Learners take a trip back in time at Maropeng

Prehistoric humans, fossils and a glimpse of Earth thousands of years ago kept the learners of Forest Hill Primary School enthralled when they recently toured the Maropeng 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 35 children.

The learners of Forest Hill Primary 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. Afterwards they entered the swirling Vortex, before emerging in front of an Earth projected on a giant globe, to see how the continents as we know them today were formed.

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

“It was exciting having the learners in our Visitor Centre,” says Magel van de Venter, education marketing executive of Maropeng. “To see them enjoying the interactive display and intrigued with the fossils is always great fun.”

Cassandra Stark, head of department of the Intersen Phase at Forest Hill Primary School, says, “Our learners thoroughly enjoyed their visit to Maropeng, the Sterkfontein Caves, and the boat ride that took them back in time, and were enthralled by the Vortex.”

Maropeng is a stone’s throw from the Sterkfontein Caves and schools can book for the Maropeng tour that covers the Visitor Centre as well as the Sterkfontein Cave tours. These can be booked as stand-alones 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,” says Van de Venter. “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 us feeling proud and inspired, and above all having had lots of fun!”