Day 27 – The hills were alive with the chatter of children!

40 days – 40 hikes – Walking 4 Education

I never teach my pupils; I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn ~ Albert Einstein

Today was the school hike to Lone Rock. All the children met us on the front lawn at 9am and we snaked our way up the driveway and past Top Dams.

More than 60 children, 2 dogs, a few teachers and a couple of hangers-on. What a wonderful crowd on the hillside. If you are ever down in the dumps, children will always bring out the positive and the fun side of life and they were just fantastic this morning. Interested in everything, chatting happily and enjoying the great outdoors.

On the way up we looked at the Leonotis leonurus – Wild Dagga – in flower. We discussed its Zulu name – utshwala-bezinyoni – the beer of the bird – what a great name! We spoke about the birds that drank from this vibrant orange plant. Children just love to learn…

Shortly before we arrived at Lone Rock we had to have a snack stop. The little ones (some have only just turned 4!) needed a little sustenance. A few bites to eat, a bit more energy and we made our way to the paintings. They enjoyed looking at them. We chatted about the Bushmen and how they lived, what their paintings told us and how we need to care and preserve them. We found a protea pod and then we all learnt a new word Fibonacci… the most efficient way to pack as much as possible into a space!

We were like a giant worm on the mountainside and the hills were alive with the sound of chattering…. we made our way down and safely home. What a lovely way to spend a morning and oh my word there is plenty to learn in the great outdoors!

All proceeds from our 40-days will go to support the children of Royal Drakensberg Primary. To support us please click this link

Update!

An update of the progress to date: