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Educational visits
for primary and junior schools
kids at play
HMS Victory
Brading Roman Villa
The Needles
Seaview Wildlife Encounter
Osborne House

Tim Gurney taught for 34 years prior to taking early retirement at the end of 2007. He started his career at a Middle school on the Isle of Wight specialising in maths, science and rural studies.

After 10 years he became the teacher/manager of a very popular farm study centre which attracted around 10,000 children visitors a year. Tim is also a keen horticulturist and holds a Certificate in Horticulture from the RHS.

After his first teaching post, Tim was appointed warden/farm manager of a very popular and successful farm study centre on the Isle of Wight. This educational farm attracted over 10,000 children a year with over 90 school groups visiting from the mainland.

Many teachers from inner city schools regarded the farm visit as the highlight of their week on the Island. The guided farm tour by Tim would be both interactive and educational, underscored with his unique brand of humour! For many children, it was a chance to experience life on a working farm, being able to get "hands-on" in a safe and secure environment. If time permitted, Tim would accept an invitation to help children with their follow up lessons in school and would often be asked to read during book and poetry weeks. He also helped some teachers with the design of their school garden area to include a pond and wildlife habitats.

Talk Shows

Tim's "Talk Shows" became popular a few years ago when schools were prevented from visiting the farm study centre due to the Foot and Mouth outbreak on the mainland.

Each show is presented at your hotel. All that is required is a power source and adequate space for the children to sit comfortably.

Tim will introduce himself and then engage his young audience with an interactive and educational presentation lasting about an hour making use of visual stimuli/props where appropriate.

Let's go....Farming (KS1/KS2)

Relax and enjoy a farm visit without all those nasty smells! No more soiled clothes or bitten fingers! It's here....the first ever "virtual" farm experience to be enjoyed without the need of a Risk Assessment! An interactive slide show/power point presentation discovering life down on the farm. Learn about land use, animal husbandry, food production and the environment....without leaving your seat!!

Let's go....Pond Dipping (KS1/KS2)

Practical exploration of life in a pond. This is what Creative Curriculum is all about! Learn about food chains and food webs as we dip into the deep to discover weird and wonderful creatures.

Let's go....Gardening (KS1)

Exploration of the school grounds to discover the diversity of plant life. To include a practical workshop on "How to grow your own food?"

Let's go....Eggsploring (KS1)

What on oeuf's that? Learn about eggs and how they can be transformed into a number of tasty dishes with the aid of "Gurney's mobile kitchen"? From omelettes to pancakes.....a workshop to make your mouth water.