Node-based activities

• School-based monitoring:

SAEON has established school-based monitoring projects at school around their nodes. These programmes give learners and educators the opportunity to develop their data literacy, statistics and data visualisation skills. They are also encouraged to use this data to design projects for science expos and competitions.

- Weather Stations: Automatic weather stations have been set up at schools. Learners are exposed to data analysis and interpretation using the data collected from their school’s weather station. The data is used as part of the regular teaching curriculum and offers a fantastic opportunity to link science to data that is relevant and localised.

- Argo Floats are used by the Egagasini Node to expose learners to data analysis and interpretation. Learners utilise data from Argo Floats to conceptualise and design reaserch projects.

• Learner Support:

SAEON Staff, including the scientists and technicians, are closely involved with learners and educators in selected schools, and are committed to assisting and mentoring these learners from grade 9 to 11.

- Science Camps

Learners are hosted for a week of fun and hands-on science activties. During science camps learners conceptualise and design their own mini-research projects. They allso collect and analyse data. Finally they present the findings from their mini-research project.

Workshops

Educators are encouraged and equipped to creatively teach science by incorporating monitoring data and data gathering exercises in the classroom. SAEON implements educator training workshops and develops educator training manuals for environmental science education programmes.

- SAEON Kids Competition

The SAEON Kids competition encourages learners to become passionately curious about environmental science and develop innovative environmental science projects.

- Eskom and other Science Expos

We encourage and assist learners with science projects that are presented at these expos. SAEON also awards prizes at the Eskom Expo International Science Fair for the best projects related to environmental monitoring.

• Science Awareness:

- SciFest

- National Science Week

- National Marine Week

-School based science days