George the farmer
Thousands of primary school students from classrooms across Australia will be learning that “wood is good for the world” alongside George the Farmer tomorrow as part of the latest session in an online classroom series. Source: Timberbiz
The beloved children’s character from ABC TV fame is joining Green Triangle forester Sarah Maddison from OneFortyOne for the virtual learning experiences hosted by ForestLearning tomorrow.
This is the second in a series of online primary classroom events held with George the Farmer in recent months demonstrating how the plantations in the Green Triangle are grown, harvested and manufactured into products that we use every day.
It follows the production of a Forestry Educators toolkit that includes primary teaching resources, ForestryVR experience and forestry video featuring the popular character which has attracted more than 6000 views online.
ForestLearning program manager Beth Welden said as part of the online learning session Sarah would provide an interactive overview of the role foresters play in managing Australia’s sustainable forests and the fun technology that is used in-field, such as drones used to assess the health of the forest and collect critical data.
She said more than 2350 students had logged-in and attended the first live sessions for National Schools Tree Day in July, attracting positive reviews from both teachers and students.
“We are so proud to partner with George the Farmer and Kimberlin Education for another online session to share the important message from George’s popular song that “wood is good for the world”. With his friends and creators Ben and Simone, George is teaching the next generation about the value of our sustainable resource for people and the planet,” Ms Welden said.
“These free sessions are easily accessible from the classroom or at home for remote learners via Zoom and there is no limit to the number of students who can join-in. The content has been specifically created by the professional educators at Kimberlin Education for lower primary students in Foundation to Year 4 featuring interactive opportunities with forestry experts, singalongs with George the Farmer, quizzes and live Q&A.”
Green Triangle Forest Industries Hub chair Cameron MacDonald praised the online learning program which is providing a first of its kind snapshot of the role played by local foresters.
“George the Farmer has captivated a new generation, illustrating exactly how our plantation trees grow to produce the structural timber to build our homes, furniture, the toilet paper and cardboard products which are used through our everyday lives,” Mr MacDonald said.
“We are proud to see our expert foresters, like Sarah Maddison, share these great educational insights into their work-life illustrating how new technologies, such as drones, are improving our plantation management. It is hoped that this campaign will shine a light on our sustainable forests and inspire a new cohort of foresters to join our timber workforce in the future.”
To register for the online session visit the ForestLearning website www.forestlearning.edu.au
To view and download the free forestry videos and resources you can also visit the George the Farmer website www.georgethefarmer.com.au or visit the George the Farmer YouTube channel www.youtube.com/georgethefarmer
