Kids take a trip back in time at Maropeng’s Visitor Centre

Prehistoric humans, fossils and a glimpse of Earth thousands of years ago kept the learners of Monaghan Montessori School enthralled as they recently toured Maropeng’s Visitor Centre.

Maropeng, in the heart of the Cradle of Humankind, offers exciting tours and accommodation for school goers of all ages. Each guided tour at the Visitor Centre takes roughly an hour to complete, and can accommodate groups of up to 35 children.

The learners of Monaghan Montessori School began their journey of discovery of the origins of humankind, with an introduction to Maropeng and its major themes of evolution, diversity, sustainability and the unique characteristics of being human.

They then descended into the depths of the Earth, taking a boat ride back in time through the four elements – earth, air, fire and water – before entering a swirling vortex, and emerging in front of a giant projection of planet Earth. Here they could see how the continents as we know them today, came to be.

Next they enjoyed the large interactive zone where some of the science relating to the study of evolution is demonstrated in fun, giant displays, including the formation of fossils, DNA and life on Earth.

The next section highlighted various species in hominid evolution. These include our earliest relations. The tour ended with an original fossil display.

“It is always exciting to have learners in our Visitor Centre,” says Magel van de Venter, customer relationship manager at Maropeng. “To see them enjoying the interactive display and being intrigued by the fossils, is great fun.”

“Thank you to Maropeng and our wonderful guide for making our visit so memorable. The guide made it all so interesting and enticed the children into the discussions, which is so important as there was a lot of information to absorb. We will definitely be back,” says Xanthe Bester, owner of Monaghan Montessori School.

Maropeng is a stone’s throw from the Sterkfontein Caves and schools can book for the Maropeng Tour, which covers the Visitor Centre as well as the Sterkfontein Cave tours. These can be booked as standalone tours, or as a combination tour at a discounted rate.

“It’s great to know that these learners walk away with a richer understanding of our past. I know that our next generation of young palaeo-scientists will come from these school tour groups, and it encourages me to see them leaving our centre feeling proud and inspired and, above all, having had lots of fun!” concludes Van de Venter.

Compiled on behalf of Maropeng by Cathy Findley Public Relations. For media queries, contact Nicolle Kairuz on 011 463 6372 or nicolle@findleypr.co.za.