De Beers Impact Report - December 2020

PRIMARY SCHOOL

Modikwa

ECO- 2016 CODE

Hello! Our school is situated in Blouberg, Limpopo, under the jurisdiction of his majesty, Kgoši Kibi. There is a high rate of unemployment and the community rely on social grants. The Simpson Ga-Ramaswikana Village is located next to the Mogalakwena River. Environmental problems include pollution of the river and Illegal hunting neighbouring game reserves.

1. We strive to save every drop of water 2. We grow veggies to alleviate malnutrition for learners & the community

THEME: RESOURCE USE

THEME: HEALTHY LIVING

ACTION We decided to use the Scientic Method to investigate if the tippy tap saves water compared to using a tap for washing hands. Step 1: Ask a question: Will the tippy tap save water? Step 2: Observe: We looked at where we were wasting water & drew a map of the school grounds & taps. Step 3: Make a hypothesis: Then we made a prediction of what will happen – We think the tippy tap will save water. Step 4: Plan your experiment: We chose 3 learners to wash their hands under a tap and 3 learners to wash their hands under a tippy tap and comparing the measurements. Step 5: Conduct your experiment: We measured the amounts of water used, obtained the average and recorded our ndings on a table.

ACTION: We are preparing to plant our vegetable garden and have to nd out how fertile our soil is. Step 1: Ask a question: Which soil is best for plants? Step 2: Research: We learned that soil comes from rocks and consists of tiny stones and living things. Step 3: Make a hypothesis: We predicted that soil with lots of organic matter will be the best for plants. Step 4: Plan your experiment: We will test the qualities of 3 types of soil – sand, clay & loam. Step 5: Do your experiments: We examined the colour, texture, smell and size of each soil. We also tested how much water drains through each soil. Then we tested the amount of organic matter in the soil.

RESULTS Step 6: Draw your conclusions and share: We calculated that we save 509 litres per day if the whole school washed their hands on average 3 times a day. We drew a graph to show our results.

RESULTS Step 6: Draw your conclusions and share: We realised that loam soil has the

most organic matter. It is the best soil to let water pass through it for the roots of plants. We learned that to make soil more fertile, we have to add compost to the soil.