During the June school holidays, the SOS Africa staff took the Grade 3 and 4 students to a very special place called Intaka Island. Intaka is a 16-hectare wetlands and bird sanctuary, is home to 177 species of indigenous fynbos plants and 120 bird species. Intaka – which means ‘bird’ in Xhosa – is a unique example of nature conservation and urban development co-existing in harmony. As well as its environmental significance, visitors can learn about an array of local fauna and spot some fantastically busy little birds.
First, we went on a boat road through the canal and what fun this was! From identifying different weaver nests to eagerly looking out for the resident otters; every child found it very hard to contain their excitement and stay seated.
Once on land again we continued exploring and ticking off all our findings. Not only did we have the privilege of being led by a wonderful guide from Intaka but we also had Kobus du Toit join us from ‘City as a School’. Kobus is on a mission to use as many spaces and places in and around cities as ‘the classroom’ for learning. He makes a sound argument as every child left that day being able to identify Wild Sour Fig or describe a cormorants’ nest or explain the process of collecting rainwater. I doubt that information would have sunk in quite as effectively just sitting in a classroom!
Being still and observing from the bird hides was a challenge as all the children got so excited when they spotted a kingfisher! I wonder how many will now become keen Twitters? Are you a twitter with some guidance to share?
Finally, Kobus held a beautiful reflection session and ended with an award ceremony where each child stated what they had most enjoyed learning about. The boat was consistently a favourite! One child who had tooth ache even discovered that one of the local plants was an antiseptic and when rubbed on the area helped ease the pain.
WHAT A FUN DAY OUT! Thank you to all who sponsored this outing and especial to Kobus who beautifully tied the whole thing together. Finally, a huge thank you to Isabelle Dechamps of Belafrique for generously contributing towards this really fun and informative experience.
Sponsor Educational Outings for the SOS Africa Charity Children
