Eco-Mentor Training Manual · Web viewand shares the benefits of ecotourism with rural people. Understanding, care, and commitment are required to conserve Africa’s beautiful ...

ECO-MENTOR TRAINING

Name: _______________________________________________

“In the end, we will conserve only what we love. We will love only what we

understand. We will understand only what we are taught” Baba Dioum

Eco-Mentor Training

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CONTENTS

WELCOME..........................................................................................3THE BASICS OF CHILDREN IN THE WILDERNESS....................................3

1. WHAT IS CHILDREN IN THE WILDERNESS?....................................42. WHAT IS ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION?......................................43. OUR VISION................................................................................54. SPECIFIC AIMS OF CITW..............................................................55. HOW DOES OUR PROGRAMME WORK?..........................................6

5.1. ECO-MENTOR AND TEACHER TRAINING...................................65.2. ECO-CLUBS...........................................................................75.3. ANNUAL CAMPS....................................................................75.4. YOUTH ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP (YES) PROGRAMME....75.5. SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMME...................................................75.6. TERTIARY EDUCATION SCHOLARSHIPS....................................8

WHAT IS A VOLUNTEER?.....................................................................91. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A MENTOR?......................................92. WHY BECOME AN ECO-MENTOR?..................................................9

CITW TEACHING AND LEARNING STYLE...............................................12IMPORTANT TEACHING TECHNIQUES..................................................14

1. 10 TECHNIQUES FOR GETTING CHILDREN’S ATTENTION AND KEEPING IT!...................................................................................142. GROUP WORK IDEAS.................................................................153. ENERGISERS.............................................................................18

LESSON 6 – PRESERVING NATURAL RESOURCES..................................21LESSON 4 – USING A COMPASS..........................................................23LESSON 3 – WATERSHED...................................................................25LESSON 2 – ENDANGERED AND THREATENED ANIMALS.......................26LESSON 1 - PHOTOSYNTHESIS...........................................................27LESSON 7 – PROBLEM SOLVING.........................................................30LESSON 5- ENERGY EFFICIENT STOVES...............................................31REFERENCES FOR ECO-MENTORS.......................................................38

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WELCOME

Dear Eco-Mentors

A warm welcome to Children in the Wilderness (CITW) Eco-Mentor Training. We are delighted you have joined us again and we hope that you are enjoying your Mentoring role.

In order to run the CITW programme successfully and reach our aims and objectives, we rely on the dedication and commitment of all the people and organisations involved in the programme.

We believe volunteering means using your time to do something in the hope it will help make a difference, however small, to someone else’s life. We find that volunteers get an enormous sense of satisfaction and achievement through the CITW programme and also an awareness that you don’t need to be someone in power to make a difference. We hope that, through our children, we are able to positively touch and inspire many people in your community.

Your role as an Eco-Mentor is important, challenging and meaningful. Therefore, we would like to encourage you to actively participate in this workshop. We would also like to thank you for joining us.

Your involvement in our programme alone proves that you care about the children, the community and the environment. We hope you are finding working with CITW rewarding. You have a wonderful support system in the CITW Zambezi Team, and I am watching with great pride and interest as CITW Maramani grows and makes CITW its own.

Kind regards

________________________________________________

Lisa Witherden CITW Environmental Education Resource Developer

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THE

BASICS OF CHILDREN IN THE WILDERNESS

1. WHAT IS CHILDREN IN THE WILDERNESS?Children in the Wilderness (CITW) is a non-profit organisation supported by ecotourism company Wilderness Safaris. Wilderness Safaris helps conserve Africa’s spectacular biodiversity and shares the benefits of ecotourism with rural people.Understanding, care, and commitment are required to conserve Africa’s beautiful wilderness and wildlife areas. If we want to make sure that these places continue to exist – in this generation and those to come – we need the rural children of Africa to understand the importance of conservation to their lives. Our CITW programme is an environmental education and life skills educational programme for children, focusing on the next generation of decision-makers - inspiring them to care for their natural heritage and to become the custodians of these areas in the future.The focus of CITW is: To create motivated environmentalists to ensure that our wonderful natural

heritage is protected and all use is sustainable; To teach children life skills that they can use on a day to day basis.

We try to do this in a positive and fun way. All activities and lessons are carefully planned and have specific outcomes attached to them.

Note:It is important for everyone to understand that Children in the

Wilderness is an independently funded non-profit organisation that relies on donors to give us money to operate. Therefore, it is essential that at

all times we operate our programme with integrity (honesty/reliability/trustworthiness).

2. WHAT IS ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION?

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Environmental education is a process that allows children to explore environmental issues, take part in problem solving around these issues, and take action to improve their environment.

As a result, children develop a deeper understanding of environmental issues and have the skills to make informed and responsible decisions about how they interact with their environment.

The components of environmental education are: Being aware and sensitive to the environment and environmental issues. Knowledge and understanding of the environment and environmental issues. Attitudes of concern for the environment and motivation to look after and care for

the environment. Skills to notice and help solve environmental issues. Participation in activities that lead to solving environmental issues.

Environmental education supports critical thinking and it improves children’s problem-solving and decision-making skills.

3. OUR VISION

It is the vision of Children in the Wilderness to support sustainable conservation through leadership development and education of rural children in Africa. By showing children their natural heritage, CITW aims to create a network of learning sanctuaries that uplifts and cares for our children and conserves our planet. In this way, we hope to inspire the children to care for the environment so that they can become the custodians of these areas in the future.

4. SPECIFIC AIMS OF CITW To create leaders in conservation. Improve gender relations and promote gender equality. Support learning programmes at schools. Motivate children to commit to lifelong learning. Teach children about possible employment opportunities especially within the

ecotourism industry. Develop personal and social skills. Build self-esteem. Develop creativity and increase confidence. Develop positive role models in local schools and communities. Educate key and influential players, i.e. heads of schools, community leaders, and

teachers, on the importance of conservation, so that they too can spread the message and become spokespersons for CITW.

Provide a sense of hope and pride for a better future.

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5. HOW DOES OUR PROGRAMME WORK?

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5.1. ECO-MENTOR AND TEACHER TRAINING

Our Eco-Mentor Training aims to develop local community members, teachers, and Wilderness Safaris camp staff by upgrading skills in their environmental understanding and enabling them to better implement school and village environmental projects and initiatives. This project assists in addressing the critical teaching skills shortage in environmental education in Southern Africa.

Eco-Mentor training sessions include providing information on Children in the Wilderness, how to run Eco-Clubs, as well as focusing on the Children in the Wilderness Eco-Club resource book: how to use it; how to run the activities, and other important information. All training sessions are interactive and fun.

5.2. ECO-CLUBS

Our programme is built on a foundation of Eco-Clubs. These clubs are hosted by volunteer CITW Eco-Mentors and school teachers, and club sessions are usually held in a school classroom or the grounds of the school on designated afternoons.

It is a programme where environmentally conscious children with a common interest in the environment meet to learn, discuss, make friends, and have fun. We aim to involve children in projects that benefit the community while developing appreciation for their natural heritage.

It is at these clubs where we will be looking for children who are genuinely interested in nature, wildlife and the environment, and children who show leadership potential: all in keeping with the vision and values of the CITW programme.

5.3. ANNUAL CAMPS

A Wilderness Safaris, or partner, camp is closed for a few days each year, and 16-30 children between 10 and 17 years old are hosted in the camp for a three to five-day programme. The Camp Coordinator, with a full staff complement of volunteers and mentors, runs an educational and fun-filled programme.

On the camp the children participate in wildlife activities (game drives, nature walks and activities); they attend interactive workshops (on conservation, environmental management, the geography and geology of the area, culture, HIV/AIDS, nutrition, and the importance of wilderness areas to their communities and their country). They also learn the life skills and values necessary to one day become great leaders and great conservationists.

5.4. YOUTH ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP (YES) PROGRAMME

The Youth Environmental Stewardship (YES) Programme focuses on children with commitment and potential who have been identified on annual CITW camps and in Eco-Clubs as showing a particular interest in conservation and/or leadership potential.

The curriculum in the programme is an extension of concepts introduced in Eco-Clubs and on annual CITW camps, with a greater focus on career guidance, leadership, team

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building, communication, and further environmental education. The YES camps are usually smaller, with fewer children attending, allowing for focused work groups and increased participation of all children. The YES programme also allows the opportunity for mentors to spend more time with the children and identify candidates for the scholarship and internship programme.

5.5. SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMME

Through our Eco-Clubs, YES programme, and CITW Camp programme, we are able to identify children who are doing well academically but whose parents are unable to keep them in school. Our Scholarship Programme aims to provide these children with an opportunity to complete their schooling and to give them hope and inspiration for their future.

5.6. TERTIARY EDUCATION SCHOLARSHIPS

These scholarships are provided to CITW students who have been through our programme and are doing Environmental Education or Conservation courses at tertiary level institutions.

NOTES

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WHAT IS A VOLUNTEER?Volunteering is about giving your time to a good cause. As a volunteer, you don't get paid, but you do get the chance to use your talents, develop new skills, and experience the pleasure that comes from making a real difference to other people's lives, as well as your own.

1. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A MENTOR?A mentor is someone willing to spend his or her time and expertise to guide the development of another person. This means that we are role-models to the children and we are who they look up to and will try to be like.Remember that often we are working with children who do not have an adult in their lives as a role-model or a good example of what a child-adult relationship should be like. Therefore, in everything we do and say, we have to put the children first so that they can see what the appropriate behaviour in a situation would be. We need to keep this in mind even when we are talking to the other adults, as the children will also take these examples with them after CITW. We have a big responsibility and the children will remember you forever. Make these lasting impressions good ones.

2. WHY BECOME AN ECO-MENTOR?Becoming an Eco-Mentor is an opportunity for you to also learn and understand more about the environment while we provide you with skills to enable you to implement school and village environmental projects and initiatives. This way, you can be a leader of positive change in your community. As an Eco-Mentor, you are also a volunteer representative of CITW – the ‘important face’ of CITW to the children at school and in your community.

2.1. VALUES

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Values are the beliefs, feelings, and skills that guide people and leaders. Leadership values are important to introduce and teach as they reflect what you believe, and are reflected in everything you do. They also reflect ethical behaviour and choosing between what is right and wrong.Read the cartoon below:

1. Is the penguin showing ethical behaviour?

2. Is it right that the penguin stepped over the litter but was very happy to pick up the money?

This cartoon shows how our values and ethics can impact our behaviour.

If we want to be good role-models to our children, then we have to both teach and show them what good, ethical behaviour is.

There are many leadership values CITW focuses on in our programme. Here are a few of them:Respect – valuing and showing consideration for yourself, the community and the environment.

Perseverance – enduring and remaining strong when faced with complication, tragedy or resistance. Continuously striving to reach a goal. It is persistence.

Awareness – knowing and understanding yourself, other people and the environment.

Creativity – seeing and implementing solutions, ideas and initiatives.

Co-operation – working together, sharing resources selflessly, and effectively using your strength and experience to take meaningful action and contribute to a greater good.

Kindness – being helpful and considerate. Understanding of another’s situation, feelings, motives and actions.

Responsibility – making your own decisions and taking care of your duties and answering for your actions.

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Honesty – being open and sincere. Truthful.

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The most important thing to remember as an Eco-Mentor

The name of the game is learning, fun, and love! You will have a wonderful time. Just remember, this programme is for the children,

who will love it. If we mess up, miss a few things during an activity, or forget something DON’T WORRY!

With the right attitude, you can’t go wrong. The children will still have a great time, and the Eco-Clubs will make a lasting impression and

impact on their lives.

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CITW TEACHING AND LEARNING STYLE

INTENTIONAL PROGRAMMING/FLOW LEARNINGTM TECHNIQUEAll lesson plans, topics, and themes in the Eco-Club Resource Book have been designed around the four stages of the “Flow LearningTM” technique. As such, it is important that you know the theory behind the Flow LearningTM process – but don’t worry, we have already worked each of these stages into the lessons.

Flow Learning™ gives Eco-Mentors a simple, organised way to guide students into experiencing nature themselves. Through games that awaken the students’ curiosity and enthusiasm, learning becomes fun, immediate, and dynamic, instead of static and second-hand. The students come out with a real understanding of the natural world. A Flow LearningTM session begins with lively activities that get the students’ energy and enthusiasm going. The second set of activities challenge the students to focus their attention through their senses of touch, hearing, and sight. The third stage offers activities that encourage children to experience their natural surroundings. By becoming engaged in a part of nature, the children experience what it is like to be part of the natural world. Finally, the students gather and share the inspiration of their experiences.Stage 1 – Awaken Enthusiasm

This involves awakening enthusiasm. We start with a light, fun, physical activity. This builds on children's love of play. The benefits of this include:

Creates an atmosphere of enthusiasm. An energetic beginning gets everyone saying "Yes!". Develops full alertness, overcomes passivity. Creates involvement. Gets attention (minimises discipline problems). Develops a bond with the Eco-Mentor. Creates good group dynamics. Provides direction and structure. Prepares for later, more sensitive activities.

Stage 2 – Focus Attention

Once the participants’ enthusiasm has been awakened, the theoretical lesson can now be presented. This is where the actual content (facts and teaching) of the lesson is presented. The benefits of this include:

Increases attention span. Deepens awareness by focusing attention. Positively channels enthusiasm generated in Stage 1. Develops observational skills. Calms the mind. Develops interest for more experiences in nature.

Stage 3 – Direct Experience

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Once the theoretical lesson has been conducted, the main practical activity can be started. These can be assignments, investigations, experiments, group work activities, and so on. The benefits include:

People learn best by personal discovery. Gives direct, experiential understanding. Fosters wonder, empathy, and love. Develops personal commitment to ecological ideals.

We need to then take time to consider the intentions or goals of each activity. There are skills that are associated with every activity, for example running, tagging, and reacting quickly - these are called the Level I skills. Level II Skills are the skills associated with life - the skills that can help a child achieve some of the “Outcomes” that we are trying to reach. These include teamwork, decision-making, responding to adversity, and handling disagreements, etc. At the end of all activities, it is very important that you take the time with the children to reflect, discuss “the intention” and analyse if this outcome has been achieved. These should be included in the lesson plans / workbooks used to run Eco-Clubs.

Let’s use soccer as an exampleWhat are the Level I and Level II Skills involved in soccer?

Level I Skills Level II SkillsRunningPassing the ballPlaying Defence Dribbling the ball

CommunicationHandling disagreementsSeeing the ‘big picture’Sharing responsibility for success/failureTeamwork

Stage 4 – Share Inspiration

This stage allows the Eco-Mentor to review all activities in the lesson plan in order to see the children’s understanding of the subject, as well as to allow you to reinforce key issues and actions the children should take going forward. Benefits include:

Clarifies and strengthens personal experiences. Builds on uplifted mood. Introduces inspiring role models. Creates group bonding. Increases learning for everyone. Provides feedback for the leader. Eco-Mentor can share inspiration with their learners.

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IMPORTANT TEACHING TECHNIQUES

Eco-Clubs are designed to run in an interactive, fun way. This means that both the Eco-Mentors and the children take part in lessons. Eco-Mentors are not ‘teaching’ like you would in a normal classroom – standing at the front teaching facts, but rather teaching children through interactive games, discussions, and activities.

1. 10 TECHNIQUES FOR GETTING CHILDREN’S ATTENTION AND KEEPING IT!

One of the most important parts of successful Eco-Club sessions is getting a group of children’s attention and engaging them. First impressions do matter and the better we are at getting a group’s attention and sparking their interest, the better chance we have of keeping it! These are some techniques for starting your activity on the right note.

1. Learn their names

Two things happen when you call a child’s name. First, they feel cared for. Only someone who cares about them would take the time to learn their name. Second, they pay attention. There is a big difference in how someone pays attention when they hear “Hey Thabo” instead of “Hey You.” Eco-Mentor Challenge: when you meet a new group, see how fast you can learn everyone’s name.

2. Tell them what is in it for them

Unfortunately, many children don’t engage with our activities and don’t pay attention because they are used to expecting anything that an adult does to be boring or not relevant to them. At the very beginning, tell them exactly what they can expect and why you think it is worth it for them to pay attention to you. Tell them it’s going to be fun, tell them they will learn something totally new, tell them that what you have planned is NOT boring and that they are going to be actively involved.

3. Just start doing it

If you are playing a game or teaching a lesson, just start by doing it. Take out the soccer ball and start passing it to the children. If you are planting trees or cleaning up garbage, start to do it. Remember, children like to play and to be involved. And many children are more comfortable doing things than they are talking. There are often situations when we spend time explaining what we are doing when we could just jump in and start doing it!

4. Start with a surprise

Children expect adults to behave in a certain way. And when it comes to activities and lessons, they also have certain expectations about how things like this start. Change things up and think about what you could do at the very beginning that might surprise them. If it’s unexpected, they will pay attention. You’ll also spark their curiosity.

5. Use props

This builds on the “Start with a Surprise” technique. Sometimes there is no better way to get a child’s attention than to wear something totally unexpected and fun, or to have some object as part of your lesson. Everyone wonders what “IT” is for or they laugh and wonder why you are wearing such a funny hat or shoes. 6. Ask a question

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When we start with a question we accomplish several important things. First, we show the children that we value their opinion and that they are going to need to participate and think in your activity. Second, we encourage participation and attention, since everyone is going to be thinking of what to say if they have to answer the question.

7. Ask for help

Plan to start your activity or lesson with something that you cannot do by yourself. This could be lifting something or setting up the game. The children won’t know exactly what it is they are helping with but they will be much more curious about what it is now that you’ve got them helping.

8. Get a Volunteer

Children, especially teens, pay more attention when it’s one of their peers involved. If there is something that you can do at the beginning of the lesson or activity that requires a volunteer, try it. At the very least, you’ll have at least one person’s (the volunteer’s) full attention!

9. Use Sound or Action Instead Of Words

Children are used to adults talking. When we use sounds or actions instead of words they often pay more attention. One of the best sound-action techniques for getting a large group’s attention is to ask the group (in a soft voice), “If you can hear my voice clap 3 times.” A few of the children in the front row will respond. Then ask it again, changing the number of claps. This time, more children will respond. After a few more times and pretty soon you have everyone clapping, AND paying attention to what you have to say next.

10. Make them laugh

Do you have an appropriate and funny joke? Is there a story or skit you can do that might make them laugh? Laughter relaxes people. It actually helps them be more open-minded which make them more likely to pay attention and be curious.

2. GROUP WORK IDEASYou will notice that many activities in the Eco-Club Resource Book require children working in groups. Try and encourage children to work with other children, and not just stick to their friends. It is important to learn with many different people.

Here are two different techniques that you can use to manage group work activities and ensure children are working productively.

1. Think – Pair – Share

Good for activities where children are asked to answer a question or problem solve.

The Eco-Mentor asks the children a question. Children are given time (30 seconds to one minute) to think of a response by themselves. Each child then pairs with another and both discuss their responses to the question. The Eco-Mentor invites pairs to share their responses with the group as a whole.

2. Roundtable

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Good for activities with a large group, and activities that require debate and problem solving.

Divide the large group into smaller groups of four or five. Learners sit in a circle and respond in turn to a question or problem by giving their ideas aloud as they write them on paper. The conversation can go around the circle, each student in turn, more than once if time allows. After the roundtable, each group discusses and summarises the ideas they came up with and reports back to the whole group.3. Listening and Talking in Threes

Good for activities that involve debate and problem solving.

Working in threes, each pupil takes it in turn to be the talker, questioner, or recorder. The talker explains something, comments on an issue or expresses their opinions. The questioner asks the talker questions and seeks clarification. The recorder makes notes and gives a summary report at the end of the conversation. The group of three can then summarise their notes together at the end to present back to the whole group. 4. The Dung Beetle

Good for activities that require creative thinking and problem solving.

By involving pupils in a build up towards a full group discussion, this activity encourages everyone, including pupils who are normally shy to speak. First, children come up with their own ideas, then share them with a partner, and finally in a larger group. This process ensures that everyone’s views are represented. Here is an example of how you can do this:

On your own Write down as many ideas that you can think of.As a pair Compare your lists.As a group of four Select what you consider to be the two most important ideas.As a group of eight

Select the two most important ideas, and give reasons for your final choice.

5. Inside-outside circles

Good for activities that require discussion and problem solving. Also excellent for sharing information and thoughts.

The children are divided into two groups - one group makes an inner circle and the other group makes an outer circle. The children in the inner circle and the outer circle face each other to form pairs. The children take turns to report their information, or share an idea with their partner. At the end of a set period of time, the children are asked to move (for example, the children in the outer circle move two places to the left), thus creating new pairs. The children now share their information with a new partner.6. Two minute recap

Good activity to use at the end of a lesson.

At the end of a lesson, ask the children to turn to a partner and tell them as much as they can remember about the lesson in two minutes. The teacher times the activity, and after two minutes, signals it is time to change roles. The second person now takes two minutes to tell as much as they can remember about the lesson.7. Two minute papers

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Good activity to use at the end of a lesson.

Give the children two minutes to summarise the most important points that they have learned in the lesson. Alternatively, they could write about their favourite part of the lesson. Then, using a ‘turn-pair-share’ strategy, they turn to a partner, read their paper, and answer any questions. Roles are then reversed.8. Doodle it!

Good activity to use at the end of a lesson.

At the end of a lesson, the Eco-Mentor asks the children to draw their response to the lesson. After a short period of time, the class is divided into pairs, threes, or fours. Each child shows their drawing to the other children, and explains the illustration.9. Question and answer pairs

Good activity to use at the end of a lesson.

When the lesson is finished, the children divide into pairs. Each takes a minute to think of a question, based on the lesson they have just had. The aim is to try to ‘stump’ the other, by asking tricky questions about what they learned. Then the roles are reversed.

10.Pass the paper

Good activity to use at the end of a lesson.

At the end of a lesson, each child gets a piece of blank paper, and writes their name on top. They then write one thing that they learned during the lesson. After one minute, the paper is passed to the person on the right, who writes an additional fact from the lesson. After one minute, the paper is again passed to the right. The paper is passed a number of times, depending on time, and the ability of the children. Finally, each piece of paper is returned to the original owner, and it serves as a mini-review of the lesson.11.Muddiest point

Good activity to use at the end of a lesson.

Following a lesson, the children discuss what they have learned in groups of two or three or four. Each group chooses a ‘muddy point’ - in other words, they identify something that they are still not clear about, and they write this on a piece of paper. This should be given to the Eco-Mentor and they stick it on a wall, or keep them safe somewhere. This also serves as an excellent assessment tool for the Eco-Mentor – to assess the lesson itself, and to learn where children are battling with a task. Eco-Mentors should use the children’s muddiest point notes, and answer the questions they have. Ideally, this should be done on the same day as the lesson to ensure that children leave having understood the lesson.

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3. ENERGISERS By the time Eco-Club children get to your Eco-Club, they have already had a full day of school. They might feel tired and restless. It might be a good idea to start off your Eco-Club with an energiser to get their energy levels up, and get them excited for their lesson!

Name: Elephant, Lion, SpringbokObjective: Children will try guess their partner’s character.Materials: NoneProcedure: Teach the children how to act out each of the three characters. As you teach each character, have the group enthusiastically repeat back the character name and the motions that go with it.

1. Elephants: use your arm to make a trunk, and shout out ‘Elephants!’

2. Lions: Use your hands to make a mane, while you make your face look as though you are growling like a lion. Shout ‘Lion!’

3. Springbok: Spring up and down like a springbok and shout ‘Springbok!’

4. Ask the group to get into pairs (you can use mingle, mingle, mingle to do this). With their backs to one another, after the count of 3 they must jump around facing their partner doing one of the characters actions. The aim is to communicate with their actions to guess which character you partner is thinking of.Variations: You can change the characters to be any other animals that are easy to assign an action to (for example, cheetah, zebra, tortoise, fish, bird). Could even try guide, poacher, rhino.

Name: Mingle Mingle Mingle Objective: To form as many small groups as possible.Materials: NoneProcedure:

1. Everyone walks around mingling and saying hello to each other, shaking hands, etc. Saying ‘mingle mingle mingle’

2. The leader will then yell a number and everyone has to try and form a group of that number. This is a good way of dividing the kids randomly if you need small groups such as pairs/ threes for any activities to make the kids work with new people and to stop others feeling left out.

Concerns: Remind children that sometimes there will be leftovers and that’s okay, it doesn’t mean that you lost.

Name: Elephant, Giraffe, ToasterObjective: Children have to think and perform the relevant actions.Materials: NoneProcedure:

1. 1. Children are in a circle. 2. The facilitator will use a group of 3 to

demonstrate the positions:Elephant: The middle person does a trunk action with their hand. The people of the outside do the ears with their outside arms.Giraffe: The middle person puts their arms and hands up like the neck and head of the giraffe. The children on the outside put their outside legs out.Toaster: The middle person is the toast and jumps up and down. The children on the sides hold hands around the toast.

3. 2. When the facilitator in the middle of the circle points to one child they will shout out: “Elephant”, “Giraffe”, or “Toaster”.

4. This child becomes the middle of the animal or the toaster with the people on

Name: Let Me See Your AeroplaneObjective: Children sing and dance.Materials: NoneProcedure: 1. In a circle one child starts by singing: “Let me see your aeroplane”Everyone replies: “What did you say?”Child: “I said let me see your aeroplane”Everyone: “What you say?”Child: “I said let me see you aeroplane”

2. Everyone dances like an aeroplane singing: “Oh ah ah ah oh ah ah ah oh”

The song continues with the next child volunteering a verse such as: “Let me see your crocodile, frog, monkey, rhino, elephant, etc.”

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either side becoming the sides of the animal or the toaster.

3. The commands will get faster and faster as the children get better and better.

Name: Impala , Impala, CheetahObjective: Children chase each other.Materials: NoneProcedure:

1. 1. Everyone sits in a circle. 2. One person is walking around the outside

of the circle. This person taps heads as they pass saying, impala, impala, impala….

3. 2. If they say ‘Cheetah!’ the person who has been tapped and called ‘cheetah’ jumps up and chases them.

4. 3. If the person who is being chased gets to the space left open by the ‘Cheetah’ they sit down and the Cheetah starts tapping heads instead, carrying on from where they were sitting originally.

5. 4. If the original person is tagged by the ‘Cheetah’ before they reach the space they must carry on tapping heads and choose a new ‘Cheetah’.

Concerns: Make sure there are no obstacles around the circle. Dust can also be a problem for slipping!

Name: Hi Five Objective: Children will be in pairs. They will have to listen and follow instructions.Materials: Open spaceProcedure: 1. Have two people to demonstrate the

actions before each go. 2. In their pairs, partners stand facing

each other. They must take ten steps back from each other, so that when the facilitator says ‘go’ they run into the middle to carry out the instruction given.

3. The demonstrators are in the middle. They say, ‘When I say go, you and your partner are going to run into the middle and give a ‘hi five’ with your right hand and then go back to your spot.’

4. The second time, the demonstrators say, ‘When I say go, you and your partner will run to the middle and give a ‘hi five’ with your right hand and then your left hand and then go back to your spot.’

5. This continues: Right hand, left hand, right foot, left foot, over the head, behind your back, between the legs, in push up position, (with your hands on the ground and stomach up) right foot, (with your hands on the ground and stomach up) left foot, and finally, shake hands.

Remember that they have to do each one every time. It wears the kids out because it is a lot of running but it’s silly and fun.Concerns: It helps if you have a level space. Try and play out of the dust.

Name: People to PeopleObjective: Kids will move around from person to person and listen to instructions.Materials: NoneProcedure: 1. Facilitator tells the children that when

they yell ‘People to People’ they must quickly find a partner.

2. Once everyone has a partner the facilitator will yell out various body parts like, knee to knee, foot to foot, etc. When the body part is yelled out everyone quickly matches their body part with their partners.

3. After you do a few body parts the facilitator yells, ‘And People to People’ at which time everyone changes partners and you start over.

Name: Simon saysObjective: Children need to listen to instructions.Materials: NoneProcedure:1. One person is ‘Simon’, the others are the

players. 2. Standing in front of the group, Simon tells

players what they must do. However, the players must only obey commands that begin with the words "Simon Says."

3. If Simon says, "Simon says touch your nose," then players must touch their nose. But, if Simon simply says, "jump," without first saying "Simon says," players must not jump.

4. Children that do what Simon says when they shouldn’t, must stand out of the game. They can re-join after a few rounds

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Concerns: Make sure that you don’t yell body parts that are inappropriate (like chest to chest, mouth to mouth, and so on)

of Simon calling out instructions so they don’t miss out on the fun.

Name: River / bankObjective: Children to concentrate on listening to instructions to decide which side of the line they should be.Materials: NoneProcedure: 1. In the middle of the open space in

which you’ll play, draw a long line in the sand (or use string to make a marker).

2. The left side of the line is the river bank, and the right side of the line is the river.

3. The children start off standing on the ‘riverbank’ along the line that divides the river from the bank.

4. The facilitator will then call out either river, or bank. The children have to jump over the line, to the side that the facilitator has called out.

5. The facilitators will speed up the instructions, and try and catch children out.

6. If they are on the wrong side, children are ‘out’.

Name: Trick ClapObjective: Children to concentrate on waiting for the right moment to clap.Materials: NoneProcedure: 1. The facilitator holds one hand high in the air and the other one next to their sides.

2. They explain to the group that whenever the facilitator’s hands pass each other moving up or down, the group is to clap. Try this a couple of times slowly to give the group a chance to try it out. They must clap as the hands pass each other.

3. Start mixing in some tricks where the hands look like they are going to pass each other but do not.

4. It is good to end with the hands passing each other often and quickly creating an applause sound from the group.

There are many more energisers you can play with your Eco-Club Children. You might know of songs that have actions, or traditional games that will get them moving and energised. There are also a few links in the reference section that you can use to research other energising games.

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LESSON 6 – PRESERVING NATURAL RESOURCES

Many people fear that humans are destroying the world’s natural resources. Clearing land for farming and building wipes out forests and the animals that live there. Cars and factories use huge amounts of oil every day. They also release poisonous chemicals that pollute the air, water, and soil. Many people are working to conserve, or protect, natural resources. HOW TO PRESERVE AND PROTECT OUR NATURAL RESOURCES

We need natural resources

We use plants for food, clothing, and many other uses. We use trees to make paper products, but we also harvest wood for building materials and to make furniture. We use animals like cattle for food and dairy products, but we also rely on them for leather. We use rocks and minerals to make a variety of materials, including glass, metal, and ceramics. We convert fossil fuels into energy to power and heat our homes, and fuel modes of transportation, including planes, buses, boats, and cars. We also use petroleum (petrol), a fossil fuel, to make a variety of materials, including plastics, and fuel for our cars.

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WHAT ARE NATURAL RESOURCES?

A natural resource is something that is found in nature and can be used by people. Earth’s natural resources include light, air, water, plants, animals, soil, stone, minerals, and fossil fuels. People need some natural resources to stay alive. They use others to make their lives better. RENEWABLE RESOURCES

Many of the natural resources people need to survive are renewable. Renewable resources—such as sunlight, water, and air—cannot be used up. However, pollution can make them harder to use.Plants and animals are also renewable resources. Normally living things replace themselves through reproduction (making more of themselves). For example, many crops are renewable natural resources. After they are harvested, more seeds can be planted and grown. Wind power is a renewable resource that has been used for thousands of years to pump water, irrigate crops, and also to sail boats.However, human activities such as hunting, logging, building, and polluting can cause whole groups of living things to disappear forever.NON-RENEWABLE RESOURCES

Non-living things make up another kind of natural resource. These resources, such as soil, stone, oil, and gases, can take thousands or millions of years to form. They are considered non-renewable because people use them faster than they can form.Fossil fuels are formed in the Earth from the remains of plants and animals. It takes millions and millions of years for fossil fuels to form, so they are non-renewable natural resources.DISAPPEARING RESOURCES

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Our dependence on natural resources is creating many problems in the environment, including pollution and the loss of habitat for plants and animals. Collecting and burning fossil fuels for energy can damage the environment, polluting air, water, and land.

How we can preserve and protect our natural resources

Natural resources take time to replace, so it is important that we use them wisely. We can preserve, protect, and conserve our natural resources by:

Using water wisely – only take what you need to use; reuse your grey water for watering your plants.

Turning off taps when we do not need running water; Fixing leaky pipes. We can REDUCE, REUSE and RECYCLE glass, metal, paper, and plastic to

conserve and protect our natural resources. We can reduce the amount of fossil fuels we use by turning off lights and

appliances when we do not need them. We can build and use energy efficient stoves to minimise the amount of fuel

(wood, charcoal, etc.) we need to cook etc.

NOTES

WORD BANKDependence - the state of relying on or being controlled by someone or something elseGeometric - characterised by or decorated with regular lines and shapes.Grey Water - any domestic wastewater produced, excluding sewage.Habitat - the natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism.Harvest - the process or period of gathering in crops.Logging - cutting down and preparing the trees into timber.Natural Resource - materials or substances occurring in nature.Non-Living - not having, characterised by, or marked by life; not alive or living.Plait - a single length of hair, straw, rope, or other material made up of three or more interlaced strands.Reduce - to make something smaller.

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Renewable Resources - a resource which can be used repeatedly and replaced naturally.Reproduction - process of having babies, producing young, or producing new plants.Texture - the way that it feels when you touch it.

LESSON 4 – USING A COMPASS

Looking at the face of the compass you will see this red and black arrow. That is called the compass needle. The red part of the needle is always pointing towards the Earth's magnetic North pole. If you want to know where North is you need only to remember this fact.

There is a round, turn able part on your compass. That is called the Compass Housing. On the edge of the compass housing, you will see a scale starting at 0 and going to 360. Those are the degrees or the bearing.

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You will also see the letters N, E, S and W for North, East, South, and West. If you want to go in a direction between two of these, you would combine them. If you would like to go in a direction just between North and West, you simply say: "I would like to go north-west ".

For example, if you would like to go north-west, find out where on the compass housing north-west is. Then you turn the compass housing so that north-west on the housing comes exactly there where the large direction of travel-arrow meets the housing.

Hold the compass flat and level in your hand. Then turn yourself, your hand, and the entire compass, making sure that the compass housing doesn't turn. Turn it until the compass needle is aligned with the lines inside the compass housing.

It is important that the red, north part of the compass needle points at north in the compass housing. If south points at north, you would walk off in the exact opposite direction of what you want. This is a very common mistake among beginners. So always take a second look to make sure you did it right!

A second problem might be local magnetic attractions. If you are carrying something of iron or a similar material, it might disturb the arrow. Even a staple in your map might be a problem. Make sure there is nothing of the sort around.

When you are sure that you've got it right, walk off in the direction that the travel-arrow is pointing. To avoid getting off the course, make sure to look at the compass quite frequently: about every hundred metres. Once you have the direction, aim on a point in the distance and go there. This strategy will get more important when you use a map.

NOTES

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LESSON 3 – WATERSHED

A watershed is all of the land that drains into the same location or body of water. People tend to think only of big water bodies, such as rivers, lakes, and wetlands as being part of a watershed. However, any land, whether it is park, farm, forest, school grounds, even the soil we build our homes on, is also included in the watershed. Think of a watershed as a funnel, collecting all the water within a specific area and draining into the nearest body of water.

NOTES

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LESSON 2 – ENDANGERED AND THREATENED

ANIMALSNOTES

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LESSON 1 - PHOTOSYNTHESIS

PHOTOSYNTHESIS

Photosynthesis pronounced foto-sin-tha-sis. The word photosynthesis can be separated to make two smaller words:

“photo” which means light. “synthesis” which means putting together.

Photosynthesis is the process by which plants make their own food. We will add more details to this definition after making a few things clear as you will see below.WHAT IS NEEDED FOR PHOTOSYNTHESIS?

To make food, plants need not just one but all of the following: Carbon Dioxide Water SunlightLet’s take a look at how these are collected by plants: Carbon dioxide from the air passes through small pores

(tiny holes) in the leaves. These pores are called stomata. Water is absorbed (taken in) by the roots and passes

through vessels in the stem on its way to the leaves. Sunlight is absorbed by a green chemical in the leaves.WHAT HAPPENS DURING PHOTOSYNTHESIS?

The photosynthesis process takes place in the leaves of plants. The leaves are made up of very small cells. Inside these cells are tiny structures called chloroplasts. Each chloroplast contains a green chemical called chlorophyll which gives leaves their green colour. Chlorophyll absorbs the sun’s energy. It is this energy that is used to split water molecules (which are represented by the

chemical formula H2O – hydrogen and oxygen molecules) into hydrogen and oxygen. Oxygen is released from the leaves into the atmosphere. Hydrogen and carbon dioxide are used to form glucose or food for plants.Some of the glucose is used to provide energy for the growth and development of plants, while the rest is stored in leaves, roots, or fruits for later use by plants.WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED SO FAR?

You already know that plants need carbon dioxide, water, and sunlight to make their food. You also know that the food they make is called glucose. In addition to glucose, plants also produce oxygen. This information can be written in a word equation as shown below.

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Now back to the definition… Earlier you learned that photosynthesis is the process by which plants make their own food. Now that we know what plants need to make food, we can add that information: Photosynthesis is the process by which plants make their own food using carbon dioxide, water and sunlight.

WHAT DOES PHOTOSYNTHESIS PRODUCE?

Photosynthesis is important because it provides two main things: Food OxygenFood

Some of the glucose that plants produce during photosynthesis is stored in fruits and roots. This is why we are able to eat carrots, potatoes, apples, water melons and all the many other types of delicious fruit out there. These foods provide energy for humans and animals.

Oxygen

Oxygen that is produced during photosynthesis is released into the atmosphere. This oxygen is what we breathe and we cannot live without it.

Photosynthesis is also responsible for balancing oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. Plants absorb carbon dioxide from the air and release oxygen during the process of photosynthesis.

While it is important that photosynthesis provides food and oxygen, its importance in our daily lives is far greater. Photosynthesis is so essential to life on earth that most living organisms, including humans, cannot survive without it.All of our energy for growth, development, and physical activity comes from eating food from plants and animals. Animals obtain energy from eating plants. Plants obtain energy from glucose made during photosynthesis.Our major sources of energy such as natural gas, coal, and oil were made millions of years ago from the remains of dead plants and animals which we already know got their energy from photosynthesis.

NOTES

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NOTES

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LESSON 7 – PROBLEM SOLVING

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NOTES

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LESSON 5- ENERGY EFFICIENT STOVES3 STONE FIRE:

16 BRICK FIRE:

3 CAN STOVE:

3 Stone Fire Results

Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average [ave = (trial1+trial2+trial3) / 3]

Time to boil(in seconds)

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ObservationAmount of wood remaining (in grams)% of wood remaining

16 Brick Stove Results

Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average [ave = (trial1+trial2+trial3) / 3]

Time to boil(in seconds)ObservationsAmount of wood remaining (in grams)% of wood remaining

3 Can Stove Results

Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average [ave = (trial1+trial2+trial3) / 3]

Time to boil(in seconds)ObservationsAmount of wood remaining (in grams)% of wood remaining

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NOTES

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NOTES

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REFERENCES FOR ECO-MENTORS

Use the links below to help you prepare for your lessons. You can read up on information, or get ideas on how to expand your children’s knowledge on certain topics.

GENERAL RESOURCES

http://www.wessa.org.za/resources/publications.htm http://eco-schools.org.uk/ http://jointhepod.org/resources http://www.resourcesmartschools.vic.gov.au/ http://www.dec.ny.gov/education/100637.html https://www.ewt.org.za/links.html http://www.ifaw.org/africa/our-work/education/art-for-elephants http://www.ngkids.co.za/ http://nadeet.org/bush-telegraph-series https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/ http://www.coolaustralia.org/curriculum-materials/#body-wrapper https://www.ecoliteracy.org/ https://www.snowleopard.org/ http://www.dec.ny.gov/education/100637.html https://www.ewt.org.za/links.html http://www.ngkids.co.za/ http://nadeet.org/bush-telegraph-series

READING RESOURCE – SHORT STORIES / TRADITIONAL STORIES

http://www.africanstorybook.org/ RENEWABLE ENERGY

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renewable_energy#Solar_energy http://stem-works.com/subjects/2-wind-energy/activities/562 http://stem-works.com/external/activity/199 http://stem-works.com/external/activity/187 http://stem-works.com/external/activity/20 https://sciencewithmsbarton.wordpress.com/tag/energy-resources/ http://www.cleanlineenergy.com/sites/cleanline/media/resources/students/

renewable/Wind_Energy_Around_Your_Home_Experiment.pdf CLIMATE CHANGE

http://climatekids.nasa.gov/climate-change-meaning/ http://climatekids.nasa.gov/greenhouse-effect/ https://www.ran.org/how_many_trees_are_cut_down_every_year https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/nov/29/planting-trees-climate-

change https://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/infd-869ga8 https://www.arborday.org/trees/climatechange/treeshelp.cfm ALIEN AND INVASIVE SPECIES

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https://www.cbd.int/idb/2009/about/what/ TREES AND THEIR ADAPTATIONS

http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/msese/earthsysflr/savannahP.html http://thebiomesavanna.weebly.com/unique-plant-adaptations.html UNDERSTANDING WEATHER

http://www.weatherwizkids.com/weather-temperature.htm http://celebrating200years.noaa.gov/edufun/book/BuildyourownWeatherStation.pdf WETLANDS

http://www.worldwildlife.org/habitats/wetlands http://www.wwf.org.za/what_we_do/freshwater/mwp/index.cfm OCEANS

http://beyondpenguins.ehe.osu.edu/issue/polar-oceans/hands-on-lessons-and- activities-about-oceans

http://www.ngkids.co.za/science-and-nature/water-cycle http://www.ngkids.co.za/science-and-nature/Ocean-Facts MILKY WAY

http://study.com/academy/lesson/milky-way-facts-lesson-for-kids.html ENERGISERS

http://pyeglobal.org/workshop-activities-energizers/ https://www.bookwidgets.com/blog/2016/10/15-fun-classroom-energizers-for-students GROUP WORK

http://gsi.berkeley.edu/gsi-guide-contents/discussion-intro/group-techniques/ http://www.belb.org.uk/Downloads/

i_epd_promoting_and_managing_collaborative_group_work_may14.pdf http://www.pdst.ie/sites/default/files/Session%203%20-%20PS%20Co%20-%20Op

%20%EF%80%A2%20Group%20Work.pdf

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Created by: Lisa Witherden