EnviroKids January 2019 Issue

Contents

Editor’s Letter

Happy New Year EnviroKids! I'd like to think that January is the best month of the year. Not only because it's my birthday month, but because it represents new beginings for everyone. It's a time when we set new goals and challenge ourselves to be better than we were before. January offers us a fresh start and a clean slate. What we choose to do during the coming months will define how satisfied we are in December. My hope is that you spend 2019 growing, learning, and caring more about the Earth. Just as WESSA (Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa) has done for the past 93 years. It's thanks to WESSA that we have the EnviroKids magazine to learn from and enjoy. Speaking of, did you know that EnviroKids turns 40 this year? That's four decades of

6 WESSA Education Centres This is where the fun is! 10 Join these WESSA Youth Programmes. 12 Do you know your habitats? Learn about our various biomes and who li ves where. 14 Go under the sea and explore what lies beneath. 16 How does a plant grow? Find out here + get a Tree of the Year poster. 18 Animals. Vertebrates or invertebrates? Learn to classify them yourself. 22 The Human Body must be one of the most incredible designs. 20 Animals. Who's the smartest and the fastest?

28 Have some fun, colour in, and match animals to their habitats. 27 Competition! Win a stay at uMngeni Valley + a zip-lining adventure for the family!

2 Enviro News. What’s been happening in our environment. 4 Calendar. Diarise these dates and celebrate. 5 Book Club. Here’s our top picks of must-read books this term. 26 Letters Here's what our wonderful readers have to say! Regulars

Carina spreading environmental awareness and encouraging young minds like yours to pay attention to the world around you. If you need some brushing up on classify- ing animals, visit page 18, or page 16 for learning about the structure of plants. What's a birthday without a present, you ask? Visit page 27 to see how you can win a family getaway for four to WESSA's uMngeni Nature Reserve in KwaZulu-Na- tal. Having stayed there myself, I can promise you don't want to miss out!

For Fun

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About the Cover What's more fun than a day out with friends in the sun? The young girl on our cover says it all. Her expression is an exam- ple of the kind of joy that can only be achieved by being in nature. Put the cell phones away, close the lap tops, and head outside for some good old fashioned fun. Or better yet, visit one of the world-class WESSA Education Centres this year.

SUBSCRIBE Email: envirokids@wessa.co.za ADVERTISE/SPONSOR Email: envirokids@wessa.co.za WESSA MEMBERSHIP Visit www.wessa.org.za, Email: wessamembers@wessa.co.za

Editing Assistance: Nadine Mason Design: Carina Borralho Printed by Printulu With thanks to Phindile Molefe and Sarah Alcock for additional support. Publisher: WESSA

Official quarterly publication of WESSA (incorporated association, not for gain). Registered NPO 000-716 The views expressed in this magazine do not necessarily reflect those of WESSA. Copyright on all content belongs to WESSA and the individual contributors. No part may be reproduced or resold in any form without the written consent of the publisher. Photocopies may be made for non-profit educational purposes provided the source of the material is clearly acknowledged.

P.O. Box 394, Howick, 3290 www.wessa.org.za ISSN 1995-6703 Reg. No. 05/04658/08

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or contact 031 201 3126 Editor: Carina Borralho envirokids@wessa.co.za

Learn This

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