One of the most popular sections of our websites is the one where we record some comments from visitors. Well, we like it anyway, so here is one such email. From an educationalist who has visited and clearly fallen in love with Valentine our Capybara, but who explains very well exactly what it is we seek to do at Old Macdonald’s Educational Farm Park. We have changed the names to preserve anonymity of course (apart from Valentine) but thank you for your kind and helpful words.
Dear Old Macdonald
Just a quick email to say first of all sorry for things I have thought and said about the farm this year and congratulations on your new approach. I better explain.
I am an adviser on educational school trips for local authorities and have had serious doubts about the educational value of your farm, and come and check from time to time for Learning Outside the Classroom and London Boroughs for accreditation. I have had, in the past doubts about whether you qualify as an educational trip or not due to the large funfair element but then you surprise me, for instance last year your yellow sign boards are first class and your web information and schools information blog impressed me as they are very good and that allowed me to agree you had educational value last year. However when I came early this year, not long after the full LOtC report had been written on you after their meeting with you, I saw you had cut out a huge chunk of grass land and replaced real animals with plastic ones and this for me tipped the balance against you. For next year I was recommending that you should not be classified as educational any more, after all I reckon half the land is not animals but rides. I thought that London Schools should not come.
Then I came as a helper, albeit reluctantly, today with my daughter in her school group. The first thing I saw on the door was Valentine the Capybara, a shock to me.
Above: Valentine the shock!
Then I saw the signs inside about him and took the children to see him too. I have to say that this is all brilliant and well done for getting ahead of the National Curriculum for next year on the Rain Forest, and of course a focus on Brazil is clever, world cup and all. The information, the signs, the stories on your website and your education sheets work together and I think perhaps at last I “get” your farm and what you are trying to do. My girl had a great time but of course for schools that is not enough. Did she learn something? You bet. The Meerkats, the Capybara, the Asian Otters, then the Kune Kune stories, the sign boards, the Micro pigs, all these things, the sign on the Shetlands. I understand more than I did.
So apologies for thinking about having you struck off and congratulations on getting ahead of the game. Meerkats are a bit yesterday’s stories; Brazil, Rain Forest, all top of the news next year. By the way, that big tractor ride is actually good fun and the plastic donkey did make me laugh. So did I learn anything? You bet, I learnt that there is more to a good day out for schools than just learning. Keep it up.
