Core Skills Analysis
Physical Education
- Lihan van der Merwe practiced body control and coordination by safely holding goats still while other students practiced injections, which required balance, steady posture, and careful movement.
- He developed hands-on motor skills through subcutaneous and intramuscular injection practice, showing controlled hand placement and precision during a farm-based task.
- Using his voice to call the goats helped Lihan strengthen physical communication skills, including projecting clearly and timing his voice to guide animal movement.
- Playing with the dogs on the farm added active, playful movement and likely supported confidence, agility, and comfort working around animals in an outdoor environment.
Science
- Lihan van der Merwe learned that animals receive different types of injections, and he saw that the method used can vary depending on the purpose of the treatment.
- He practiced subcutaneous and intramuscular injections, which introduces basic anatomy and shows that medicines are delivered to different layers or areas of the body for specific reasons.
- The farm session included learning why injections are done, connecting directly to animal health, disease prevention, and responsible care.
- From the biosecurity and disease-prevention topics in the schedule, Lihan was exposed to how farms protect animals from illness by following hygiene and safety procedures.
Social Studies
- Lihan van der Merwe participated in a farm-community learning setting, which shows he was part of a shared group experience where people learned, practiced, and supported one another.
- He helped other students by keeping the goats still, demonstrating cooperation, responsibility, and contribution to a team effort.
- The biosecurity and farm-tour parts of the program helped him understand how people organize work on a farm and follow rules to protect animals and the farm community.
- The Q&A and lunch-break structure in the schedule suggests Lihan experienced discussion, social interaction, and respectful participation in a learning community.
Tips
To extend Lihan van der Merwe’s learning, try turning the farm visit into a simple animal-care lesson plan. He could make a labeled diagram showing the difference between subcutaneous and intramuscular injections, then explain in his own words why each one is used. A second activity could be a role-play or pretend farm scenario where he practices giving clear voice commands to “move” toy goats, which would build confidence, communication, and recall. You could also create a biosecurity checklist together—things like clean hands, careful handling, and keeping animals calm—so he can connect what he saw on the farm to everyday responsible animal care. Finally, invite him to write or draw a short reflection about what it felt like to help other students and to work around the dogs and goats, which will strengthen memory, observation, and emotional awareness.
Book Recommendations
- Animal Anatomy Coloring Book by Kathy Joosten: A kid-friendly way to explore animal body parts and basic anatomy, connecting well to injection sites and animal care.
- Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White: A classic story that builds empathy for farm animals and helps students think about care, responsibility, and farm life.
- How to Speak Dog by Stanley Coren: An engaging book about understanding dogs’ behavior and communication, which fits Lihan’s enjoyment of the farm dogs.
Try This Next
- Create a worksheet: label the steps of a farm injection lesson and match each step to the correct purpose.
- Write 5 quiz questions about biosecurity, animal health, and the difference between subcutaneous and intramuscular injections.
- Draw a scene of Lihan helping keep a goat calm while another student practices an injection.
- Make a simple chart comparing what Lihan did with goats versus what he enjoyed doing with the dogs.