HOLIDAY PROGRAMME DECEMBER 2012

December is just around the corner...

Worried about keeping your children busy during the December School Holidays? Concerned about them watching television or being unsupervised and bored? Well, this could be the answer.

We have developed a two day, fun filled, educational and environmentally focused programme aimed at school children from the ages of 10 to 15. Let them spend 2 days learning about saving the planet, understanding and interacting with cheetah, tracking, documenting and casting spoor, attracting and identifying insects, differentiating alien from indigenous vegetation, turning waste into crafts and making paper from recycled paper and other material.

Please note, this is not a residential programme. It will run from 09h30 to 15h30 daily. Book early as space is limited. A maximum of 20 children can be accommodated per programme.

PROGRAMME DATES: December 2012 and January 2013.

Programme 1

DAY ONE includes: Presentation about

Cheetahs, Spoor identification and making

spoor casts, Hungry Ants activity, recycled paper mix, recycled craft

DAY TWO includes: Presentation on Recycle, Reuse and Reduce, Walking Tour, Vermiculture and herb gardening, Alien vegetation identification, Great Bug Search, Paper Making, Cheetah Interaction

Programme 2

DAY ONE includes: Crafts, Small 5 presentation, fossils and Leaf prints, long jump & run timing against cheetah, learning about endangered endemics, green fingers

DAY TWO includes: Wild dog presentation, Birding, Jewelry from computer parts 

VENUE: The Ann van Dyk Cheetah Centre – Hartbeespoort

COST: R250 per day. This includes a light lunch pack daily, a water bottle, handouts and all equipment required other than recycled material which will be brought from home (details will be supplied on confirmation of registration).

TO CHECK DATES, BOOK OR FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

PLEASE CONTACT: Rita on (012) 504 9906/7/8 Cell: 083 252 8848

Cheetah Challenge at Boikanyo Primary School in Ga-Rankuwa

This year the Tri-Rangers introduced our team to an amazing little primary school in zone 5 Ga-Rankuwa. Boikanyo Primary School has outstanding staff members, and from last term we were working closely with the Grade 7A, 7B and 7C. This term we are also working with the Grade 6 classes, assisting with Natural sciences revision.

A learner from Carter Primary in Alexandria giving Jedi a decent cuddle

Juliet from Roots and Shoots (in the middle) who works at Carter invited Rita and Jedi

Jedi visited the grade 7 learners, and he was a big hit. He also visit Carter Primary in Alexandria recently.

The Cheetah Challenge is a fun way of assisting learners to start planning wisely for their futures. After exams have been completed, we will be keeping the learners busy while implementing our Cheetah Challenge at Boikanyo.

To be able to run our cheetah Challenge programme successfully, we rely on sponsorships. We would like to thank the following companies for assisting us this year so far: Vomak, SAGE, and  Evonik

Our vision is to change the perceptions of young people about their futures – for them to see possibilities and feel a sense of hope and purpose. We will do this by challenging each young person to change their world, one new thought at a time.

We provide critical thinking skills and opportunities to children and young adults - focused on various areas of their lives, so that they change their mindsets and perceptions about:

·         Their Futures

·         Opportunities for Economic Activity

·         Their Health and Wellness

·         Making a difference in the lives of Others

·         Making a difference to  their Environment and ultimately the Planet

·         Improving Relationships and choosing appropriate Role Models

·         Choosing behaviour that results in Positive Outcomes in their lives

·         Consciously working on their Strengths and constantly seeking out new Skills

Learning about recycling the fun way - making our own recycled  paper

Drawings from Learners at Archer's College

Check out these cute drawings from learners at Archer's College. We visited them on 26th October, and were surprised with lovely works of art.

Ambassador Cheetahs bring smiles to kids in need

The ambassador cheetahs of our farm have brought smiles to thousands of learners through the years. There is no better feeling as an environmental educator than the moment when learners meet the cheetah, and their faces light up with the broadest smiles. Some of most appreciative children are those that have faced more adversities in their lives than most adults could imagine. 

Kids haven have an annual "Friends of Animals day". The shelter in situated in Benoni, and their mission is to reach out to children on the streets and others in need in our community. They strive to provide them with love and shelter in a nurturing, secure environment. Kids haven gives them guidance, therapy, training and support so that they can be the best they can be and take their rightful place in the community. Byron visited this home on 17th August as part of the Friends of Animals, and we loved allowing the children of the home to meet Byron after learning about cheetahs, and conservation.I was amazed at how well spoken knowledgeable the kids were, and I'm sure that all the little ones that are in the shelter appreciate all the hard work that the staff put in. 

On Saturday 25th Yeats, Monique and myself met amazing brave ladies at "The House" - Intombi Shelter in Berea, Johannesburg. INTOMBI SHELTER which was established in 1995 provides a temporary home for homeless girls under the age of 19, offering them safety and care for a few months, while allowing social welfare systems prepare them for future referral, or preferably, reintegration into their families. A stone's throw from Hillbrow, the sounds and sights of this neighbourhood are nothing like the serenity of the farm, or quiet of most of the schools Yeasts has visited. Despite the challenging environment, Yeats was his awesome self, and showed that even though he is still a youngster, he has got the "stuff" that makes a cheetah a legendary ambassador. Some of the girls were so impressed by how gorgeous he was, they actually wanted to give him a nice big hug :-)

If you would like to make it possible for us to visit more institutions like these, or schools that can't cover our expenses please contact me to find out how to make donations towards these visits. Alternatively, please feel free to contact the amazing staff at either of these shelters to find out how you can help these amazing kids.

fundraising@kidshaven.co.za

Benoni Shelter Phone

+27 (0)11 421 4222

Latest education gossip...

Cute Thank you letters

I wanted to share some of these letters from the grade 2's of Cornwall college. Thanks guys, your letters make me smile :-)

 

Sleet and extreme cold...

De Wildt was hit by the extreme cold that is passing over South Africa at the moment, and the animals at the farm even got their first taste of sleet!

Yeats' first big school audience

It has been an eventful few weeks, and our team is very proud of Yeats, our young ambassador cheetah. He visited Covenant college, and the learners made him feel so comfortable that he was an absolute star. We look forward to many more schools and visits with this handsome fellow.

 

Career week at Tswaing & Endangered Animal Expo at JHB Zoo

 

Over the past few weeks, the very important message about conservation and endangered animals was spread to over 1000 learners. The Tswaing Crater is part of Ditsong museums, and is a beautiful little reserve in the middle of Mabopane. Learners from as far afield as Hammanskraal were introduced to various career options in conservation, natural sciences as well as geology and astronomy. Many of the high school learners that attended this career week had no idea that so many animals in africa are endangered and in dire need of assistance. At the Endangered Animal Expo held at the Johannesburg Zoo, the primary school learners that attended were once again educated about endangered species, and some of the reasons these animals are in trouble. Jedi, our Anatolian Guard dog ambassador, was also at the zoo, and was eager to meet the learners. Many of the learners that were at the zoo are very afraid of domestic animals, therefore Jedi's calm and cuddly personality make him the perfect ambassador to introduce these little ones to animals while educating them about this amazing breed of dog.

Sponsor a cheetah visit to an underprivileged school...

It is very important that we are able to spend time in rural and underprivileged schools educating learners about the need for conservation and the role we all play in our environment. Meeting an ambassador cheetah is an unforgettable experience, and if you would like to make this possible for a school that would otherwise not afford it, please contact me to find out how you can help.

Rita Groenewald
education@dewildt.co.za
+27 12 504 9906/7/8
www.dewildt.co.za
www.cheeta.org.za