Tag: “education”

Experience Maropeng online

Did you know that Maropeng offers a host of easily accessible free online learning resources? Although there’s little to beat a trip to Maropeng to wander around the exhibition, explore the Sterkfontein Caves or take a guided tour, you can also access an abundance of online learning material based on the Maropeng experience.

The importance of raising a responsible and constructive youth

The youth of today faces many challenges. Maropeng strongly believes in the importance of educating learners about the impact that they, as future leaders, will have on the planet and in society.

Maropeng teaches learners about our home planet

For humans the concept of “home” is an important one. Many of us attach deep sentimental value to our homes. We spend hours improving them, tending to them and keeping them clean. We apportion hard-earned money towards furnishing, decorating and “growing” them until they are something we can be proud of and in which we feel more comfortable. We take such good care of our individual shelters that it would make sense to show the same respect for our biggest and most important shared home – our planet. It isn’t just a resource factory, a space to frantically consume and permanently alter at will. It is home.

Wits students “dig” Maropeng

To see a group of archaeology students digging around the Maropeng Exhibition Centre is not a common sight. Most of the time, it is at the Sterkfontein Caves, not far from Maropeng, that digs take place. But for the past three days, students from the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) have been digging, scraping and brushing away the soil to uncover stone tools that date back at least 1-million years.

Maropeng educates future leaders about poverty

Bianca Bothma

Maropeng, the visitor centre for the Cradle of Humankind, believes in educating humankind about its heritage.

And while it is important to know where we come from, Maropeng also believes that society needs to think critically about the environment and sustainability to conserve our Earth in preparation for the future.

This is why Maropeng, in partnership with the Gauteng and national departments of education, developed a further education and training resource pack targeted at grade 11 and 12 learners but available for anyone to download.

The pack includes lesson plans as well as activities and instructions for educators, all of which build on the learning experience available at the exhibition centre.

Mohau Centre visits Maropeng

Bianca Bothma

Maropeng is very proud that in the past five years we have welcomed more than 500 000 people to the Cradle of Humankind, who have come to learn about evolution and the history of the Earth.

In December 2010, another 45 children from the Mohau Centre, a children’s home in Atteridgeville, visited as part of the Maropeng Education Programme supported by the Cradle of Humankind Trust.

Fun learning at Hominid House in 2011 – photo essay

January 2011 marks the beginning of the academic year for South African schools. What better way to get learners fired up about history, heritage and the origins of humankind than to visit Maropeng?

New York and South African learners go back to their origins

Maropeng’s underground boat ride was a highlight for a number of learners visiting Johannesburg this week as guests of 46664, Nelson Mandela’s HIV/AIDS awareness campaign.

These learners, who were carefully selected through competitions in the United States and South Africa, were bought together to learn about Mr Mandela’s leadership legacy. They even had the opportunity to meet Mr Mandela earlier in the week.

Scientists suggest new find is the “missing link”

A remarkable fossil, believed to show the missing link between primates and other animals, was unveiled by scientists in New York on May 19, 2009.

Scientists are calling the 47-million-year-old fossil – which is believed to be female – “Ida”. Her scientific name is Darwinius masillae, in honour of Darwin’s 200th birthday, which was celebrated on February 12, 2009.

Maropeng upgrades FET resources pack

Maropeng recently hosted a workshop of national and provincial learning coordinators in order to propose updates to the Maropeng FET resources pack.

FET stands for Further Education and Training and incorporates grades 10, 11 and 12. Maropeng also offers packs for younger scholars. The packs are carefully integrated with the South African education curriculum, and has been endorsed by the National Department of Education.