Holly and Fell Ponies 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 plant

# 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.

Winter is here so it's important to keep cosy and warm.

But today, Storm's finding out about a winter plant

that doesn't mind the cold.

Do you know what this is?

That's right, it's holly.

And I've come to a place where there's not one,

not two,

but 50 different types of holly.

Holly is an evergreen plant

which means it keeps its leaves all year round.

Winter is a busy time of year for Fiona,

who grows all this holly.

So, Bethany, Evie, Robert and Harry have come to help out.

Hi, everyone.

So, what are you doing?

Packing holly leaves for customers.

Holly is grown from small pieces like this.

They grow into larger plants

and then people use them in their gardens

or for decoration.

Today, we are going to collect cuttings for new plants

ready for next year. Who's going to come and help?

ALL: Me!

There's two different hollies here.

We're going to try and match these with the plant they came from.

And then we're going to take cuttings.

-Let's go, guys.

-Come on, you two.

Each type of holly has a name.

This is a hedgehog holly.

It has lots of sharp prickles.

What about this one? Do you think they're the same?

BOTH: No.

What's different?

-They're smaller.

-And they're a different colour.

-Yes.

-Let's try another one.

Storm, it's here.

You're right.

Let's take a cutting.

If you'd like to take a cutting of a plant,

you should always ask an adult for help.

Here's one for you.

And here's one for you.

Robert and Evie are looking for holly with berries.

This tree's got berries.

And they're bright red.

But it's not this one.

Let's keep looking.

Hollies have pricklier leaves at the bottom

to stop animals like rabbits eating them.

And as the hollies grow taller, then the leaves get smoother.

I think I found it!

Oh, well done.

Let's take some cuttings and go back to the polytunnel.

With everything collected, it's time to get potting.

The cuttings are small now but they'll grow into tall plants,

so that's why we use big pots.

We fill the pots with compost.

And then we put our cuttings in.

The cuttings stay in the polytunnel to keep warm

until they're ready for the customers.

You've done a great job today, guys.

Now, do you know where snow comes from?

ALL: No.

Let's find out.

Many of us hope that it will snow in winter.

This will happen if it is cold enough.

Up in the clouds, droplets of water that would have fallen as rain

freeze into ice crystals instead

and make snowflakes.

Every single snowflake is different.

There are different kinds of snow too.

When the air is very cold and dry,

snowflakes stay small and powdery as they fall.

This powder snow is great for sledging

as it is soft and fluffy.

If the air is a bit warmer,

snowflakes melt at the edges as they fall

and make big, fat clumps.

This wet snow sticks together really well

and is perfect for making snowmen and snowballs.

But if there is too much warm air,

the snowflakes melt and fall as sleet or rain.

So if we are to enjoy playing in the snow...

it needs to be cold this winter.

Today, I've come to a farm that not only produces food

but electricity too.

COWS MOO

Hi, Farmer Elaine. Hi, Georgie.

-Hello, JB.

-Hi, JB.

I've heard you make electricity in your cow shed.

Can you show me how?

Yeah, we can. It's not in the cow shed, it's on the roof.

Come on, I'll show you.

Look up there, JB. Those are called solar panels.

Under the snow, there are black panels like these.

On bright days, they turn energy from the sunlight into electricity.

And what's the electricity used for?

It powers everything on the farm.

Like the lights for the cattle shed.

That's brilliant.

And do you make electricity on the farm in any other ways?

We do. Come and see.

OK, I'll follow you.

This is a wind turbine.

When the wind blows, it turns the big blades.

So the turbine turns energy from the wind into electricity?

That's right. We've got seven wind turbines on the farm.

That must make a lot of electricity.

They can generate enough to power the whole village.

They are incredible machines.

Would you like to come to my school to find out how we use electricity?

Absolutely.

Hello, everyone.

-ALL:

-Hello.

We use electricity for a lot of things.

Like tablets,

interactive boards,

and lights.

And what's good about the wind turbine

supplying electricity to the school?

Because wind energy is renewable.

So that means it never runs out.

I can see you're playing the Down On The Farm game on your tablets.

Mine has run out of battery.

I think it needs charging up. I'll connect it to the electricity.

While that charges, you can

listen to a poem about the month of February.

February, you might agree

Is very often seen to be

The month we frequently forget

Why should this be?

Winter is not done yet

Just 28 days long

So quick

But our shortest month has a special trick

At the end of February, every four years

A whole extra day just appears

Last chance before the season's done

To see my breath and have winter fun

And if that's not enough, OK

February's home to Pancake Day

Yes, Christmas was so long ago

But might we still enjoy some snow?

February is not yet spring, I know

But it will soon be time for things to grow.

Today, I've come to meet Farmer Andrew and some very special ponies.

-Hi, Andrew.

-Hello, JB.

-What are you up to?

-I'm looking for my ponies.

Most of them live out on the hill all year round.

I use these to keep an eye on them

when they're finding shelter.

-Would you like to have a look?

-Please.

I think I can see them over there.

Let's go take a closer look.

Why are they called fell ponies?

Fell's another word for a hill.

Most ponies live in stables in winter,

so how are fell ponies able to live outside in the cold?

The long, thick mane helps keep them warm.

A bit like a scarf?

Yeah, exactly like a scarf.

They have a thick coat that helps to keep them warm too.

And they've good, hard feet to help them walk on rocky ground.

So they are well adapted to living outside, can keep warm,

and move around easily to find shelter.

Is there anything you need to do?

We can give them some feed. There's some at the tractor.

OK, let's go.

Farmer Andrew feeds his fell ponies high up on the hillside

along with a herd of his woolly cows.

Andrew, what are the ponies eating right now?

It's called haylage.

It's grass that's been cut in summer and stored until now.

How do you know which pony is which?

I can tell them all by looking at them.

But they are all microchipped.

So we'll read them back at the farm.

Not all of Andrew's ponies live on the fell,

some live down at the farm.

When a pony is young, the vet puts a microchip under its skin

with its own individual number on it.

-So a bit like a new puppy or kitten?

-Exactly the same.

With the scanner, we can pick these microchips up out of these ponies

and then we can check that number against their passports

and that will give us their age, their name,

so we know exactly who it is.

-Can I have a go?

-Of course you can! Here you are.

Press that button and come down this side of its neck.

BEEP

You've got it.

-0828.

-0828.

That's Mikado.

Good job.

And now for the rest of the ponies.

9402.

That's Dobby.

5931.

5931. Wilbur...

-Good job.

-Well done.

There we go. All done.

Let's leave these ponies and go and get warm.

And here's how you can keep warm in winter too.

In winter, it might be cold,

but that doesn't stop us from going outside.

Just remember to wrap up with gloves, scarf and a cosy coat.

You could also take a flask with a warm drink in it.

Sheep have woolly fleeces that keep them warm.

They don't always need these all year round

and so some farmers take their fleeces off

by clipping or shearing them.

Their fleece is then turned into something really useful

that we can use called yarn.

We can then use the wool yarn to knit lots of different things.

Today, we are in the Scottish Borders

to meet some expert knitters

who are going to show us how to knit.

All you need to knit are some needles and yarns.

To start knitting, we need to make stitches.

This is called casting on.

In the door.

Then bring the yarn around.

Through the window.

And on jumps Jack.

We hold the yarn and loop it around the needles

to create a stitch.

Well done.

Keep doing this until you have lots of stitches.

This is how you do a row.

You need to knit lots of rows

so your knitting grows.

When we've finished, we cast off

so the knitting comes off the needles.

Remember you have two stitches.

The old one goes over the new.

With pieces of knitting,

you can sew them together to make bigger pieces,

like bags or little puppets.

ALL: You can try too! Bye!

Storm and I had a brilliant time on the farm today.

If you want to look after your own farm,

go to the CBeebie's 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 plant

# 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. #