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Melville Koppies Nature Reserve
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Melville Koppies for EducatorsSchool enrichment tours at Melville Koppies School tours to Melville Koppies Nature Reserve and Joburg Heritage site
Enquiries and booking: Wendy Carstens (BA Hons Hist., B.Ed. HED (PG)) 011 482 4797 or wendavid@mweb.co.za
R50 per learner with a minimum charge of R500 for the group. Funds are used for maintenance of MK. 'The Melville Koppies Nature Reserve is a perfect place to give students the opportunity to experience a section of the Grade 10 curriculum "in real life". The value of the geological trail at Melville Koppies cannot be exaggerated. Students have the opportunity to see the various rock types they have spent the term studying. The tectonic forces that resulted in the formation of the Melville Koppies and the development of rocks due to the large inland sea in the Witwatersrand basin come alive as students view the tilted quartzite ridges that alternate with softer, more easily eroded shale. The river on the property provides a perfect revision lesson on river erosion and the artefacts on display at the lecture hut help them to see the important links between geology and archaeology. The Melville Koppies Nature Reserve should become an extension of every Johannesburg-based Geography classroom! Its educational value is tremendous.' Joanne Brett, Geography Teacher, Kingsmead College Parkview pre-primary School Eleanor Huggett, Principal Not many city dwellers can boast that they have one of the largest (if not the largest) nature reserves in the world right on their doorsteps. Every year we at Parkview Pre-Primary School are fortunate enough to have the opportunity to experience the marvels of Melville Koppies. At the lecture hut our children are treated to an educational talk/story, with relevant and fascinating objects and pictures, about life as it was for the first human inhabitants of the Koppies. This is followed by a nature walk with many stops for explanations about the fauna and flora. The views are spectacular and the geographic position of the Koppies gives the children a clear perspective of where they are in relation to the other Johannesburg features. We stop to allow the children to assimilate the views, provide facts about the buildings and other places of interest that are in clear view. But for us, as important as the traditional educational advantages, are the less perceivable aspects such as the joy the children experience from being in a totally natural environment which engenders a feeling of contentment. Even the most active child is awed by his environment and is calmed by the sense of quiet and space. The Melville Koppies covers every educational need, perceptual, factual, physical, social and emotional. It's a piece of heaven in the middle of Johannesburg. |