Monday afternoons are extramural time at St Gregory Primary School. The Outdoor Club has learners yearning for more after each fun filled activity.

Mr Jansen started the year’s meetings off by teaching the learners about some of our country’s endangered animals and indigenous plants.
The learners then had a chance to have a closer look at these plants in the school’s garden. The following week saw the learners pair up to put their co-ordination skills to the test in a water balloon volleyball match.

The learners had to show their creative skills during the third meeting and competed against each other in a paper hat competition. Naledi won the senior section with Azande beating everyone in the junior section.

A week later the seniors went for a cross country cycling trip on a nearby farm. Despite the mud from the recent rains, the learners had a lot of fun. The junior learners will have a cycling event later on during the year.

A part of reason for the Outdoor Club is to strengthen the pride our learners have in being part of the school and the town of Estcourt, as well as to develop a sense of responsibility.

Therefore, armed with gloves and refuse bags, the club took to the school grounds for a chicken parade. However, their work only truly started once they reached the sidewalk in front of the school. The sixth meeting once again challenged the learners creatively. They had to design and construct their own trolley before pitting it against their friends in a race. Troy came first with his trolley in the junior race and Sfundo took gold in the senior race.

The current drought in South Africa inspired the next week’s topic: Water conservation. The learners first listened to information on water conservation and then learned how to make their very own water filter using an empty cooldrink bottle, cloth, some stones and sand. The learners made their own water filters and tested it with muddy water.

Last week was the final meeting for the term. The learners learned valuable skills to use in the kitchen and made their own pizzas. Everyone had something delicious to take home at the end of the day.

St Gregory is glad to see the interest our learners have in the world around them and we expect that the club’s numbers will continue to grow in the second term.