Dainfern College visits Maropeng

March 22, 2011 – Miliswa Sitshwele

Maropeng is not only an award-winning attraction that draws hundreds of visitors every year, it’s also an educational centre. Schools around Gauteng visit Maropeng to learn about the origins of humankind.

Recently Johannesburg-based Dainfern College, an independent school, visited Maropeng.

On their arrival, Grade 12 students were given a guided tour of the popular Sterkfontein Caves where early hominids like “Mrs Ples” and Harry the Hominid were excavated.

The Cradle of Humankind is renowned for its Australopithecus africanus specimens, which lived between 3-million and 2-million years ago.

After that tour, students made their way to the Maropeng Visitor Centre. They were given the chance to go back in time and learn about how our human ancestors lived, how the earth was formed, how language was developed, how we live as humans today and the impact this has on the planet.

The students also got a chance to go on the famous Maropeng underground boat ride which takes people through the different elements of the universe, namely earth, fire, water and wind.

After walking through the depths of the earth, students were required to fill in worksheets that related to the displays in the museum covering Life Sciences, Geography and Life Orientation.

Some of the things that stood out for the students were the vortex of time, the boat ride, the conversation with the Dodo bird, the fossil room and the presentation of the Big Bang.

Dainfern’s Director of Pastoral Care and Outreach Cheryl Coetzee said after visiting Maropeng, students felt that they all had a better understanding of hominids.

“It was very informative and the learners enjoyed gaining information in different mediums. The worksheets that were compiled from the Maropeng educational resource pack helped keep the learners focused on what they had to do and seeing the fossil replicas was very beneficial.

“The visit gave them a better understanding of hominids and it was also interesting speaking to the tour guides.”

Dorcas Tshabalala, a Maropeng reservationist for school groups, said Dainfern College students were a great bunch, “They were really well behaved, they listened attentively and we had no problems whatsoever with them.”

Reflections from students

The visit was fun, very interactive and educational. – Cameron Grunow (17)
It was entertaining and adventure-filled. – Devin Dreyer (18)
The visit helped us understand our heritage and the role hominids played in humankind’s evolution. – Skye Cotterill (17)
The visit was very relevant to the worksheets we had on the different subjects like Life Orientation, Life Sciences and Geography. – Brandon Jones (18)

The educational resource pack is free for anyone to download and includes many lesson plans. Schools should also remember to book their school tour to Maropeng for 2011.

School rates for 2011

Educators are urged to book their 2011 school visits to the Cradle of Humankind as soon as possible.

The 2011 school rates are:

• Maropeng guided tour – R64 per learner
• Sterkfontein Caves guided tour – R64 per learner
• Combined ticket price for Maropeng and Sterkfontein Caves – R100 per learner

For those schools wishing to stay overnight, Maropeng offers offers overnight accommodation for up to 120 learners or adults, with separate rooms for educators or leaders at Hominid House.

The 2011 school rates are:

• Learner accommodation in the Hominid House, dinner, bed and breakfast (no lunch provided) – R227 per learner per night
• Teacher and driver accommodation in Hominid House, dinner, bed and breakfast (no lunch provided) – R167 per person per night
• Lunch pack – R50 per person

Call +27 (0)14 577 9000 or email . to book.

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