Pears and Wool Dyeing 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. #

Hello. I'm JB and welcome to Down On The Farm.

Most of the crops in the fields have been harvested,

but there's still a lot to do down on the farm in autumn.

While I help out on this farm, you can see what Storm's been up to.

I've come to learn how you can turn this sheep-coloured yarn

into colourful woollen clothing like this.

Yarn is made by spinning sheep fleeces into long threads.

Hi, Pam. And this must be Jamie and Freya.

ALL: Hi, Storm.

Now, I see you've already started. What are you up to?

-We're washing the yarn. Can you help us?

-Great. I'd love to.

The yarn needs to be clean and damp before we add the colours.

So now the wool's clean, what do we need to do next?

We're going to colour the wool with dyes, and these can

-stain our skin, so we have to wear gloves to protect our hands.

-Ready!

-You can pick your first colour.

-Oh, I think I'll go for yellow first.

It'll match my gloves.

-Make sure I get plenty on there.

-There we go.

What do you do once you've squirted it on?

-You just squish it into the wool.

-Like this?

-Yeah.

What colour do you think you'll go for next?

-I think maybe blue.

-Blue.

Oh, you're doing that really well.

Jamie, why do you like dyeing the wool?

Cos you're excited to see what pattern you're doing

and when it's ready you can see what it's like.

I mixed red and blue to make purple.

That's it. Keep covering it. That looks good.

We keep going until all the yarn is covered with dye.

Then we wrap it up.

Well, that's them all wrapped up. Jamie, what do they look like?

A rainbow sausage.

The wool is heated for a few minutes until it soaks up all the dye.

Then we leave it to cool.

Then we wash it again until the water is clear.

This means all the dye has soaked into the wool.

Now we have to hang them up to dry.

When the colourful wool is dry, it will be ready to knit with.

Well, while we wait for our wool to dry,

why don't you find out what other colourful things happen in autumn?

In autumn, grey squirrels are often seen gathering nuts

and seeds to eat or hide for winter.

The urge to find food can make some of them very bold.

But when they're on the ground,

these little animals are always on the lookout for danger.

Any fox, cat, or dog might try to catch a squirrel to eat,

or just for fun.

All squirrels are very fast movers, though,

and will race up the nearest tree at the first sign of trouble.

They have amazing climbing skills.

Long, curved claws help them to grip the bark.

Their super-bendy joints let them hang upside down,

and scramble down tree trunks head first.

Red squirrels are brilliant climbers too.

They can be seen in some parts of the UK,

and spend even more time in the trees than grey squirrels do.

They are very light,

and can crawl and leap between the thinnest branches.

All squirrels build cosy nests called dreys,

where they rest and sleep.

They feel nice and safe here, high in the treetops.

Autumn is my favourite time of year to explore trees,

and not just because of their colourful leaves.

Today, I'm at a park in Nottingham to find out all about these.

Tree seeds.

This is Steve.

He's a park ranger, and today I'm going to join him and his helpers.

Hi, guys.

ALL: Hi, JB.

Steve, why are we collecting tree seeds?

Trees drop their seeds in the autumns so they can spread

and grow into new trees.

We're collecting seeds to plant in pots, so we can help them grow.

-So what have we got here?

-We've got some seeds from this maple tree.

Great. Well, I'll help you collect some more. Come on, then.

I found a ladybird on some leaves.

I wonder what other seeds we can find.

Look, it's inside!

-Do you know what it is?

-It's a conker!

That's right. It's a conker, and that's from a horse chestnut tree.

It's tricky to spot acorns under this big oak tree.

-Can't find any acorns.

-I think the squirrels have had them all.

-Should we go and plant our conkers?

-Yes.

-Come on, then.

Now we have all collected some seeds,

it's time to plant them into pots.

-Steve, are these seeds all ready to plant?

-Not quite.

First, we need to make sure that the seeds are healthy,

-and haven't been eaten by insects.

-Well, let's get checking.

To test if the conkers are healthy, we drop them into some water.

If they float, the insect has eaten the inside.

These ones are not healthy.

They sink to the bottom, they're nice and healthy.

The seeds we are planting will grow in the pots until they are big

enough to be transferred into the ground around the park.

Here's a seed we planted last year.

It could take 40 years for it to grow into a big oak tree

to grow its own acorns.

Maybe the seeds we plant today will one day turn into trees.

While we finish planting the rest of these seeds,

why don't you listen to a poem about the beautiful colours of autumn?

Look up at autumn trees

How many colours can we see?

Mellow yellow

A red so bold

Gleaming copper tinged with gold

Down upon the autumn ground

Is a leafy layer of rusty brown

Toadstools white

And red as well

Chestnuts in their greeny shells

Sea berries shine like jewels so bright

Ruby red and black as night

So many colours to explore

When autumn's just outside your door.

BEEP BEEP!

Today, I'm in Norfolk at a farm that has over 100 pear trees.

-Hi, Farmer Charlotte.

-Hi, JB.

How many different pears do you grow here?

We grow three different types of pears.

They ripen in the autumn, so you're here at the perfect time.

-Would you like to help us pick some?

-Yes, please.

-Great!

There are lots of pear trees.

So Ronnie, Betsy, Evie, and Wolf have come to help.

How do we know when the pears are ripe?

So, when they're easy to pull off the branches

and they start to fall to the ground.

Just twist them at the top and pull them off.

What kind of pears are these?

-Comice pears.

-And what shape are they?

They're big and round.

Wow, I got two mega ones.

Hi, guys. What kind of pears are these?

Concorde.

They look long and thin, don't they?

What pears are you picking, Charlotte?

These are conference pears. They look like tear drops.

We've got lots of great-looking pears here,

but what are we going to do with them all?

So we'll keep some for later, and

use the rest to make a refreshing treat. Who's thirsty?

ALL: Me!

What are we making today?

ALL: Pear juice!

So has everyone got a washed, juicy pear?

ALL: Yes!

To juice the pears, we wash them and chop off the stems.

-Go on, Wolfie.

-Thank you.

Then put them in the juicer and whizz them all up.

Time to try some tasty pear juice.

This is yummy.

While we're enjoying these refreshing drinks,

why don't you find out what else happens in autumn?

MOO!

In autumn, the weather gets colder

and it's harder for birds to find food.

You can help them by making cereal bunting and seedy snacks.

For the bunting, thread some cereal onto string,

and then hang it outside.

To make the seedy snacks,

spread some peanut butter onto a piece of apple

and sprinkle with seeds.

Tie it up with string onto a branch.

Enjoy being out and about.

MOO!

Today, we've come to a farm in Norfolk to meet farmer Bill.

He's harvesting something sweet.

This is sugar beet.

It's a vegetable, but you don't eat it like other vegetables.

Instead, it's made into something else that we use in cooking.

Sugar.

Sugar beet is planted in the spring.

It grows through the warm summer days.

And then in the autumn, it's ready to be harvested.

The sugar beets are taken to a massive factory called a refinery.

And we're here to meet Dan.

Today, I'm going to show you how sugar beet like this

is made into sugar like this.

First, the beets need to be washed to remove any dirt and stones.

Once the beets are clean,

a big machine cuts them into thin strips called cossettes.

Like these.

The strips are added to drums of very hot water which slowly

spin around.

This breaks them down into a hot, syrupy liquid.

The liquid is slowly heated, turning the water into steam.

This is called evaporation.

Any liquid that's left has to be removed.

To do this, Dan uses a big drum called a centrifuge.

It spins around really quickly,

leaving pure white sugar in the middle.

The sugar is cooled down and dried before being packaged up.

It takes just 12 hours to make sugar beet into little crystals of sugar.

OINK!

Storm and I had an excellent time on the farm today.

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. #