City pupils have food forthought after royal estate visit
YOUNGSTERS GIVEN TASTE FOR COUNTRY LIFE AND
HUNDREDS of Glasgow primary pupils have learned to live off the land – thanks to a royal estate fit for a prince.
Dumfries House, which was bought by Prince Charles, has given city pupils a taste of country life with its educational garden and rare breeds farm.
And the experience is giving benefits to children and their families as youngsters take home the skills learn on the estate.
Jennifer Murphy, principal teacher at Knightswood Primary School, said: “It was our hope that the visit to Dumfries House would consolidate our children’s work on food waste.
“However, it did in fact provide much more.
“The whole day was well-structured and well-organised by our two leaders. Children were aware of their expectations and clear safety guidelines were given.
“All activities were interactive and great fun, enhancing our children’s knowledge on food waste, growing vegetables and planting.
“Moreover, it taught them life skills such as keeping safe, teamwork and cookery. It was an absolutely wonderful trip, enjoyed by both children and adults.”
Education experiences at Dumfries House form a key element of what Prince Charles, who used £20million of his charitable foundation’s money in 2007 to secure the future of the House and estate, hoped to achieve at Dumfries House.
Over the past 10 years hundreds of Glasgow pupils have benefited, learning about how food is grown and then how to cook it.
Teachers report pupils who did not know where vegetables came from or who had never planted seeds.
Recently, children from Cardonald, Knightswood and Avenue End primary schools have been among the young visitors to the estate, near Cumnock.
They have taken part in a programme run in conjunction with Cordia, which runs catering outlets at city primary and secondary schools and serves more than 63,000 children every day.
In the Kauffman Education Gardens, youngsters learn about the provenance of food and, in the kitchen of the adjacent Pierburg Building, they are taught how to prepare simple meals.
The programme has yield- ed positive results, with Cardonald youngsters bringing their cooking skills home and making healthy meals for their families.
Gerard Bell, class teacher at Cardonald Primary School, said: “The children had an excellent day out at Dumfries House.
“Several have told me since that they have tried making the vegetable soup themselves at home.”
Lucy Masterson, class teacher at Avenue End Primary School, said: “Dumfries House offers an invaluable example of how the things we grow are transformed into what we eat.
“The experience takes the children on a learning journey from soil to table.”
Avenue End P6 pupil Cae- lyn Tollett said: “We learned all about sustainability. You don’t see curly carrots in supermarkets but there is no reason why vegetables have to be a certain shape or size.”
Her classmate James Evans added: “We found out how to harvest vegetables. I have told my family that we should start growing our own.”
SCHOOL groups can enjoy a range of activities at Dumfries House.
Valentin’s Education Farm, completed in Spring 2017 and officially opened by The Prince in June, contains ten different rare breeds of animal and welcomes hundreds of school children each month.