To mark National Science Week 2021, ForestLearning invited primary schools from across Australia to attend free, live sessions on forests and the renewable resource of wood … with a special appearance from the beloved children’s book character George the Farmer!
“With lockdowns forcing many school students to work from home, it’s important to offer initiavites that help make digital learning fun. Introducing George the Farmer!” said Beth Welden, ForestLearning Program Manager.
So, who exactly is George the Farmer? George’s vision is a world where kids connect to the earth, food and farms. Based in regional SA, the George the Farmer team have created fun learning resources, picture storybooks and engaging videos. More information about George can be found at www.georgethefarmer.com.au
Virtual classroom sessions
The two 30-minute, curriculum-linked sessions, delivered via Zoom, provided a perfect introduction to students on topics including where our wood and paper comes from, what a forester does, what a renewable resource is, what the lifecycle of a tree looks like, and why it is important to grow timber sustainably.
Easily accessible from the classroom or during home learning, an amazing 2,355 attendees logged on across both sessions, from lower primary students in Foundation to those in Year 4.
Excitingly, more than 30 per cent of participating students had never been taught about forestry and wood products in their classrooms before. Meanwhile, 77 per cent attended from schools currently providing home learning due to COVID-19 restrictions.
The virtual classroom sessions featured a Q&A session with an industry expert, a live sing-along with George the Farmer, engaging quizzes and more.
ForestLearning Industry Champion Clinton Sim, of Green Triangle Forest Products in Mount Gambier, joined the session as an Expert Forester.
“I’ve always been passionate about the use of carbon positive and fully renewable building materials in Australia … i.e., timber,” said Sim.
“My background is in plantation establishment and silviculture, as well as the art and science of growing healthy forests to meet a variety of society needs — including wood, biodiversity and recreation. I enjoyed sharing my passion for forestry with the kids during these sessions, and I hope they enjoyed it too!”
Thank you to all those who joined us, in the classroom and from home — and never fear … if you missed out you can access a recording of the session at forestlearning.edu.au in the coming weeks.
More resources from ForestLearning and George the Farmer
“A group of emerging leaders identified by FWPA has partnered with ForestLearning, the Green Triangle Forestry Hub, and the George the Farmer team to produce various resources for schools that will help engage the next generation of foresters and wood processors,” said Welden.
“The virtual classrooms were an ideal opportunity to engage with new audiences and launch these resources in schools around the country.”
For school children who can’t get enough of George the Farmer, teachers can visit forestlearning.edu.au to access the free George the Farmer Educator Toolkits, covering Sustainable Forest Management and Pine Plantation Forestry. These Toolkits are packed full of fun, multimedia-rich student activities and projects, perfect for classroom or at-home learning.
The new George the Farmer Forestry Virtual Reality (VR) experience is also available on ForestLearning’s ForestVR app for iOS and Android. This immersive 360-degree experience invites primary school students to join George on a ride that will transport them through a renewable pine plantation in the southeastern corner of South Australia. Get ready to see heavy machineries in action, from harvesters to haulage trucks!
To learn more about ForestLearning visit forestlearning.edu.au, Facebook (@forestlearningau) or LinkedIn (@forestlearning).