While the children at Clever Clogs childcare service in Ballyconnell, Cavan, couldn’t avail of the creche’s annual trip to the Donohoe dairy farm this year because of Covid-19, they revelled in a virtual visit.
“My husband Gerard is a dairy farmer and Lakelands supplier,” said Paula Donohoe, proprietor of Clever Clogs.
“For the last six years, I have been organising trips to our farm for the children and they were hugely popular. We have talks in the creche in the lead-up to the visit, with a country market the following week. This involves cooking farm produce to illustrate the farm to fork process, and showing quilts, coats and leather jackets,” she said.
With lockdown this year, everyone was very disappointed that the farm trip couldn’t go ahead. We, in the creche, had been ripped out of the lives of so many young children. We suddenly disappeared into the ether.
“We had been sending out nature videos in our private Facebook group page and my husband suggested that we organise a virtual trip so that the children could see what is going on on the farm.
‘Blown away’
“We have been blown away by the amazing response to our video series. The parents have told us that the children have really enjoyed seeing the milking parlour activities, followed by the cows grazing in the field. They also loved getting an insight into calf rearing and feeding, thanks to Yugie and Sean who work on the farm.
“A neighbouring poultry and sheep farmer Garett Bannon, who is also one of the parents at the creche, is contributing with videos of activities on his farm. My nephew Ferdia Byrne, who is 11, has got involved by creating a brilliant slide show,” said Paula.
“The videos have facilitated huge positive interaction and we have been asked by other creches and schools to share them. They have provided some sense of normality in these crazy times.
“At this stage the videos have reached Australia where first-generation Australian children are getting a taste of farming life back home,” said Paula.