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"Growing people for green environments"
For the Learners
The schools programme offers a wide range of fun-filled Environmental Education activities. These activities encourage learners to discover their environment and in the process learn more about indigenous plants and ecology. The practical, hands-on approach lends itself to the development of skills associated with careful observation, recording and analysis of data.
Our programmes are structured according to the Outcomes-based model and integrate environment across all learning areas. Our approach furthermore emphasises education for sustainability and encourages learners to take responsibility for the environment.
Programme Details
Programmes are available in English and Afrikaans. The programmes listed below are currently on offer at the Pretoria National Botanical Garden. Bookings are essential.
Grade 1-3:
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Field Investigation: Identification, recording and classification of living and non-living organisms in a 1m² plot.
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Sensory Activities: Games and activities encouraging the use of the senses. A variety of themes can be explored e.g.autumn, seasons, colours, flowers, plants.
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Sticky Cards: A guided walk using sticky cards to document aspects of the walk. They are also used to structure an oral report-back session. A variety of themes can be explored e.g.autumn, seasons, colours, flowers, plants, textures.
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Trees I touched: Get to know trees using your senses! Trees are the central theme on which a range of activities are based.
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Water is Life: A look at life in a pond and other water related activities.
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Grade 4-8
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Field Investigation: A study of a sample plot to identify, record and classify the living and non-living components within the plot.
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Vegetation Types: An elementary comparison of vegetation in forest, desert, fynbos and grasslands areas.
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Life in the Leaves: A study of leaf litter and the ecology of the organisms that live in it.
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Food Chains and Food Webs: A practical look at food chains and food webs. Classification of herbivores, carnivores and omnivores.
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Plant Adaptations: A practical look at plant adaptations in the forest and semi-desert areas.
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Grassland Life: A closer look at the general ecology of the organisms that live in the grassland.
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Trees I Touched: Trees are the central theme on which a range of activities are based.
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Seeds: A game introduces seed germination and everyday uses of seeds. Learners explore the importance of seeds to people past and present through cultural activities.
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Traditional Plant Uses: Our medicinal garden provides an ideal place to identify medicinal plants and their traditional and cultural uses.
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Water is Life: A look at life in a pond and other water related activities.
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Weird and Wonderful: Learners are taxonomists, exploring and classifying a variety of plants with a focus on algae, mosses, ferns and fungi.
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Combination activities:
The following activities can be combined with one of the programmes above.
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Up Close: Vocabulary and creative writing. Write a cinquain to describe a scene or object in the Garden.
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Window on your World: A discussion activity looking at the natural as well as the urban environment.
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Grade 8-12:
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Plant Adaptations: A comparison of the adaptations of plants in the Mountain Forest and semi-desert areas.
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Water Relationships in Plants: A comparison of the water relationships in plants from the Mountain Forest and semi-desert areas.
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Grassland Ecology: A sample plot and line transect are used to identify, record and classify biotic and abiotic components.
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Diversity of Plants: The garden becomes a walk through time and space for learners to review the plant kingdom and the way in which plants are classified.
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Ecotourism: Explore the Pretoria Garden as a destination for tourists.
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Combination activities:
The following activities can be combined with some of the programmes above.
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Plant tissues: Practical identification of plant tissues, based on morphology. (Programme 1 & 2)
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Garden design: Use your knowledge of plant adaptations to plan a garden. (Programme 1 & 2)
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Why sustainable?: Making decisions for sustainable development. (Programme 1,2, 3, 5)
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