There's nothing quite like a sleep-away camp to get learners off the couch during weekends and school holidays, away from Wi-Fi and detached from their cell phones in favour of game drives, hands-on science activities, swimming and exploring the great outdoors.

In January this year, the SAEON Arid Lands Node held its first grade 11 science camp at Good Hope Private Nature Reserve, a stone’s throw away from Barkly West in the Northern Cape. The camp focused on encouraging learners to re-establish their connection with nature by working in the field with scientists and education professionals.

The main purpose of this camp was to bid farewell to the grade 11 learners who had been part of the SAEON Education Outreach Programme since grade 9. The programme aimed to prepare the learners for the year ahead, and encourage them to work hard and stay committed to their educational journey.

Over the past three years, the Node has held camps and workshops offering interactive activities to learners from grades 9 to 11. Each year these activities differed according to the grades - the higher the grade the higher the level of hands-on science activities.

"The science camp activities are tried and true, and learners love them," says the Node’s education officer, Omphile Khutsoane. "They’re mostly activities that teachers in the classroom don’t have the equipment to do. We attempt to supplement what is learnt in the classroom. There is no homework; just a lot of interactive and fun science activities."

Learners leave the camps more in touch with the environment and wanting to find out more. The SAEON programme has sparked a love for environmental science in a cohort of bright young would-be scientists during their involvement over the past three years. The time and energy invested in these learners has indeed been worthwhile.

Learners recall the time they spent with SAEON since the beginning of their journey…

"I was first introduced to SAEON in 2014 when I was in grade 9. SAEON has been with me ever since, and has always helped me with my school work and projects. They also supported me in 2015 and 2016 when I entered the Eskom Expo for Young Scientists. With their support we managed to win a silver award for our project.

"The SAEON camp I attended has helped me to improve my presentation skills. I enjoy working with people and my view about the environment has totally changed due to the things I have learned. I now know the importance of monitoring our trees and rivers, how different animals adapt to different habitats, what they eat, how they protect themselves against predators and the role animals play in our lives, which is why we need to take good care of them." - Ayesha Sithole

"My learning experience with SAEON has changed my attitude towards many things in life, not forgetting how much of a better person it made me, and for that reason I am proud to say I am a SAEON kid. Every experience I have had with SAEON has been worthwhile.

"SAEON introduced me to a world I had no idea existed and took me to places I never thought I would visit. SAEON has taught me and developed me. It has taught me a lot about nature and our environment. I now know what I want to become in the future - because of SAEON I have a career. I say SAEON rocks. There is no place like home and home is where SAEON is. Thank you SAEON! Ndo livhuwa! Kea leboga! Dankie SAEON!" - Reitumetse Mocuminyane

"My journey with SAEON has been an awesome one. Being part of SAEON has increased my thinking capacity when it comes to science. The programme has also increased my investigating skills. I have learned how to do activities such as vegetation monitoring, miniSASS and how to build my confidence.

"Being part of the SAEON programme has had a positive influence on my learning at school because it gave me an opportunity to apply in practice what we are taught in science and geography. I used the programme to my own advantage and it has helped me a lot. Before SAEON I was never eager to learn about nature, but now I want to learn more about things concerning nature. I am grateful for the motivation and advice in choosing a career path. Thank you!" - Thuto Mogorosi