Irish Farm Animals - activities

Irish Farm Animals

ISBN 978-1-78849-121-1

Bex Sheridan and Glyn Evans Teaching Guide

By Peter Heaney RATIONALE & THEMES The authors have created a very comprehensive yet accessible tribute to the animals that are found on our farms, explaining how the cycles of the seasons support and direct their growth and development.

The creatures are presented as individuals, each with their own characters and idiosyncrasies, and their roles in the cycles of farm life are identified and underlined.

The farm and the creatures who live in it are presented holistically within the cycle of the seasons and the farm itself is clearly identified as a complement to our daily lives and the source of our food and many of the products on which we rely.

Some of the following sites may be useful for research and additional resources. Sites relevant to particular activities will also be included in this list rather than appearing on specific activity pages. askaboutireland.ie/enfo/sustainable-living/farming-in-ireland-overvi/organic-farming/ kids.kiddle.co/Pesticide irishtimes.com/news/health/ireland-first-country-to-restrict-unhealthy-food-sponsorship-aimed-atchildren-1.3077393 irishtimes.com/news/environment/plastic-packaging-exactly-how-green-are-our-supermarkets-1.3369793 wtcdublin.ie/the-emergence-of-the-irish-dairy-industry-a-success-story-or-a-false-hope/ drtomobrien.ie/14-irish-herbs-from-the-tolka-valley-dublin-ireland-herbal-medicine/ kids.kiddle.co/Pig hdwool.com/blog/the-many-uses-of-wool transceltic.com/pan-celtic/horses-celtic-mythology writeshop.com/writing-a-cinquain-poem/ farmfowl.com/rescuing-hens-in-ireland/ thejournal.ie/rescue-hens-laois-1356558-Mar2014/ farmfowl.com/keeping-chickens-in-ireland/ birdwatchireland.ie iwt.ie irishwildlife.ie/irish-wildlife-fact-sheets.html Good practice in using ICT in the classroom requires the teacher to monitor sites before directing children to use them, and then monitor screens during use in the classroom.

Irish Farm Animals

Activities

What Do I Know About Farming?

(You will need to do this activity before you start reading the book.)

Work in small groups to make a list of ten things that you know about farming and farm animals. Then make a list of ten questions that you have about farming.

When you have finished the book, check your lists. How accurate were you? Did you get your questions answered?

Should we be interested in farming? Find four reasons why it is important to know what happens on a farm.

Create a poster to warn about using pesticides on farms in Ireland?

What I Know

What I Want To Know

Wh Is o

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at is Farm ‘Organ ic ing’ ?

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ette r fo Is it r us f a ? mor ir to hav e fo e r or gan to pay ic fo od?

Irish Farm Animals

Activities

Where Does It All Come From?

Pages 4-7

Should we be interested in farming? Find and list four reasons why it is important to know what happens on a farm. _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________

How does food packaging cause problems for our environment?

In groups, make a poster to show the healthy foods that you should eat and the unhealthy foods that you should avoid.

Without farms or farmers, there would be no food for us to eat. However, not all our food comes from Irish farms.

Ask a parent or guardian to help you to make a list of the food that you eat during the week, using the box below.

Check how much of it is Irish produce and how much is fresh or processed. (TIP: Processed food is usually canned, or has lots of packaging.)

What we eat every week (Underline the Irish food and tick the fresh food.) ___________________________ ____________________________ ___________________________ ____________________________ ___________________________ ____________________________ ___________________________ ____________________________ ___________________________ ____________________________ ___________________________ ____________________________ ___________________________ ____________________________

(Rea d pp Mak 6-7 list e a sea ) jobs for th sona lT that e far nee mer o-Do of d t eac h se o be do the Hig ason h ne i imp light th n . o e r thre tant seas em job on are . Expla s for e ost in a mor e im why t ch h por tant ey .

___________________________ ____________________________ ___________________________ ____________________________

Irish Farm Animals

Activities

Cows and Beef

Pages 8-11

The cow is a very important farm animal. It provides us with the main ingredient for many of our favourite dishes.

Make a list of all the dishes you enjoy that would not be possible without beef.

Decide which is your favourite dish. Ask a parent or guardian to help you to create a colourful recipe card to show how all the ingredients are used to make the dish.

In Ireland cows are eaten. However, in India, cows are sacred and are not eaten.

If we are going to eat cows, does it really matter how they are treated?

In groups, decide why animal welfare is important and what it means for the farmer.

Different breeds of cows can be recognised by their different markings and colour.

Use the blank cows to create a marking guide for one each of the main dairy and beef breeds found on Irish farms.

Don’t forget to add a little information on the breed as well.

A ‘geep’ is a hybrid sheep and goat. What new animal l i would you create? le/Ta w ’s Ta s u o The Co i Use your imagination lly cur natura vestigate e r a s to create a new ll in Cow and wi s their field. ls a m i r hybrid. Draw a n e a t rtain that en e t g n n e i h y t picture of it. Give it any ps the y , perha s of what the g n i n a name and explain e v Each e ther with tale day and the what it might be each o d during the had. e r y e e v h useful for. o t disc ures eate r c advent o t ation imagin . Write it as r u o y ales Use these t one of comic story.

The b a dang ull can b erou e s ani a Can mal. you m poste a r for ke a warn put o the farm ing er n the gate? to

Irish Farm Animals

Activities

It’s Really Good For You!

Pages 14-15

The dairy industry is very important to Ireland’s economy. Milk is a very healthy product. Irish milk is exported to many parts of the world, both as liquid milk and as milk products.

Irish dairy products are exported to over 100 countries across the world.

Irish food has a great reputation for being healthy, so people are keen to buy and use it.

People like the flavour, whether they are eating/ drinking it or using it in their cooking.

Design an exciting carton for milk for the world market. It should encourage people to drink milk rather than a fizzy drink.

Create your design to show how Ireland is a special place for producing healthy food of great quality.

e wouldn’t all the foods w f o t lis a e ak M milk. e didn’t have w if y jo en to be able h a headline aper report wit sp ew n a te ri W ents in to describe ev and illustration ght. ad a milk drou Ireland if we h

You’l ln here. eed a pa rent or gu ardia Chec n to h k elp and m your loca l sho ake a p you c o an fin list of all t r superm arket he da d tha milk i or m t are ilk pr made ry produc oduc Perha ts from ts. p Irish label s you cou s to m ld co lle ake a large ct or draw class colla the ge.

Can you find three reasons why it is important to drink milk?

Are these reasons the same for children, adults or older people?

hy it is reasons w Find three . drink milk to t n ta r o imp e for ns the sam o s a e r e s ple?

Are the older peo r o s lt u d a children,

Irish Farm Animals

Activities

Snuffle Snuffle!

Pages 16-21

Pigs are very interesting animals and are common on Irish farms.

In some parts of the world, it is forbidden to eat any meat from a pig.

However, here in Ireland, we consume pig products in lots of delicious ways.

er elly. The farm sm ry e v is it y ’ and . called ‘slurr fertilise them Pig waste is lp e h to s ld e plastic the fi papers and g in spreads it on p p ra w l. Our not as usefu Our waste is eek. Make untryside. ome for a w h t litter the co a t u o n throw mpost and lly at what is r used for co o d le c y Look carefu c re e much can b a list of how landfill. to s goe ly p that would m si h c u h our waste how m it w o d ll a ould e thing we c ndfill.

Think of on t goes into la a th t n u o m ea decrease th

Pigs were once ca lled boars and lived wild. Do you thin k that boars shou ld be released back into the countrysid e to live wild again?

Should more wild animals, like bear s and wolves, be re -introduced into th e Irish countryside?

What do you think that they are saying?

Create their conversation.

Your local supermarket is promoting pork this week.

Design an exciting poster for the front of the shop that will encourage people to buy free-range products, sourced from local farmers.

Irish Farm Animals

Activities

Woolly Jumpers

Pages 22-27

Sheep have been traditional on Irish farms for centuries. However, today we have other more exotic additions, such as alpacas and llamas. These animals help the farmer to produce a wider range of wool. ool rised what w rp su e b ’d u Yo for. can be used usual rate two un st lu il d n a d Fin l. uses for woo

Irish wool is world famous for its quality. Many international fashion designers use Irish wool for their clothes.

Design and illustrate three woollen fashion items that you think you would look fabulous wearing yourself.

Hola. Soy Paco…

Hello, I’m Paco… and I’m from Peru.

Tell my story about how I came here and what I think of Ireland.

Use a comic strip to tell the story.

Sheep know w hich he stay he rbs to e althy. T at to his is a very us Compil eful skil e an illu l. stra commo n Irish h ted list of five ealing h what ea erb ch herb might b s. Explain e used for.

Check your wardrobe at home.

Which fabric is the most popular?

WOOL, COTTON, SYNTHETIC or MIXED Collect the data for the class and create a chart.

What does this tell you about the fabrics we use?

Irish Farm Animals

Activities

Hoof Prints

Pages 28-35

Horses, ponies and donkeys are very familiar animals to us.

They have lived and worked on farms for many centuries.

Nowadays, farms use a lot more machinery to do the work that was once done by these animals. However, horses are still popular as farm animals and many farms still keep them.

Many people can’t tell the difference between a horse, a pony and a donkey.

Create a chart that anyone can use to help them to identify which is which.

Include at least two features that are unique to each animal. Don’t forget illustrations.

hold an eders Society re B y n o P ara The Connem show. nd an annual pony onal event a ti a rn te in n now ponies and It is a well-k se both the a c w o sh to opportunity Ireland. the West of this year’s announcing se a le re ss Create a pre show.

tions any supersti There are m oes. ith horse sh w d te ia c o ass nd give e of them a Research on n. d explanatio an illustrate

Celtic any ancient There are m ut horses. legends abo story, d retell the Find one an e to present th making sure hero. horse as the

Donkeys are usually seen as stubborn animals. However, this is not really true of us.

We can be very sweet tempered.

Write a short cinquain poem to celebrate our sweet nature!

Irish Farm Animals

Activities

Cluck, cluck!

Pages 36-43

Poultry are an important feature on any farm. Some farms are dedicated entirely to raising chickens and hens for both their meat and their eggs.

Most people eat a lot of chicken and eggs so they are an important food source for humans.

On Glyn’s farm, the hens and chickens have enough space to be comfortable. However, some poultry farms are huge and the birds are battery reared (kept in small cages).

Is it reasonable to treat animals in this way to make sure that we have enough cheap food?

Geese can be quite aggressive.

In Ancient Rome, a flock of geese sounded the alarm to save the city.

Create a ‘BEWARE OF THE GEESE’ sign for Glyn’s farm

shot owl are f r e t a W rt. for spo s hat it i think t ot any u o y Do sho able to tainment? t p e c c a er for ent his? animals le do t p o e p o Why d

Batte hens ry-reared have shor t a to m and unp very ake s leasa ure nt chea that egg life p s are Crea to bu y. with te a supe rm fiv peop e reason arket lea s to e le to flet s mon pend a l ncourage ey to ittle RAN buy FRE more GE e E ggs. -

Many of the wildfowl in Ireland are migratory and only spen d winter here. They spend the su mmer in places like Greenland.

When they return in the autumn and meet the fowl who have stayed here, perhaps they share stories of where they have been.

Create a conversation be tween a bird who stayed and on e who went.

What might they have to say to each other?

Irish Farm Animals

Activities

An Extra Pair of Hands

Pages 46-48

The purpose of most farms is food production. The farmer works very hard to produce the food that we need.

Some farms grow the vegetables and cereals we eat. Others provide the milk that we drink. And some rear the animals that provide the meat that we enjoy.

However, there are also other animals on the farm.

imals the an ur f o h c yo Whi farm is on the urite? favo to t poem em. r o h s a Write y you like th h w n. n explai an illustratio Add

esign a In groups, d itat for wildlife hab your school. f features What sort o nsible to would be se have in it? al / your princip to r e tt le a Write em that convince th to r e h c a te d ion to the hea ositive addit p a e b ld u this wo school.

Everyone loves Mickey and Minnie but hardly anyone likes mice.

Do rodents get unfair treatment in

the press?

Create a ‘cute’ rodent character in a short comic strip farm adventure to encourage people to be more sympathetic to mice and rats .

Some and so animals ar e me pl ants a pests Are th r e wee ere ds. or is it really any differe just th nce ew about ay we thin s k them?

Make a list o ft popul ar pes he three m os t s and Are th weed t ese la s . bels ju stified ?

your live in or use ls a im n a d il w How many nds? u ro school g re? they are the t a th w o n k stay, How do you ge them to ra u o c n e to ou do venience What can y nce or incon a y o n n a g n si without cau ? e to anyon not? lcome? Why e w e n o ry e Is ev e animals cord of all th re r o r e st o e school Make a p de you in th si e b g in v li you think are grounds.

Irish Farm Animals

Activities