Educational Courses

The educational aim of the Azienda Agricola La Fiorida Valtellina has been recognised through its accreditation on the circuit of Educational Farms (“Fattorie Didattiche”) in the Lombardy region. An accredited Educational Farm is one which runs teaching and training activities alongside its traditional agricultural work, meeting the quality standards laid down in the group’s Charter.

The Charter details the requirements expected of the farm, from its production methods to staff training and preparatory work for the schools, the reception and the health and safety aspects of all parts of the operation.

The farm becomes a ‘big open air workshop‘ in which the theory and practice are learnt together, creating a stimulating inter-reaction between the children’s inquisitiveness and the farmer’s experience.

The aim of the farm school is to inform the pupils about farm activity, animal life and the work and techniques involved in food production while, at the same time, educating them about being a consumer and respecting the environment. And this all takes place in an authentic and natural environment. The sessions that we have devised for nursery, junior and secondary schools are much more than a simple visit of discovery: they are courses focusing on particular themes including work activities designed to stimulate the curiosity of our young students and to get them involved.

The main principle underlying our teaching approach at the Azienda Agricola La Fiorida Valtellina is “to learn by doing“. We achieve this by engaging the active participation of the children for every minute that they spend with us. The discovery courses are, therefore, supported by taking part in practical activity, and they engage all the faculties in a creative and recreational way.

The aim is to create an educated interest in the agricultural world, the farmers’ work, the people who work there and the animals who make up the farm.

Our teaching approach is based on the use of “themes” which we deem fundamental to our approach to farming and the way in which we are set up.

The courses, which are designed to run for a particular length of time, allow each school to deepen their pupils’ understanding of the particular subjects and programmes that they are studying.