Eco-Mentor Training Manual · Web viewof the CITW Eco-Mentor training aims to give mentors a very...

Eco-Mentor Training | 2018

ECO-MENTOR TRAINING

TRAINER’S MANUAL

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“In the end, we will conserve only what we love. We will love only what we understand. We will understand only what we are taught” – Baba

Dioum


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CONTENT PAGEObjectives…………………………………………………………………………………………....4Programme…………………………………………………………………………………………..5Welcome……………………………………………………………………………………………..7The Basics of Children in the Wilderness…………………………………………………………8What is a volunteer?............................................................................………………………12Children in the Wilderness Teaching and Learning Style…………………………………..19Important teaching techniques………………………………………………………………...22Children in the Wilderness Lesson PlansTippy Taps……………………………………………………………………………………………30Web of Life…………………………………………………………………………………………..31Food chains and webs……………………………………………………………………………32Plants in the School ground………………………………………………………………………32Animal adaptations……………………………………………………………………………….32Water cycle…………………………………………………………………………………………32Climate change……………………………………………………………………………………33Projects………………………………………………………………………………………………37Closing……………………………………………………………………………………………….41

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ECO-MENTORS TRAINING MANUALOBJECTIVES

At the end of this training participants will be able to: Understand Children in the Wilderness (CITW) as a child development and

conservation programme, which is run alongside Wilderness Safaris; Understand what it is to be a volunteer Eco-Club Mentor; Understand how CITW works as an environmental education programme and how it

teaches children to become willing participants in solving environmental problems while undertaking projects at school or in their community;

Go away with a few practical ideas for running their Eco-Club. Part 1 of the CITW Eco-Mentor training aims to give mentors a very broad overview on what the CITW programme is all about. It will also give Mentors practical ideas for running their Eco-Clubs. It is NOT intended to deal with more in-depth principles on child education.Part 2 should give the trainees further practical indication of what sorts of activities are involved in CITW Eco-Club sessions for the children. We will run through as many Eco-Club Lessons as possible. It will highlight environmental projects and will get the volunteer mentors thinking about what projects they could undertake in their own homes to make a difference to the environment and to show others in the community that they can “walk the talk”.Each section should be fun and engaging with trainees (i.e. not a lecture but an interactive process) and should not take too long (stick to times you have set at the beginning of the training).Note

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Trainer’s Notes:

Information displayed in text boxes surrounded by dashes (like this one) are for the trainer to use while giving training. All other notes are what is included in the Eco-Mentor Participnat’s workbooks.

PROGRAMME

TIME ACTIVITY FACILITATOR07:30 - 08:00 Registration CITW Team

Sign attendance register and fill out application forms 08:00 - 08:05 Prayer Volunteer08:05 - 08:20 Introduction and Expectations (Housekeeping) CITW Team

Welcome letter 08:20 - 08:40 The Basics of Children in the Wilderness Lisa

How does the programme work? CITW video

08:40 - 08:50 Energiser CITW Team08:50 - 09:30 What is a volunteer? Lisa

Respect activity CITW Teaching and Learning Style Important teaching techniques

09:30 - 10:00 Tippy Tap Lisa10:00 - 10:20 TEA BREAK CITW Team10:20 - 10:30 Energiser CITW Team10:30 - 11:15 Web of Life Lisa

Food Chains and Webs 11:15 - 11:30 Set up Water Cycle lesson Lisa11:30 - 12:00 Plants in the school ground Lisa12:00 - 12:30 Animal adaptations 12:30 - 13:20 LUNCH CITW Team13:30 - 13:30 Energiser CITW Team13:30 - 14:00 Water cycle Lisa


14:00 - 15:45 Climate Change Lisa Projects

15:55 - 16:00 Evaluation forms CITW Team16:00 Tea and Depature

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WELCOME LETTER

Dear Eco-Mentors

A warm welcome to Children in the Wilderness (CITW). We are delighted you have joined us and we hope that you will enjoy your mentoring role.

In order to run the CITW programme successfully and reach our aims and objectives, we rely on the dedication and commitment of all the people and organisations involved in the programme.

We believe volunteering means using your time to do something in the hope it will help make a difference, however small, to someone else’s life.

The focus of the CITW programme is: To teach the children life skills that they can use on a day to day basis; To create motivated environmentalists to ensure that our wonderful natural heritages are

sustainable and protected.

We find that volunteers get an enormous sense of satisfaction and achievement through the CITW programme and also an awareness that you don’t need to be someone in power to make a difference. Your role as an Eco-Mentor is important, challenging and meaningful. Therefore, we would like to encourage you to actively participate in this workshop. We would also like to thank you for joining us.

We hope that, through these children, we are able to positively touch and inspire many people in your community.

Please feel free to ask us, should you require more information or need assistance regarding the CITW programme in your area. You can also ‘like’ our Facebook page to see what other regions are doing in their Eco-Clubs.

Your involvement in our programme alone proves that you care about the children, the community and the environment. We hope you will find working with CITW rewarding.

Kind regards

The Children in the Wilderness Team

________________________________________________

Lisa Witherden

Note:

It is important for everyone to understand that Children in the Wilderness is an independently funded non-profit organisation that relies on donors to give us money to operate. Therefore it is essential that at all times we operate our programme with integrity (honesty/reliable/trustworthy).

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Trainer’s Notes:Hand out the workbooks to participants. Allow a short time for trainees to look at the resources.

Be sure to tell the Eco-Mentors that their workbooks of theirs – they should take notes on the NOTES pages, and use the blank pages to draw pictures / diagrams of what they’ve learnt.

Read through the WELCOME LETTER below


PART 1

THE BASICS OF CHILDREN IN THE WILDERNESS

WHAT IS CHILDREN IN THE WILDERNESS?Children in the Wilderness (CITW) is a non-profit organisation supported by ecotourism company Wilderness Safaris. Wilderness Safaris helps conserve Africa’s spectacular biodiversity and shares the benefits of ecotourism with rural people.

Understanding, care and commitment are required to conserve Africa’s beautiful wilderness and wildlife areas. If we want to make sure that these places continue to exist – in this generation and those to come – we need the rural children of Africa to understand the importance of conservation to their lives.

It is the vision of Children in the Wilderness is to support sustainable conservation through leadership development and education of rural children in Africa.

Our CITW programme is an environmental education and life skills educational programme for children, focusing on the next generation of decision-makers - inspiring them to care for their natural heritage and to become the custodians of these areas in the future.

The focus of CITW is:

To create motivated environmentalists to ensure that our wonderful natural heritage is protected and all use is sustainable

To teach children life skills that they can use on a day to day basis

We try to do this in a positive and fun way. All activities and lessons are carefully planned and have specific outcomes attached to them.

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Trainer’s Notes:

Part One of the training involves an introduction to who we are, what we do, and how we do it.

Trainee mentors need to understand CITW is independently funded non-profit organisation that relies on donors and funders to give us money, goods and services to operate. Therefore it is essential that, at all times, we operate our programme with integrity to ensure our core objectives are maintained and delivered at all times.

Talk them through:

What CITW is What Environmental Education is Our vision and aims Our programme structure

Thereafter, play the CITW video. Point out the beautiful quote at the beginning of the video and on the front cover of the workbooks – that CITW teaches in order for children to understand, in the hopes that they will love the environment and want to conserve it.

These notes are on page 4 of the Participant’s workbooks.


WHAT IS ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION?

Environmental education is a process that allows children to explore environmental issues, take part in problem solving around these issues, and take action to improve their environment.

As a result, children develop a deeper understanding of environmental issues and have the skills to make informed and responsible decisions about how they interact with their environment.

The components of environmental education are: Being aware and sensitive to the environment and environmental issues Knowledge and understanding of the environment and environmental issues Attitudes of concern for the environment and motivation to look after and care for

the environment Skills to notice and help solve environmental issues Participation in activities that lead to solving environmental issues

Environmental education supports critical thinking and it improves children’s problem-solving and decision-making skills.

OUR VISIONIt is the vision of Children in the Wilderness to support sustainable conservation through leadership development and education of rural children in Africa.

By showing children their natural heritage, CITW aims to create a network of learning sanctuaries that uplifts and cares for our children and conserves our planet. In this way, we hope to inspire the children to care for the environment so that they can become the custodians of these areas in the future.

SPECIFIC AIMS OF CITW To create leaders in conservation Improve gender relations and promote gender equality Support learning programmes at schools Motivate children to commit to lifelong learning Teach children about possible employment opportunities especially within the

ecotourism industry Develop personal and social skills Build self-esteem Develop creativity and increase confidence Develop positive role models in local schools and communities Educate key and influential players, i.e. heads of schools, community leaders and

teachers, on the importance of conservation, so that they too can spread the message and become spokespersons for CITW

Provide a sense of hope and pride for a better future

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HOW DOES OUR PROGRAMME WORK?

ECO-MENTOR AND TEACHER TRAINING

Our Eco-Mentor Training aims to develop local community members, teachers and Wilderness Safaris camp staff by upgrading skills in their environmental understanding and enabling them to better implement school and village environmental projects and initiatives. This project assists in addressing the critical teaching skills shortage in environmental education in Southern Africa.

Eco-Mentor training sessions include providing information on Children in the Wilderness, how to run Eco-Clubs as well as focusing on the Children in the Wilderness Eco-Club resource book: how to use it; how to run the activities and other important information. All training sessions are interactive and fun.

ECO-CLUBSOur programme is built on a foundation of Eco-Clubs. These clubs are hosted by volunteer CITW Eco-Mentors and school teachers and club sessions are usually held in a school classroom or the grounds of the school on designated afternoons.

It is a programme where environmentally conscious children with a common interest in the environment meet to learn, discuss, make friends and have fun. We aim to involve

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children in projects that benefit the community while developing appreciation for their natural heritage.

It is at these clubs where we will be looking for children who are genuinely interested in nature, wildlife and the environment and children who show leadership potential: all in keeping with the vision and values of the CITW programme.

ANNUAL CAMPSA Wilderness Safaris, or partner, camp is closed for a few days each year, and 16-30 children between 10 and 17 years old are hosted in the camp for a three to five-day programme. The Camp Coordinator, with a full staff complement of volunteers and mentors, runs an educational and fun-filled programme.

On the camp the children participate in wildlife activities (game drives, nature walks and activities); they attend interactive workshops (on conservation, environmental management, the geography and geology of the area, culture, HIV/AIDS, nutrition and the importance of wilderness areas to their communities and their country); and they learn the life skills and values necessary to one day become great leaders and great conservationists.

YOUTH ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP (YES) PROGRAMMEThe Youth Environmental Stewardship (YES) Programme focuses on children with commitment and potential who have been identified on annual CITW camps and in Eco-Clubs as showing a particular interest in conservation and/or leadership potential.

The curriculum in the programme is an extension of concepts introduced in Eco-Clubs and on annual CITW camps, with a greater focus on career guidance, leadership, team building, communication and further environmental education. The YES camps are usually smaller, with fewer children attending, allowing for focused work groups and increased participation of all children. The YES programme also allows the opportunity for mentors to spend more time with the children and identify candidates for the scholarship and internship programme.

SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMMEThrough our Eco-Clubs, YES programme and CITW Camp programme, we are able to identify children who are doing well academically but whose parents are unable to keep them in school. Our Scholarship Programme aims to provide these children with an opportunity to complete their schooling and to give them hope and inspiration for their future.

TERTIARY EDUCATION SCHOLARSHIPSThese scholarships are provided to CITW students who have been through our programme and are doing Environmental Education or Conservation courses at tertiary level institutions.

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WHAT IS A VOLUNTEER?

Volunteering is about giving your time to a good cause. As a volunteer, you don't get paid, but you do get the chance to use your talents, develop new skills, and experience the pleasure that comes from making a real difference to other people's lives, as well as your own.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A MENTOR?

A mentor is someone willing to spend his or her time and expertise to guide the development of another person. This means that we are role-models to the children and we are who they look up to and will try to be like.Remember that often we are working with children who do not have an adult in their lives as a role-model or a good example of what a child-adult relationship should be like. Therefore in everything we do and say we have to put the children first so that they can see what the appropriate behaviour in a situation would be. We need to keep this in mind even when we are talking to the other adults as the children will also take these examples with them after CITW. We have a big responsibility and the children will remember you forever. Make these lasting impressions good ones.

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Trainer’s Notes:

This session focuses on the mentorship approach and the value of a caring adult. Participants will discover some vital connections that are very necessary in a child centred programme like CITW Eco-Club programme.

Now that the trainees have a better understanding of CITW and what it expects from its mentors, it is time for some fun interactive activities.


Someone I look up to:


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WHY BECOME AN ECO-MENTOR?

Becoming an Eco-Mentor is an opportunity for you to also learn and understand more about the environment while we provide you with skills to enable you to implement school and village environmental projects and initiatives. This way you can be a leader of positive change in your community. As an Eco-Mentor you are also a volunteer representative of CITW – the ‘important face’ of CITW to the children at school and in your community.

VALUES

Values are the beliefs, feelings and skills that guide people and leaders. Leadership values are important to introduce and teach as they reflect what you believe and are reflected in everything you do. They also reflect ethical behaviour and choosing between what is right and wrong.

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Trainer’s Notes: Activity - My Mentor

Time: 5minsInstructions:

Go through the notes on what it means to be a mentor. Have the Mentors follow your instructions as you talk through the activity.

1. I am now going to ask you to think about a special adult in your life; someone who you looked up to, a person who had a major positive impact on you when you were a child. This should be a person that you know. Close your eyes and think back to the adults who were in your life when you were growing up; remember the ones who played the biggest role. Focus in on one specific person. It doesn’t have to be a parent or a relative, but should be someone whom you looked up to. Brainstorm some words with the group that describe a mentor (someone who guides, someone who listens, someone who can provide insight, etc.).

2. Now, think of the types of experiences you shared with that person. Use the following questions to guide you:

What was it about him/her that made that person so special to you? What were some of the qualities that person had that made that person have such a

strong influence on your life? What did it feel like when you were around that person?

3. Participants should use the block in their books on page 10 (Someone I look up to) to write down words / sentences about their role model, or to draw a picture that is relevant to their relationship with the person.

DebriefWe can see the big impact a caring adult can make on a child. We can be that person to the children we work with. We call that person a MENTOR. Now that we know the value of a caring adult relationship, we are going to take a look at how we can be mentors to the children in what we think, what we say and what we do.


Read the cartoon below:

1. Is the penguin showing ethical behaviour?

2. Is it right that the penguin stepped over the litter but was very happy to pick up the money?

This cartoon shows how our values and ethics can impact our behaviour.

If we want to be good role-models to our children, then we have to both teach and show them what good, ethical behaviour is.

There are many leadership values CITW focuses on in our programme. Write the translation for each of these leadership values in your language:Respect – valuing and showing consideration for yourself, the community and the environment.

Perseverance – enduring and remaining strong when faced with complication, tragedy or resistance. Continuously striving to reach a goal. It is persistence.

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Trainer’s Notes:

Read and discuss the cartoon with the participants. Let them write down their answers to the questions.

Thereafter, do the RESPECT activity.

End off with the Participants filling in the translations for the leadership values.


Awareness – knowing and understanding yourself, other people and the environment

Creativity – seeing and implementing solutions, ideas and initiatives

Co-operation – working together, sharing resources selflessly and effectively using your strength and experience to take meaningful action and contribute to a greater good

Kindness – being helpful and considerate. Understanding of another’s situation, feelings, motives and actions

Responsibility – is making your own decisions and taking care of your duties and answering for your actions

Honesty – being open and sincere. Truthful

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The most important thing to remember as an Eco-Mentor

The name of the game is learning, fun and love! You will have a wonderful time. Just remember, this programme is for the children, who will love it. If we mess up, miss a few things during an activity or forget

something DON’T WORRY!

With the right attitude, you can’t go wrong. The children will still have a great time, and the Eco-Clubs will make a lasting impression and

impact on their lives.

Trainer’s Notes:

Talk to the note. Do not worry about going through it word for word, but rather pick and choose items to talk about. However, be sure to point out that you have been using these techniques throughout your training:

You have shown them various energisers You have used group work ideas You have managed to keep their attention using various methods



Trainer’s Notes: Activity - Respect

Time: 20minsInstructions: This is an example of an activity used in a CITW Eco-Club sessionObjective: To help participants understand the importance of thinking before they speak and being respectful to one another.

Materials:

One BIG sheet of flipchart paper with a person (called SAM) drawn on it

Directions:

Remind participants of the Golden Rule: Treat others as you want to be treated.

1. Ask them for examples of how they DID NOT show respect in the last week - At Home, in the village, to themselves. Repeat this exercise with participants giving examples of when they DID show respect in these areas in the last week.

2. Introduce the trainees to Sam (the person you have illustrated on the big sheet of paper). Explain to the trainees that a new

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person has moved into the village and he isn't very well liked by villagers.

3. Ask the trainees to think of comments they might hear that would hurt Sam's feelings. 4. As a trainee shares an example, ask the trainee to come and crumple up a section of the

big page Sam is drawn on.5. Continue this until Sam is one serious crumpled up mess!

6. Now discuss how bad Sam is feeling and how they (the trainees) would feel from the hurtful comments.

7. Now ask the trainees to share things they could say to Sam so he would KNOW he was important and that we respected him. With each example, ask the trainees to help you smooth out the paper, but....

8. We discover that the hurtful comments made Sam different now. No matter how hard we try to take back the hurtful comments and say that we were sorry, the comments still hurt Sam. (The paper will always have some wrinkles, crinkles and crumples no matter how hard you try to smooth out the paper)

9. This is a simple yet powerful way to teach people to be sure that their comments to others are respectful at all times.

10. Put Sam up in the room for everyone to see and it will be there every day to serve as a constant reminder to us that we must always think before we speak.

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CITW TEACHING AND LEARNING STYLEINTENTIONAL PROGRAMMING/FLOW LEARNINGTM TECHNIQUEAll lesson plans, topics and themes in the Eco-Club Resource Book have been designed around the four stages of the “Flow LearningTM ” technique. As such, it is important that you know the theory behind the Flow LearningTM Process – but don’t worry, we have already worked each of these stages into the lessons.

Flow Learning™ gives Eco-Mentors a simple, organised way to guide students into experiencing nature themselves. Through games that awaken the students’ curiosity and enthusiasm, learning becomes fun, immediate, and dynamic, instead of static and second-hand. The students come out with a real understanding of the natural world. A Flow LearningTM session begins with lively activities that get the students’ energy and enthusiasm going. The second set of activities challenge the students to focus their attention through their senses of touch, hearing, and sight. The third stage offers activities that encourage children to experience their natural surroundings. By becoming engaged in a part of nature, the children experience what it is like to be part of the natural world. Finally, the students gather and share the inspiration of their experiences.Stage 1 – Awaken Enthusiasm

This involved awakening enthusiasm. We start with a light, fun, physical activity. This builds on children's love of play. The benefits of this include:

Creates an atmosphere of enthusiasm An energetic beginning gets everyone saying "Yes!" Develops full alertness, overcomes passivity Creates involvement Gets attention (minimises discipline problems) Develops a bond with the Eco-Mentor Creates good group dynamics Provides direction and structure Prepares for later, more sensitive activities

Stage 2 – Focus Attention

Once the participants’ enthusiasm has been awakened, the theoretical lesson can now be presented. This is where the actual content (facts and teaching) of the lesson is presented. The benefits of this include:

Increases attention span Deepens awareness by focusing attention Positively channels enthusiasm generated in Stage 1 Develops observational skills Calms the mind Develops interest for more experiences in nature

Stage 3 – Direct Experience

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Once the theoretical lesson has been conducted, then main practical activity can now be started. These can be assignments, investigations, experiments, group work activities and so on. The benefits include:

People learn best by personal discovery Gives direct, experiential understanding Fosters wonder, empathy and love Develops personal commitment to ecological ideals

We need to then take time to consider the intentions or goals of each activity. There are skills that are associated with every activity, for example running, tagging and reacting quickly - these are called the Level I skills. Level II Skills are the skills associated with life - the skills that can help a child to achieve some of the “Outcomes” we are trying to reach, like teamwork, decision-making, responding to adversity, and handling disagreements, etc. At the end of all activities, it is very important that you take the time with the children to reflect, discuss “the intention” and analyse if this outcome has been achieved. These should be included in the lesson plans / workbooks used to run Eco-Clubs.

Let’s use soccer as an exampleWhat are the Level I and Level II Skills involved in soccer?

Level I Skills Level II SkillsRunningPassing the ballPlaying Defence Dribbling the ball

CommunicationHandling disagreementsSeeing the ‘big picture’Sharing responsibility for success/failureTeamwork

Stage 4 – Share Inspiration

This stage allows the Eco-Mentor to review all activities in the lesson plan in order to see the children’s understanding of the subject, as well as to allow you to reinforce key issues and actions the children should take going forward. Benefits include:

Clarifies and strengthens personal experiences Builds on uplifted mood Introduces inspiring role models Creates group bonding Increases learning for everyone Provides feedback for the leader Eco-Mentor can share inspiration with their learners

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Trainer’s Notes: Activity - Level 1 and 2 Skills

Materials: Soft ball / balloon

Instructions:

1. The group task is to keep a ball or balloon in the air for a specified number of hits without letting it hit the ground.

2. Additionally, no one person can touch the object twice in a row. 3. Set a goal with the group for the number of hits that the group can make following the

rules.4. After your group meets its goal, it can increase the target number or go for a world

record and see how many hits the group can accomplish.5. This fun activity is much harder than it seems! If the group is struggling, give them an

opportunity to review their strategy and create a plan for the next attempt.

Debrief: Was this game just about the ball / balloon staying in the air? No – it was about communicating with your group, finding a solution to the problem, staying focused, etc.


IMPORTANT TEACHING TECHNIQUESEco-Clubs are designed to run in an interactive, fun way. This means that both the Eco-Mentors and the children take part in lessons. Eco-Mentors are not ‘teaching’ like you would in a normal classroom – standing at the front teaching facts, but rather teaching children through interactive games, discussions and activities.

1. 10 TECHNIQUES FOR GETTING CHILDREN’S ATTENTION AND KEEPING IT!

One of the most important parts of successful Eco-Club sessions is getting a group of children’s attention and engaging them. First impressions do matter and the better we are at getting a group’s attention and sparking their interest, the better chance we have of keeping it! These are some techniques for starting your activity on the right note.

1. Learn their names

Two things happen when you call a child’s name. First, they feel cared for. Only someone who cares about them would take the time to learn their name. And second, they pay attention. There is a big difference in how someone pays attention when they hear “Hey Thabo” instead of “Hey You.” Eco-Mentor Challenge: when you meet a new group, see how fast you can learn everyone’s name.

2. Tell them what is in it for them

Unfortunately, many children don’t engage with our activities and don’t pay attention because they are used to expecting anything that an adult does to be boring or not relevant to them. At the very beginning, tell them exactly what they can expect and why you think it is worth it for them to pay attention to you. Tell them it’s going to be fun, tell them they will learn something totally new, tell them that what you have planned is NOT boring and that they are going to be actively involved.

3. Just start doing it

If you are playing a game or teaching a lesson, just start by doing it. Take out the soccer ball and start passing it to the children. If you are planting trees or cleaning up garbage, start to do it. Remember, children like to play and to be involved. And many children are more comfortable doing things than they are talking. There are often situations when we spend time explaining what we are doing when we could just jump in and start doing it!

4. Start with a surprise

Children expect adults to behave a certain way. And when it comes to activities and lessons, they also have certain expectations about how things like this start. Change things up and think about what you could do at the very beginning that might surprise them. If it’s unexpected, they will pay attention. You’ll also spark their curiosity.

5. Use props

This builds on the “Start with a Surprise” technique. Sometimes there is no better way to get a child’s attention than to wear something totally unexpected and fun, or to have some object as part of your lesson. Everyone wonders what “IT” is for or they laugh and wonder why you are wearing such a funny hat or shoes.

6. Ask a question

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When we start with a question we accomplish several important things. First, we show the children that we value their opinion and, that they are going to need to participate and think in your activity. Second, we encourage participation and attention, since everyone is going to be thinking of what to say if they have to answer the question.

7. Ask for help

Plan to start your activity or lesson with something that you cannot do by yourself. This could be lifting something or setting up the game. The children won’t know exactly what it is they are helping with but they will be much more curious about what it is now that you’ve got them helping.

8. Get a Volunteer

Children, especially teens, pay more attention when it’s one of their peers involved. If there is something that you can do at the beginning of the lesson or activity that requires a volunteer, try it. At the very least, you’ll have at least one person’s (the volunteer’s) full attention!

9. Use Sound or Action Instead Of Words

Children are used to adults talking. When we use sounds or actions instead of words they often pay more attention. One of the best sound-action techniques for getting a large group’s attention is to ask the group (in a soft voice), “If you can hear my voice clap 3 times.” A few of the children in the front row will respond. Then ask it again, changing the number of claps. This time, more children will respond. After a few more times and pretty soon you have everyone clapping, AND paying attention to what you have to say next.

10. Make them laugh

Do you have an appropriate and funny joke? Is there a story or skit you can do that might make them laugh? Laughter relaxes people. It actually helps them be more open-minded which make them more likely to pay attention and be curious.

2. GROUP WORK IDEASYou will notice that many activities in the Eco-Club Resource Book require children working in groups. Try and encourage children to work with other children, and not just stick to their friends. It is important to learn with many different people.

Here are two different techniques that you can use to manage group work activities and ensure children are working productively.

1. Think – Pair – Share

Good for activities where children are asked to answer a question, or problem solve.

The Eco-Mentor asks the children a question. Children are given time (30 seconds to one minute) to think of a response by themselves. Each child then pairs with another and both discuss their responses to the question. The Eco-Mentor invites pairs to share their responses with the group as a whole.

2. Roundtable

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Good for activities with a large group, and activities that require debate and problem solving.

Divide the large group into smaller groups of four or five. Learners sit in a circle and respond in turn to a question or problem by giving their ideas aloud as they write them on paper. The conversation can go around the circle, each student in turn, more than once if time allows. After the roundtable, each group discusses and summarises the ideas they came up with and reports back to the whole group.3. Listening and Talking in Threes

Good for activities that involve debate and problem solving.

Working in threes, each pupil takes it in turn to be the talker, questioner or recorder. The talker explains something, comments on an issue or expresses their opinions. The questioner asks the talker questions and seeks clarification. The recorder makes notes and gives a summary report at the end of the conversation. The group of three can then summarise their notes together at the end to present back to the whole group. 4. The Dung Beetle

Good for activities that require creative thinking, and problem solving.

By involving pupils in a build up towards a full group discussion, this activity encourages everyone, including pupils who are normally shy to speak. First, children come up with their own ideas, then share them with a partner and finally in a larger group. This process ensures that everyone’s views are represented. Here is an example of how you can do this:

On your own Write down as many ideas that you can think ofAs a pair Compare your listsAs a group of four Select what you consider to be the two most important ideasAs a group of eight

Select the two most important ideas, and give reasons for your final choice

5. Inside-outside circles

Good for activities that require discussion and problem solving. Also excellent for sharing information and thoughts.

The children are divided into two groups - one group makes an inner circle and the other group makes an outer circle. The children in the inner circle and the outer circle face each other to form pairs. The children take turns to report their information, or share an idea with their partner. At the end of a set period of time, the children are asked to move (for example, the children in the outer circle moves two places to the left), thus creating new pairs. The children now share their information with a new partner.

6. Two minute recap

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Good activity to use at the end of a lesson.

At the end of a lesson, ask the children to turn to a partner and tell them as much as they can remember about the lesson in two minutes. The teacher times the activity, and after two minutes, signals it is time to change roles. The second person now takes two minutes to tell as much as they can remember about the lesson.7. Two minute papers


Give the children two minutes to summarise the most important points that they have learned in the lesson. Alternatively, they could write about their favourite part of the lesson. Then, using a ‘turn-pair-share’ strategy, they turn to a partner, read their paper, and answer any questions. Roles are then reversed.8. Doodle it!


At the end of a lesson, the Eco-Mentor asks the children to draw their response to the lesson. After a short period of time, the class is divided into pairs, threes or fours. Each child shows his drawing to the other children, and explains the illustration.

9. Question and answer pairs


When the lesson is finished, the children divide into pairs. Each takes a minute to think of a question, based on the lesson they have just had. The aim is to try to ‘stump’ the other, by asking tricky questions about what they learned. Then the roles are reversed.

10.Pass the paper


At the end of a lesson, each child gets a piece of blank paper, and writes their name on top. They then write one thing that they learned during the lesson. After one minute, the paper is passed to the person on the right, who writes an additional fact from the lesson. After one minute, the paper is again passed to the right. The paper is passed a number of times, depending on time, and the ability of the children. Finally, each piece of paper is returned to the original owner, and it serves as a mini-review of the lesson.11.Muddiest point


Following a lesson, the children discuss what they have learned in groups of two or three or four. Each group chooses a ‘muddy point’ - in other words, they identify something that they are still not clear about, and they write this on a piece of paper. This should be given to the Eco-Mentor and they stick it on a wall, or keep them safe somewhere. This also serves as an excellent assessment tool for the Eco-Mentor – to assess the lesson itself, and to learn where children are battling with a task. Eco-Mentors should use the children’s muddiest point notes, and answer the questions they have. Ideally, this should be done on the same day as the lesson to ensure that children leave having understood the lesson.

3. ENERGISERS

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By the time Eco-Club children get to your Eco-Club, they have already had a full day of school. They might feel tired and restless. It might be god idea to start off your Eco-Club with an energiser to get their energy levels up, and get them excited for their lesson!

Name: Elephant, Lion, SpringbokObjectives: Children will try guess their partners characterMaterials: NoneProcedure: Teach the children how to act out each of the three characters. As you teach each character, have the group enthusiastically repeat back the character name and the motions that go with it.

1. Elephants: use your arm to make a trunk, and shout out ‘Elephants!’

2. Lions: Use your hands to make a mane, while you make your face look as though you are growling like a lion. Shout ‘Lion!’

3. Springbok: Spring up and down like a springbok and shout ‘Springbok!’

4. Ask the group to get into pairs (you can use mingle, mingle, mingle to do this). With their backs to one another, after the count of 3 they must jump around facing their partner doing one of the characters actions. The aim is to communicate with their actions to guess which character you partner is thinking of.

Variations: You can change the characters to be any other animals that are easy to assign an action to (for example, cheetah, zebra, tortoise, fish, bird). Could even try guide, poacher, rhino.

Name: Mingle Mingle Mingle Objectives: To form as many small groups as possible.Materials: NoneProcedure:

1. Everyone walks around mingling and saying hello to each other, shaking hands, etc. Saying ‘mingle mingle mingle’

2. The leader will then yell a number and everyone has to try and form a group of that number. This is a good way of dividing the kids randomly if you need small groups such as pairs/ threes for any activities to make the kids work with new people and to stop others feeling left out.

Concerns: Remind children that sometimes there will be leftovers and that’s okay, it doesn’t mean that you lost.

Name: Elephant, Giraffe, ToasterKey idea: EnergiserObjectives: Children have to think and perform the relevant actionsProcedure:

1. 1. Children are in a circle. 2. The facilitator will use a group of 3 to

demonstrate the positions:Elephant: The middle person does a trunk action with their hand. The people of the outside do the ears with their outside arms.Giraffe: The middle person puts their arms and hands up like the neck and head of the giraffe. The Children on the outside put their outside legs out.Toaster: The middle person is the toast and jumps up and down. The Children on the sides hold hands around the toast.

3. 2. When the facilitator in the middle of the circle points to one child they will shout out; Elephant, Giraffe or Toaster.

4. This child becomes the middle of the animal or the toaster with the people on either side becoming the sides of the animal or the toaster.

Name: Let Me See Your AeroplaneObjectives: Children sing and danceMaterials: NoneProcedure: 1. In a circle one child starts by singing: Child: Let me see your aeroplaneEveryone replies: What did you say?Child: I said let me see your aeroplaneEveryone: What you say?Child: I said let me see you aeroplane

2. Everyone dances like an aeroplane singing: Oh ah ah ah oh ah ah ah oh

The song continues with the next child volunteering a verse such as: Let me see your crocodile, frog, monkey, rhino, elephant etc.

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3. The commands will get faster and faster as the Children get better and better

Name: Impala , Impala, CheetahObjectives: Children chase each otherMaterials: NoneProcedure:

1. 1. Everyone sits in a circle. 2. One person is walking around the outside

of the circle. This person taps heads as they pass saying, impala, impala, impala….

3. 2. If they say ‘Cheetah!’ the person who has been tapped and called ‘cheetah’ jumps up and chases them.

4. 3. If the person who is being chased gets to the space left open by the ‘Cheetah’ they sit down and the Cheetah starts tapping heads instead, carrying on from where they were sitting originally.

5. 4. If the original person is tagged by the ‘Cheetah’ before they reach the space they must carry on tapping heads and choose a new ‘Cheetah’

Concerns: Make sure there are no obstacles around the circle. Dust can also be a problem for slipping!

Name: Hi Five Objectives: Children will be in pairs. They will have to listen and follow instructions.Materials: Open spaceProcedure: 1. Have two people to demonstrate the

actions before each go. 2. In their pairs, partners stand facing

each other. They must take ten steps back from each other, so that when the facilitator says ‘go’ they run into the middle to carry out the instruction given.

3. The demonstrators are in the middle. They say, ‘When I say go, you and your partner are going to run into the middle and give a ‘hi five’ with your right hand and then go back to your spot.’

4. The second time, the demonstrators say, ‘When I say go, you and your partner will run to the middle and give a ‘hi five’ with your right hand and then your left hand and then go back to your spot.’

5. This continues: Right hand, left hand, right foot, left foot, over the head, behind your back, between the legs, in push up position, (with your hands on the ground and stomach up) right foot, (with your hands on the ground and stomach up) left foot, and finally, shake hands.

Remember they have to do each one every time. It wears the kids out because it is a lot of running but it’s silly and fun.Concerns: It helps if you have a level space. Try and play out of the dust.

Name: People to PeopleObjectives: Kids will move around from person to person and listen to instructions.Materials: NoneProcedure: 1. Facilitator tells the Children that when

they yell ‘People to People’ they must quickly find a partner.

2. Once everyone has a partner the facilitator will yell out various body parts like, knee to knee, foot to foot, etc. When the body part is yelled out everyone quickly matches their body part with their partners.

3. After you do a few body parts the facilitator yells, ‘And People to People’ at which time everyone changes partners and you start over.

Name: Simon saysObjectives: Children need to listen to instructionsMaterials: NoneProcedure:1. One person is ‘Simon’, the others are the

players. 2. Standing in front of the group, Simon tells

players what they must do. However, the players must only obey commands that begin with the words "Simon Says."

3. If Simon says, "Simon says touch your nose," then players must touch their nose. But, if Simon simply says, "jump," without first saying "Simon says," players must not jump.

4. Children that do what Simon says when they shouldn’t, must stand out of the game. They can re-join after a few rounds of Simon calling out instructions so they don’t miss out on the fun.

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Concerns: Make sure that you don’t yell body parts that are inappropriate (like chest to chest, mouth to mouth, and so on)

Name: River / bankObjectives: Children to concentrate on listening to instructions to decide which side of the line they should beMaterials: NoneProcedure: 1. In the middle of the open space in

which you’ll play, draw a long line in the sand (or use string to make a marker).

2. The left side of the line is the river bank, and the right side of the line is the river.

3. The children start off standing on the ‘riverbank’ along the line that divides the river from the bank.

4. The facilitator will then call out either river, or bank. The children have to jump over the line, to the side that the facilitator has called out.

5. The facilitators will speed up the instructions, and try and catch children out.

6. If they are on the wrong side, children are ‘out’

Name: Trick ClapObjectives: Children to concentrate on waiting for the right moment to clapMaterials: NoneProcedure: 1. The facilitator holds one hand high in the air and the other one next to their sides.

2. They explain to the group that whenever the facilitator’s hands pass each other moving up or down, the group is to clap. Try this a couple of times slowly to give the group a chance to try it out. They must clap as the hands pass each other.

3. Start mixing in some tricks where the hands look like they are going to pass each other but do not.

4. It is good to end with the hands passing each other often and quickly creating an applause sound from the group.

There are many more energisers you can play with your Eco-Club Children. You might know of songs that have actions, or traditional games that will get them moving and energised. There are also a few links in the reference section that you can use to research other energising games.

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Trainer’s Notes

PART 2

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Summary of the day’s activities:

Use the Group Work ideas from page 20 of this book to conduct this session.

Why is being a mentor so important? What skills make a good mentor? Revise the CITW pyramid Talk about the various activities you did – which were their favourites? What have they

learnt today?

Trainer’s Notes:

Go through the lesson plans from Eco-Club Book 1. Encourage the participants to take notes and ask questions about the lessons.

The lessons start on page 28 of the Participant’s workbook.


ECO-CLUB LESSONSTIPPY TAPSUse the lesson on page 14 of the Eco-Club Book 1 to build a tippy tap. Be sure to discuss how important tippy taps are for both saving water and for hygiene reasons.

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WEB OF LIFEUse the lesson on page 20 of Eco-Club Book 1 to conduct a lesson on the web of life.Be sure to talk about: The importance of the sun – without the sun, nothing in the web would

survive The importance of even the smallest part of the food web. You can do this in

the following way:o Choose a seemingly small / unimportant part of the web, for example a

mushroom.o Have the mushroom gently tug on the string. The rest of the

participants should concentrate, and if they feel their piece of the string being tugged, they should put their hand up. This will quickly show how one missing element in the food web could affect many others.

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FOOD CHAINS AND WEBSFollowing on from the Web of Life, use the lesson on page 28 of Eco-Club Book 1. PLANTS IN THE SCHOOL GROUNDUse the lesson on page 36 of the Eco-Club Book 1 to conduct this lesson. Participants have space in their workbooks to draw and write. ANIMAL ADAPTATIONSUse the lesson on page 45 of Eco-Club Book 1 to run this lesson. Participants have instructions in their workbooks to help guide the process. WATER CYCLEUse the lesson page 24 of Eco-Club Book 1 to run this lesson. Set the experiment up first and then to the theory.

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CLIMATE CHANGEUse the lesson on page 26 of Eco-Club Book 1 to run this lesson. Participants have space to draw pictures and take notes. 1. Basic introduction to Climate Change2. Play the WESSA game3. Climate change and trees

CLIMATE CHANGE AND TREESDid you know?Rainforests and wooded areas across the world are in terrible danger. It is estimated that 7million hectares, or 70 000km2 are lost every year! It’s estimated that this is between 3.5 and 7 billion trees!

Why are trees being cut down at such an alarming rate?We use trees for so many different purposes. Think about what you use trees and their by-products for, and write them in the block below:

Apart from the uses of trees that you’ve listed above, other contributing factors to deforestation include: Timber harvesting Agricultural expansion

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Wildfires Construction of roads for resource mining and extraction, pipelines, and

power lines Expansion of transportation networks via roads…and on a planet with 7.6 billion people, it’s easy to understand that the demand for space, food and other resources is increasing by the minute! What are the impacts of deforestation?A few impacts of deforestation include: A loss of biodiversity – certain species of plants, animals, insects, birds and

other creatures, occur only in a particular habitat. Forest habitats are especially diverse, and it is thought that there are many species that live in forests but are yet to be discovered. For example, just one area of forest — Indonesia’s rainforests — covers just 1% of the Earth’s land area, but contains 10 percent of the world’s known plant species, 12%of mammal species — including endangered orangutans and critically endangered Sumatran tigers and rhinos - and 17 percent of all known bird species.

Loss of Carbon Sinks and Increased Climate Change - Forests, and especially rainforests, absorb and therefore store massive amounts of carbon. They serve as carbon sinks, absorbing carbon released into the atmosphere from the burning of fossil fuels.

Land use issues – deforestation can impact the communities who depend on forests and trees for their livelihoods. It could also be impacting protected land, national parks and so on.

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How trees help fight climate changeTrees are extremely important. Without trees, we would not have the beautiful, diverse landscapes that make our natural heritage as special as it is, and we would not have fresh, clean air to breathe. Carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere is necessary for plants and trees to grow. The carbon cycle is the exchange of carbon between all of the earth’s components — the atmosphere, oceans and rivers, rocks and sediments, and living things. The processes of photosynthesis and respiration are the basis of

the carbon cycle.

The carbon cycle involves the flow of carbon between different earth systems. An object or process that absorbs and stores carbon is called a sink, while one that releases carbon faster than it is absorbed is termed a source. For example, a healthy plant is a carbon sink because it is taking in CO2 from the air and storing it in new leaves and roots and a larger stem. Humans have a large impact on the worldwide carbon cycle. Fossil fuels, including coal, oil, and natural gas, all contain large amounts of carbon that was formed during the decomposition of plants and animals over millions of years. Burning fossil fuels releases large amounts of CO2 and other greenhouse gases (GHGs) into the atmosphere faster than natural processes. Changes in land use, especially deforestation, also contribute to elevated levels of atmospheric CO2. Although plants absorb some of the additional CO2, most of the GHGs remain in the atmosphere and contribute to climate change.Trees are essential in the fight against climate change: Trees use sunlight to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through

photosynthesis, and then store it as carbon. One of the practical ways to combat climate change is to plant more trees in order to take more carbon out of the atmosphere.

What else can you do to fight climate change?

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The sun (light energy), water, nutrients and carbon dioxide are all taken in by the plant.

The plant then uses them to make glucose/sugar, which is the energy/food for the plant.

Oxygen is also produced by the plant in this cycle, which is then let off into the air.


Reuse, reduce, recycle:o This means that less material needs to be extracted to make products

Replace lightbulbs with energy efficient bulbs Walk, cycle, jog, start lift clubs – all in an effort to reduce gas emissions. Farm sustainably Think globally, act locally

o If you do your bit locally, this will have an impact on the rest of the world

List other ways in which you can help with the fight against climate change:

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Let everyone sweep in front of his own door, and the whole world will be clean - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe


PROJECT IDEAS

1. TWO-FOR-ONE TREE PLANTING

Through your Children in the Wilderness Eco-Club, you can be a part of our project to ‘Green the Delta’. Since the cutting down, and use of trees, is inevitable we need to be sure that we are replacing what we use. In fact, it is advisable to plant two trees for every one you remove or cut down. Here are a few ideas to get you started: Plant indigenous trees – their impact on the environment is not harmful.

Among many other reasons, indigenous trees grow according to their surroundings and have adapted to our rainfall patterns so are far better suited to coping with local conditions.

o Have your Eco-Club children research more about this Start collecting seeds to grow seedlings, and create a nursery which you can

use to replenish deforested areas. Investigate whether it is possible to collect seeds from reserves where

species occur naturally.

NOTES

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The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now – Chinese proverb





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2. BUILD USING ECO-BRICKSWhat is an Eco-Brick?An Eco-Brick is a ‘brick’ made from recyclable plastic. Eco-Bricks are a very clever way of reusing materials, and are good for the environment Plastic is the result of a hundreds of millions of years process that transformed ancient forests and algae into petroleum and natural gas under the earth. Plastic is also the result of a century of focused human innovation to create such miraculous things as photographic film, water-fast containers, and all sorts of devices that enable our modern life.However, plastic has a devastating effect on the environment: There are 500 times more pieces of microplastic in the sea than there are

stars in our galaxy and by 2050 it is estimated there will be more plastic than fish

For some 79 per cent of the plastic produced over the last 70 years has been thrown away, either into landfill sites or into the general environment. Just nine per cent is recycled with the rest incinerated.

Some plastic is toxic and it can disrupt hormones crucial for a healthy existence.

How to make an Eco-BrickThe best part of making Eco-Bricks is that they force you to clean up first! You need to collect dry, clean, plastic waste to fill the bottles, so a clean-up project is the start of your Eco-Brick project, and is a great idea to be doing anyway as an Eco-Club.

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Build using your Eco-Bricks MAKE AN ECO-BENCHLay your eco-bricks together to create the base and back of your bench. Use chicken wire, or get creative with other recyclable materials, to keep the bottles together. Make your own clay to cover your bench. This is an example of one by an Eco-Club in Zimbabwe:

MAKE ‘MODULES’The easiest, fastest, and perhaps the most fun ecobrick application, is to make Milstein modules. With MMs you can create benches, table, chairs and more. All you need is 12 Ecobricks to start! We have found that silicone sealant works best to assemble the modules.Visit this website to learn how to make these:

https://www.ecobricks.org/modules

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https://www.ecobricks.org/modules


COB BOTTLE BUILDING The most enduring and greenest way to build with Eco-Bricks is using cob as mortar. This method is ideal for building simple garden spaces, playgrounds and walls. Cob is an ancient building technique that makes use of local clay, sand and straw to make a mortar that is resilient, strong, beautiful, and thermal-retentive. https://www.ecobricks.org/earth/

ECO-BLOCKSEco-Brickers in South Africa have come up with a way to build modular units with Eco-Bricks. These simple modules just require a plywood sheet to hold them together.

https://www.ecobricks.org/build/

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https://www.ecobricks.org/build/

https://www.ecobricks.org/earth/


CLOSING

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Summary of the day’s activities:

Participants to complete evaluation forms

Use the Group Work ideas from page 20 of this book to conduct this session.

Why is being a mentor so important? What skills make a good mentor? Revise the CITW pyramid Talk about the various activities you did – which were their favourites? What have they

learnt today?


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