Padda Preschool in Wilderness Heights have been educating children from ages 3 to 6 years since 2006. Every year the school takes the children on an educational field trip in order to show them things in real life which they have learned about in school. Says owner Debbie Parkin: “The children love and appreciate these outings, but without sponsors we can simply not afford it”.
On 26th October this year, twenty children and five staff members went to the Cango Wildlife Ranch outside Oudtshoorn together with Community Liaison Officer Samantha Mc Culloch and PhD student Lisa Heider from the Sustainability Research Unit (SRU) at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University. Since 2013 the SRU has made an effort to support the school with donations towards annual field trip expenses. This year SRU sponsored the transport to the Cango Wildlife Ranch.
The kids were very well behaved and had much fun. The day’s activities included a tour of the Valley of Ancients and the predator enclosures. Highlights for the kids were the crocodile feeding and seeing the white Tiger. Afterwards, they had a good lunch and were allowed to run wild in the children’s play park. The day was thoroughly enjoyed by all!