One pupil said this reporter was "silly" for suggesting hay was made at the supermarket like other food and drink is, but admitted she used to think grass grew into hay bales in paddocks without any human intervention.
It was only recently she learnt it was done by heavy machinery.
Silverstream School syndicate leader Dean Gordon said many of his pupils had gone past farms during the winter and saw hay being tossed out to animals, but they had no idea how it was made.
So for the past three months, the grass on the school’s back field has been allowed to grow at an alarming rate as part of an educational fundraising project aimed at showing the pupils how the grass was mowed, turned, dried, rowed and baled.
The project also showed them how the natural resource could be sold to make money for the school.
Mr Gordon said a local contractor had offered to turn the field’s thick, long grass into hay "for a very good price", and it was hoped more than $2000 could be raised by selling it to locals.
The money would be used to help buy new sports uniforms and build scooter/skateboard ramps for the children’s playground.
The pupils were loving the process, he said.
"The children now realise you make hay from the excess grass in the summer, so that in the winter the animals will have something to eat."
Mr Gordon said the pupils had not missed being able to use the field because they had plenty of field space in other parts of the school grounds.
It was hoped the hay would be ready for baling early next week — weather permitting.
