Pupils connect with nature at Kloofendal
KLOOFENDAL - Pupils spend the morning exploring and learning about nature at Kloofendal.
A group of pupils from a school in the Eastern Cape Province explored the wonders of Kloofendal Nature Reserve on 8 October when Friends of Kloofendal (Frok) entertained them.
Frok members Karin Spottiswoode and Diana Steward gave the pupils a guided tour through the reserve.
“This is basically a nature adventure walk,” explained Spottiswoode. She highlighted that pupils were in charge of the walk and that they let them explore and discover different things related to nature. “The walk also exposes children to bio-diversity and helps them to learn more about how nature keeps things in balance.”
Principal of Nkwezana Primary School said the walk was very informative and she loved the fact that some of the things they learned about were part of the school’s curriculum. “In the syllabus of natural science we have ‘Life and Living’ which deals with animals and plants and how they interrelate, so this was very important for our pupils to physical see and learn about it.”
She also mentioned that there are no wetlands in their area and was delighted that the pupils managed to see and experiment with the wetlands at Kloofendal.
Spottiswoode said all their school tours were curriculum based. “Depending on what the teachers want pupils to learn, we always ensure that our tours benefit the pupils’ education.”
“We have a variety of topics to cover, including insect life in the leaves, ecology and medicinal plants,” explained Spottiswoode.
One of the pupils, Simamkele Faltein, said she had learned a lot about plants. “I didn’t know that a thorn tree can be eaten. Today I learned that you can make spinach with this tree.”
Details: Friends of Kloofendal www.kloofendalfriends.org.za or 079 693 5608.
