African Wildlife and Environment Issue 64

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

Although the aim at this camp is for learners to sleep outdoors, the dormitory facilities are comfortable, with separate and private accommodation for teachers. Camp Baboon, nestling high atop a rocky ridge, is the perfect ending to the day’s hike through the pristine ravine trail, with a glorious sunset experience. Dormitories are located in a spacious double-story house, with a fabulous view over the valley. The hippo hut provides a secluded spot for teachers. At Camp Gemsbok, the learners are accommodated in the original farmhouse. The activities include a bicycle ride through the bush, followed by a game drive, where the children are guaranteed viewings of giraffe, zebra, impala, kudu, gemsbok, eland, blesbok, warthog, ostrich and wildebeest on the open plains that are teaming with wildlife. There is also a good chance of seeing the resident hippo bull in the dam. The team at Bushpigs strives to achieve a dynamic blend of skills, knowledge and personalities through the careful selection, training and development of staff who fulfill the various roles of educator, educator assistant, overseas volunteer, catering and cleaning staff, and field assistants. Bushpigs also strives for professional integrity, innovation, flexibility, pro-activity in management, service delivery beyond expectations and an interactive ethos that promotes the building of strategic relationships and partnerships. Through the valued support of its clients and sponsorships, it also endeavours to implement outreach programmes to community schools and groups.

in Limpopo, and easily accessed from the N1 highway between Polokwane and Gauteng. The centre is well-known for its innovative, creative approach to blending a wide range of activities in themed and age appropriate programmes, which fully engage learners and provide teachers with new insights into the personalities behind everyday school encounters. Play the ‘conservation game’, waddle in the intricacies of wetlands, branch out into the world of indigenous trees, ‘get carbon smart’, or splash out during National Water Week. Bushpigs has four camps namely, Croc, Hedgehog, Baboon and Gemsbok. A rotation of all four camps provides the learners with an ideal opportunity to experience the specific themes, facilities and activities that each camp has to offer. Camp Crocodile is the ‘heart’ of the operation. The original homestead offers comfortable accommodation for teachers, an outdoor thatched lapa/dining area, the Bushpigs office and library. Activities at Croc include water study along the perennial stream, an owl talk with our resident Spotted Eagle Owl, various conservation based activities, and our famous ‘mudstacle course’. The ‘Hog hall’ is used for indoor presentations and activities during bad weather. Camp Hedgehog, the ‘roughing it’ bush camp, focuses on indigenous knowledge of the Bushmen hunters and gatherers, such as medicinal plants, shelter building and fire making. After a tasty braai around the fire, the learners end the evening with a night hike under the stars.

FAREWELL ROBERTA

Renata Harper

it to their grandchildren! Interest tends to fade in the teenage years. However, some children have a particular passion for animals and nature and they continue subscribing to EnviroKids until they are 14 to 15 years old – these probably mature into adults who will always care about the environment. Many educators use the magazine as a resource, and this adds an interesting challenge in terms of the presentation of magazine content for such a wide age range and reading level. What have been the highlights of your time as editor? Highlights have been that I could constantly research new topics and receive articles and stories from contributors, as well as publish material submitted by children and educators. The most fun was celebrating EnviroKids ’ 30 th birthday with a memorable party for WESSA junior members and Eco-Schools learners. Freya Brett from the Mike Wood EE Centre at Helderberg Nature Reserve hosted the event at the centre, and with the help of Western Cape WESSA

Roberta Griffiths handing over the EnviroKids magazine to Renata Harper

staff and a donation of craft materials from Bostik, organised a range of activities. There were board games to play on arrival; a short ‘wetland birds’ slide show followed by guided excursions in small groups to spot the birds in the reserve’s wetland; a fruit, juice and biscuit snack; ‘make a bird collage’ competition; and a huge chocolate birthday cake that kept choc-coated smiling kids coming back for seconds and more slices to take home! One of my greatest personal highlights was to be able to reprint some 3 000 sponsored copies of the 2012 ‘Saving Rhinos’ theme for distribution by South Africa’s famous explorer and activist, Kinsley Holgate, to schools around Kruger and other game parks that are ‘hotspots’ for rhino poaching. What have been the main challenges? The main challenges, that I eventually learned to enjoy, were getting to grips with new technology and software, and adjusting to constant change. My first magazines were produced in the ‘paper’ age, when text was literally cut out and pasted onto mock pages, typeset in metal lettering, and the pictures and text then printed using metal plates. I had to check

Born out of an appeal from WESSA’s family members, EnviroKids has a strong and proud history of educating and inspiring children to discover, love and care for the Earth. Roberta Griffiths, who has been at the helm for 21 of the magazine’s 37 years, will shortly be leaving us to embark on a new chapter in her life. Incoming editor Renata Harper chats to Roberta about her time at EnviroKids . You’ve been leading the magazine for just over two decades… what key changes have you seen during this time? When I started as editor in 1995, there were six issues a year and the print run was 5 500 copies, all mailed to WESSA members and regional offices. The readership at that time consisted mostly of children familiar with trips to nature areas and game parks. Today we publish four issues a year and the magazine has broadened its reach, so that membership copies form only a quarter of the print run. Copies are distributed countrywide, including very rural areas via the WESSA Eco-Schools programme. Who reads EnviroKids? The readership extends from ages 4 or 5 to grandparents who confess to reading the magazine before passing

42 | African Wildlife & Environment | 64 (2017)

43 | African Wildlife & Environment | 64 (2017)