Parents, teachers and learners at Parkview Pre-Primary School recently created an exhibit of a rainforest within their school grounds to teach children about the threat orangutans face due to palm oil cultivation.
The impressive installation celebrates International Day of Forests, which took place on 21 March. The day, organised by the United Nations, aims to raise global awareness regarding the role of forests in the environment.
Children gathered plants, leaves, bark and palm fruit and made decorations including paper insects, reptiles and animals for the display. They also brought from home a number of prized toys, among them fluffy orangutans and other forest friends.
Parents and teachers, helped by a generous donation from Life Landscapes and Floriculture Wholesale Growers, added large ferns, forest plants and a water mister and audio track of rainforest sounds to add to the sensory experience. The orangutan fluffy toys hung happily on branches of the forest canopy.
School executive Debbie Brown, who heads up The World Around Us committee at Parkview Pre-Primary said, “We wanted our children to learn more about these charismatic, most loved animals, how special and valuable they are and how they are meant to live in their lush rainforest habitat.
“The idea that palm oil cultivation is destroying the homes of orangutans is quite a big concept for little people, but we managed to create awareness in a gentle but exciting and interactive way.”
The children spent hours exploring the rainforest exhibit, getting to experience first-hand the different layers that the exhibit reproduces.
The rainforest will be up for another week and the school encourages visitors to come and enjoy an interactive learning experience. For more information, email Debbie on parkview@vodamail.co.za
Related articles:
https://www.citizen.co.za/rosebank-killarney-gazette/233409/pre-primary-children-make-an-art-pollution-demonstration/
https://www.citizen.co.za/rosebank-killarney-gazette/215712/little-ones-parkview-pre-primary-school-visit-melville-koppies/
