READING LEVEL: GREEN
KIDS with green thumbs* have been getting busy in the garden and are now preparing to run a local farmers’ market, in an Australian first.
The business-savvy* primary students aged four to 12 are taking over Warragul Farmers’ Market and making some extra pocket money from their homegrown fruit and vegetables.
Warragul is a town in Victoria, southeast of Melbourne, and the area is known for its dairy farming and agriculture*.
On Friday evening the kids will be setting up stalls and running mini businesses, without any adult help.
Warragul Farmers’ Market manager Sallie Jones hopes the public will visit to support their hard work and pick up some quality groceries.
“A little boy has been harvesting* beautiful pure honey and is selling it for just $3 a jar,” said Ms Jones.
“The whole idea is getting kids connected to the land while learning how the business world operates.”
Stalls will be brimming* with a variety of fresh produce and sweet treats like milkshakes and pink lemonade.
The young farmers will run the market on Friday March 24 at Warragul Primary School.
green thumbs: gift for gardening
LISTEN TO TODAY’S STORY
Activity 1. Farming Kids
Summarise the article on the market being run by kids, by using the five W’s.
Who is this article about?
What is the article telling us?
When is the market happening?
Where is the market taking place?
Why are the kids running this farmers market?
Write an extra paragraph to this article giving some more detailed information.
Time: allow 15 minutes to complete this task
Curriculum links: English
Activity 2. Paddock to Plate
If your school has a garden or gardening program, or even if it doesn’t, work with a partner to write a list of innovative ideas that you could do with the produce grown.
The school in the article has decided to run a farmers market- what are some other ideas? Next to your idea, write what the benefits would be to the children’s learning and to the school. Try to come up with at least five.
Design a poster to advertise one of your chosen ideas to do with you school produce.
Time: allow 25 minutes to complete this task
Curriculum links: Critical and Creative Thinking, Personal and Social, English
(Vocabulary, Connectives, Openers and Punctuation)
Alliteration Challenge: Catchy Slogan
Alliteration is where you use the same sound or letters are used close together in a phrase or sentence.
Eg: The snake slithered silently through the sand.
Write an alliteration for the students to take to the Warragul Farmer’s Market to display as their catchy slogan on their stall signage.
Arts and Craft: Feeling crafty, how about creating a logo to go with your slogan to complete the students business sign.
Time: allow at least 15 minutes to complete the task
Curriculum Links: English, Big Write, VCOP
Activity provided by Andrell Education www.andrelleducation.com.au
Originally published as Kids open for business