Entries are now open in an NFU competition giving primary schools the opportunity to be turned into a farm for the day.
The ‘Farmvention’ competition, which was announced in June, aims to get pupils engaging with the STEM subjects of science, technology, engineering and maths by designing and creating their own food and farming products.
Entrants can choose from one of three challenges:designing a tractor of the future; designing an environment for a flock of 100 laying hens; or designing a new snack product that uses one or more of the followingfourBritish foods:milk,beef,beetroot oroats.
For each challenge the NFU is providing curriculum-linked resources created in partnership with the Association for Science Education (ASE).
Fifty school children and their teachers who took part in the pilot project will attend the launch of the competition at Birmingham’s ThinkTank Museum, where theywilltake on the challenge of creating their own tractor of the future and designing and preparing a seasonal snack to take home.
Finalists will be invited to present their designs at the House of Commons during British Science and Engineering Week on 9-18 March 2019, where the winning school will be announced before having the school turned into a farm for the day.
Other prizes for shortlisted schools include fully funded farm visits, £600 to spend on robotics products for the school, class packs of data loggers and chef visits to the school.
NFU president Minette Batters said: “Farmvention brings real life farming situations into the classroom and it’s fantastic to see so many young people getting involved.
“Food and farming is inextricably linked to STEM subjects and the NFU’scompetition offers a rare chance for children to put this learning into practice in a new and exciting way.
She added: “As an industry it is important to us that children know about where their food comes from. Farmvention is a fantastic opportunity to develop their education and problem solving skills at the same time as learning about food production and the challenges farmers face every day.”
Teachers can visit theFarmvention websitefor more information about the competition and how to apply. Applications close on 21 December.
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