits? How might a host farmer partner with local care providers to utilise personalized care budgets? How can taste be brought into a visit to help connect visitors to the story of their food?
Fiona Danks and Jo Scofield authors of the 'Going Wild' series of outdoor play books led us into the world of imagination, clay, masks, fires, dens, puppets and firelit night adventures, all sourced from natural materials. Many of the delegates were familar with their books and this was the time to work with Fiona and Jo on taking play onto farms.
Cracking Good Food from Manchester ran great workshops in Reaseheath's brand new state of the art Food Technology Centre (hence the white coats and blue caps) using foraged and seasonal foods in soup and on pancakes! Tasty!
Download the Going Wild presentation for ideas and inspiration (8meg large file).
Download the Foraging Seasonal Wild Greens Soup recipe and lesson plan.
Download the Seasonal Pancakes recipe and lesson plan.
|
The detail and colour of the day is captured by the talented Visual Minutes.
|
Jen Bartlett, Sensory Trust Project Co-ordinator, opens the day
|
Fiona Danks and Jo Scofield inspire our imaginations to go wild. Making each visit fun, varied, sensory, creative, imaginative, practical, and adventurous!
|
|
Storytelling, fires, camping, scavenger hunts, chalk trails, outdoor cooking, special place picture frames, egg painting, leaf prints, wind flags, wind chimes, all to be tried on future visits
|
James Taylor, LEAF Project Co-ordinator, MCs the day
|
David Rose enthuses on the value of sensory rich experiences
|
|
Julian Davies, Regional Co-ordinator for Y&H, describes the huge variety of farms and visits that have been happening in his region
|
Carole Wise, Aylesbury College, shares her extensive experience working with students with multiple challenges
|
Paul Barnes, a Lancashire farmer, is passionate about care farming and how important it is
|
|
Working with natural materials in the Going Wild workshop, Corri Wait models her stunning mask!
|
Taking away one sense gives us space to explore another
|
How tasty do these seasonal pancakes look?
|
|
All these greens were foraged at Reaseheath and were soon to be a delicious soup
|
Jigsaws, mapping, giant rangoli, raised beds and weaving fences!
|
Sue Padfield, RC South West, inspired everyone with her memory box full of reminiscing treasures
|
|
Lovely pearls are captured
|
Caroline Drummond, LEAF CEO, ends the day with a call to action
|
Works of art in action!
|
|
Everyone took home an egg box of nature, food and farming goodies
|
Tactile, textured notetaking! Beautifully handfinished programmes
|
Countryside picnics, cider making, fresh sweet peas, all part of Sue Padfield's memory box
|
|
For recipes and cooking tips visit Cracking Good Food's website
|
For great books and ideas for outdoor activities check out Fiona and Jo's website
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|