Farm Machinery Brainstorm
Before commencing this module we did a brainstorm of all the machinery that we could think of that we would find on a farm. The black machinery is all the machines that we thought up as a whole class. Then we added the red machinery – these are the machines that we did not think of but discussed as part of Module Three Discussion Sheets. We looked at all the machinery and discussed what job each machine is responsible for on the farm.
Machines Used Back In Time
As a whole class after brainstorming all the machines that we could think of that we would find on the farm we looked at how farm work was carried out back years ago – Horse Power. We looked at all the work that a horse would carry out on a farm as well as the safety concerns around using horses. We then looked at and compared the safety concerns farmers would have to deal with when machines were introduced to farms to replace horses.
Machines Farmers Use
We examined the machines that farmers use on their farms under two categories; Vehicles driven by farms and machinery powered by a tractor. We looked at all these vehicles and machinery, learned what each machine is responsible for and looked at what each machine looked like. We used the Module Three Discussion Sheets pages 2 and 3 when we were studying these machines. tractor-and-machine-safety-discussion-sheets
Module Three Worksheets – Monday, 21st March 2022
The children completed these worksheets based on Module Three. They looked at the picture of the tractor and identified the dangers in the picture. The children then completed the Cloze Procedure and the Word Search based on the topic of Farm Machinery. module-three-worksheets Here are some of the finished worksheets completed by the children in Third and Fourth Class!
Webinar – Wednesday, 23rd March 2022
On Wednesday, 23rd March 2022 we completed the Module Three – Tractor and Machine Safety Webinar at 11:15am. The children learned a lot from this Webinar as we had not covered all discussion topics prior to the webinar. The children will complete the quiz when we have finished the module.
Farm Safe Posters – Monday, 28th April 2022
The boys and girls in Third and Fourth Class have been working very hard on the Farm Safe Schools Programme. They have been busy creating and designing some Farm Safe Posters to promote safety on the farm. From looking at these posters you can see everything that the children have learned from the three modules here in these posters! Well done boys and girls. All the children in the class have created their own poster but here is a sample of the finished posters from the boys and girls! Aren’t they just amazing!
Tractor Brands Brainstorm – Tuesday, 5th April 2022
As a whole class we brainstormed the different makes of tractors that we could think of. All the black makes are the ones we thought up as a class and the red ones are the ones Mrs Crosby told us about!
Tractor Rules
We know that tractors play a huge part on farms nowadays. Farmers use them in a lot of the jobs that they have to carry out on the farm.
We examined the tractors blind spots – below the viewing area of the tractor and at the back of the tractor. We examined the poster “Know the Tractor Blind Spots” farm-safety-posters when discussing this topic. We then looked at a series of three pictures on the topic of Blind Spots and discussed what the farmer could see and what he might not be able to see.
What Age Are You?
We then looked at the law in Ireland to when children can travel in tractors;
Seat Belts – The Safety Zone
We discussed as a whole class why it is important to wear your seat belt when you travel in a car. The children in Third and Fourth Class know that is very important to wear your seat belt in any vehicle that they are travelling in. We looked at the poster “Remind the farmers to Buckle Up!” farm-safety-posters while we were discussing this topic.
S.T.O.P.I.T
We looked at the STOPIT rule and discussed each step as a whole class on how to safety stop and park a tractor when it is not in use.
Stop the tractor in a safe place.
Take up the hand break to prevent the tractor from rolling.
Take the tractor Out of gear and your feet Off the pedals.
Put the bucket, loader or fork down.
Turn off the Ignition.
Take out the keys.
Tractor Checklist
As a whole class we looked at the checklist that farmers must follow to look after their tractors to prevent bigger problems from arising. Checking the tractor inside and out is a very important job for the farmer.
As a whole class we the discussed what might happen if this checklist was not completed by the farmers and what it might mean for the tractor and the farmer.
PTO Safety
We recalled the video on the PTO Safety that we watched as part of the Module Three Webinar. We learned that PTO stands for Power Take Off and that this is the transfer of power from the running tractor to power an implement attached to the tractor. We looked at the poster “Remember Farmers must cover their PTO’s to avoid entanglement!” poster when we were discussing this topic.
Machinery Focus
Today we talked about Combine Harvesters and how harvesting is a very busy time on the farm for the farmer. We spoke about what job the combine harvester has on the farm. We looked at the different parts of a combine (header and hopper). Then we looked at when the hopper is full the grain is then unloaded into a trailer and the farmer, using a tractor, brings the grain off to a storage area on the farm until the farmer is ready to sell it or feed it to his animals. We spoke also about how they are dangerous machines to be around on the farm because of their large blades and cutting tools which a person could get trapped in.
We also spoke about trailers and loaders and that they are used on a farm for the transportation of goods, animals or other machines on and off the farm.
We also recapped on how we have to be very careful around all farm machinery and to remember that they all have blind. We learned that we should stay away from dangerous machines as the most serious accidents on farms involve tractors and farm machinery. We also learned that accidents can happen easily because they are often very noisy and the person using these machines may not know that there are people close by.
To end this topics we looked at the poster “Know where to play and where to stay away!!” to realise and reinforce that tractors and machinery are the number one danger on farms. farm-safety-posters
Quad Bikes
We discussed what jobs a quad bike would be used for on a farm. We identified that quad bikes are also known as ATV’s. When farmers have quad bikes on the farm they should pay attention to the following – Age (16+), Training, Visual Inspections and Safety Equipment. We looked at the picture on the discussion sheets and we identified all the safety gear that a farmer should wear and why they should wear certain safety gear while driving a quad (helmet, clothes that cover the arms and legs, gloves, boots, google or a visor and sunglasses).
We also learned during this topic that no passengers are permitted on a quad bike. They are for individual use only.
As part of the Webinar Quiz there was a section on Quad bikes and we paid close attention to labelling what Noel was wearing on the quad bike while also looking at the three photographs and had a whole class discussion about what was wrong and what was right about these pictures.
Spot the Dangers
As a whole class we looked at the “Spot the Dangers” poster for this module. The children all looked at the poster and we discussed all the dangers that we could see in this picture. module-three-spot-the-dangers
Webinar Quiz – Wednesday, 6th April 2022
On Wednesday, 6th April 2022 we completed the Module Three – Tractor and Machine Safety Quiz. Each child in Third and Fourth Class received a copy of the quiz and they worked away at answering the questions. webinar-quiz When the time given was up we spent some time discussion the questions and the answers. The boys and girls showed a great knowledge of what they had learned in this module. Well done to all the boys and girls in Third and Fourth Class.
