This week was my first experience of a live connected classroom. We have connected with classrooms worldwide through work exchanges and pupil travel. I have also used Skype with small groups of children, but have never with a whole class.
Through the Tesco Eat Happy Project, we were able to take part in an Online Field Trip to a broccoli farm in Lincolnshire. The project has been developed to encourage children to be more aware of where their food comes from and the processes involved in getting it to their plates.
The first step was to ensure that I had all of the technical set-up required. The online element was run through Google Hangouts and required very little technical skill to operate. There were several dry runs during the run-up to the field trip, and I was expertly guided through the process by members of the Eat Happy team.
The Eat Happy website has lots of resources available for use both before and after the field trip, complete with curriculum links highlighted. The day before the field trip we received a delivery of a range of vegetables for the children to try, along with recipe suggestions. We chose to compare and rate the flavours when the vegetables were raw and cooked.
To prepare us for the field trip, we received a running order which indicated when my class would be required to interact. Children were able to ask Mark the farmer questions during the link. The field trip was presented in a way which would appeal to all Primary aged children.
I would highly recommend staff to sign up for the Tesco Eat Happy Project online field trips. Ours was informative, well-organised and accessible. A fantastic way to introduce class linking and develop children's awareness of food origins.
Go to the page below to sign up for future online field trips:
http://www.eathappyproject.com/
