Quad Bikes and Maze Down on the Farm

# Come join us

# Down on the farm today

# Learn about nature

# Along the way

# From seeds to crops

# And field to barn

# So much to do

# Down on the farm

# Summer, autumn, winter, spring

# Ploughing, planting, harvesting

# With JB

# And Storm

# To lead the way

# Come join us

# Down on the farm today. #

Hi, I'm JB

and welcome to Down On The Farm.

In autumn, it's time to make sure everything's working

well on the farm before winter.

While I get things sorted here,

let's see what Storm is up to.

Today, we're in Norfolk and we've come to a very special place.

Where are we, guys?

ALL: A maze!

A maze is like a massive puzzle

with lots of paths that you

have to find your way through

and we are going to meet Farmer Richard today

to find out what he grows here.

Let's go, guys.

Farmer Richard's left some clues to help us figure out what he grows.

Storm, what's that?

It says that this plant is a crop that is a type of cereal.

What do you think that could be?

Corn!

Carrot, pumpkin...?

Great guesses, guys.

Well, we'll have to find Farmer Richard

to find out if we're right.

I think he's this way.

Storm, look, a clue!

Let's take a look.

What does it say?

It says...

What do you think that could be?

-Corn.

-Oats.

Well, we'll have to find Farmer Richard

to find out if we're right.

Let's go!

Look, there's a clue!

Well, let's see what is says.

..but it's not quite the same.

What do you think it could be?

Popcorn.

Wheat.

They're great guesses, guys, but I still have no idea. Let's go.

-Look!

-Look!

-Hello, everyone.

ALL: Hi, Farmer Richard!

Now, I'm so glad we've found you

because we've been trying to work out what it is you grow here.

It's actually a plant called maize.

So this is a maze made of maize?

Yes, it is, exactly.

That is so clever but what is maize?

So, it's a type of corn. This is what it looks like.

It's actually different to corn on the cob that you'd normally

buy in the shops.

The plants grow about two metres tall, which is

taller than most grown-ups are and then the cobs actually

grow on the plant themselves.

And now it's autumn, what happens to all these crops?

So soon we'll harvest the plants

and we use the maize to feed our cows over the winter.

-So there's no waste?

-Nothing is wasted.

Thank you very much for teaching us all about maize.

I've had an a-maize-ing day!

-What about you guys?

-Yeah!

Well, while we try and find our way out of here,

why don't you find out about autumn nuts?

ALL: Bye!

In autumn, lots of different trees produce nuts,

like these acorns, which grow on oak trees.

The nuts fall to the ground when they are fully grown

and can make great food for wildlife,

as long as creatures can manage to

break through their hard shells.

Some animals, like badgers and deer,

have really strong teeth and jaws.

They can use these to crack the shells open.

Squirrels chew nuts,

often breaking shells in half,

while tiny dormice slowly nibble

a neat hole in hazelnuts.

Many birds use their sharp beaks

to peck or prise nuts open.

This bird is called a nuthatch.

It uses its beak a bit like a hammer or drill, pushing

nuts into cracks in tree bark to hold them steady while it works.

Some chaffinches have noticed that passing cars are smashing

beech nuts open on a road.

These smart birds just have to gather them up, saving time

and energy on a cold, autumn day.

We've come to a wood carving festival in the Scottish Highlands.

People have come from all over the world to take part in a

competition where the only tool they are allowed to use is a chainsaw.

A chainsaw is a tool used to cut trees and wood.

It has lots of sharp teeth that go round

and round a blade very quickly.

Hello, I'm Alice.

I'm a chainsaw carver from the Highlands

and today I'm going to carve

a fairy-tale castle.

Hi, my name is Josh, I'm from Canada

and I'm soon to be carving

this large Sitka spruce behind me

into a lovely bench.

Hi, I'm Jonathan, I'm from Harrogate

and today I'm going to be carving a kelpie,

which is a Scottish water horse.

Each competitor is given a tall log from a sustainable forest.

They have just four hours to carve a design.

Carving wood with a chainsaw is very noisy and dangerous

and can only be done by adults who know how to use a chainsaw safely.

But there are other ways to carve wood.

-We just whittle away like that. OK?

-This is Steve.

He's teaching these children to carve wooden sticks using

a potato peeler.

This is called whittling.

We made lots of small cuts in the wood.

We always peel away from ourselves.

I peeled all the bark away.

We rub them smooth with sandpaper.

We put a capercaillie on top.

ALL: Finished.

And time is up at the chainsaw carving competition too.

Alice has made a beautiful castle.

Wow, look at Josh's bench!

It's got owls on it.

And look at Jonathan's amazing kelpie.

The leftover wood will be used for firewood and pet bedding.

What a great festival.

What's that whisper in the trees?

It's the sound of autumn leaves

Swishing, rustling, crisp and dry

They flutter as a breeze sighs by.

HOOT

What's that screeching in the dark?

It's a tawny owl making its mark

Telling rivals to keep away

"This is my patch and I'm here to stay."

Now, what's that tiny, snuffling grunt?

It's the sound of a hedgehog on the hunt

Sniffing around for autumn bugs

Before it curls up somewhere snug.

I'm in Gloucestershire today to meet Farmer Peter on his sheep farm.

I'm told he has something interesting to show me.

I think I can hear him coming now.

-Hi JB. Welcome to my farm.

-Thanks, Peter.

What's this you're sitting on?

This is a quad bike.

Quad is another name for four and this bike has four wheels.

-It helps with lots of my jobs.

-That must be handy on such a big farm.

It is. My sheep live in fields all the way over there.

It's quite far to walk so I use this to get there quickly.

-Do you think I could have a go?

-Yes.

I've got one you can try in a field safely. Follow me.

There are three important parts you need to know about, JB.

Firstly, the throttle makes the bike go.

The brakes make it stop and finally,

the tyres have lots of grip for driving through the muddy fields.

Throttle...

Brakes...

Tyres.

Firstly, you need to practise driving nice

and slowly in a straight line.

Can you drive over to that bucket and back?

I'll give it a go.

It's time to start practising so I can get used to the controls.

-You have to be able to turn too, JB. Try driving in a big circle.

-OK.

A circle is a bit trickier but I think I'm getting the hang of it.

OK, JB. I think you're ready to come and help me on the farm.

-These are my sheep, JB.

-And what's that on the back of your quad bike?

It's a feeder. I pull it along with the quad bike and it drops the food.

-Do you want to see how it works?

-Absolutely.

-OK.

Using the quad bike, Peter can feed the sheep quickly,

spreading the food around the field.

We have to drive nice and carefully among the sheep.

Well, that's all the food out for the sheep, JB. You rode really well.

Thanks.

It was fun learning and seeing

how you use the quad bike on your farm.

While we ride back to the farmhouse,

why don't you find out how to make some fun autumn art from trees?

When you're outside this autumn...

You could try to do tree rubbings.

Find a tree.

Put the paper on the bark and colour over the top with crayon.

A pretty pattern will show up, just like the one on the tree.

You can try this in different colours and with different trees.

Enjoy being out and about.

Lots of people like to start the day with a bowl of cereal

and a big splash of milk.

But how are breakfast cereals actually made?

This is Carl, who works in a cereal factory.

In a factory like this one, different types of cereals are

made everyday by combining lots of ingredients that are grown on farms.

Today the factory is making a cereal using oats

and pieces of dried coconut.

First, the bags of ingredients that have come from the farms are cut

and tipped into special containers.

The containers are put into this tumbler.

It spins around until the ingredients are mixed

together perfectly.

Next, the ingredients are spread out evenly onto a conveyor belt.

The cereal is cooked in this really long oven.

The oats have turned a lovely golden brown.

When the cereal has cooled, some other ingredients are added.

Today, we're adding strawberries.

This machine weighs out the ingredients

so that every bag of cereal has a perfect mix.

These bagging machines pour the cereal into bags...

..which then go into boxes.

The boxes are loaded onto the lorry. Who knows?

One of these might end up on YOUR breakfast table.

Storm and I had a great time today. We hope you did too.

If you want to have fun with your own farm,

go to the CBeebies website

to play the Down On The Farm game.

See you next time. Bye!

# Come join us

# Down on the farm today

# Learn about nature

# Along the way

# From seeds to crops

# And field to barn

# So much to do down on the farm

# Summer, autumn, winter, spring

# Ploughing, planting, harvesting

# With JB

# And Storm

# To lead the way

# Come join us

# Down on the farm today. #