Old Mutual Foundation: Out of the Box

Out of the Box is an initiative of the Old Mutual Foundation and comprises a kit of instruction material for teachers and a simple yet comprehensive manual. The material enables teachers to use South Africa's rich environmental and cultural diversity to teach science, mathematics, biology and geography.

It can be difficult for teachers to fire youngsters' enthusiasm in subjects they perceive as abstract, boring or hard to grasp – all the more so in schools that are under-resourced and crowded.

Out of the Box was compiled with this in mind, with the input and partnership of the WWF, WESSA, Maths Centre, Eco-schools, Primary Science Projects, and the Schools Development Unit at UCT.

The kit fires youngsters' inherent interest in the natural world and encourages scientific thinking and a hands-on interest in learning, like discovering what makes more rain fall on one side of a mountain than another, how an earthworm's gullet can make your veggies more nutritious, how many hours of sunshine your hometown gets a month, or why beads play a role in coming-of-age ceremonies.

The components of the kit are durable and given that they’re subject to wear and tear, are easily replaced.

Eco-Logical Sponsors

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