Crawford Times | Sept 2020
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SPRING ISSUE 2020
Plus: Hybrid Teaching • Perfect Picnic Basket • Managing Burnout
CONTENTS
2 | Spotlight News
5 | Taste Bud Battle Entries Have Closed!
11 | Insight Into the IB Primary Years
Programme
14 | Hybrid Teaching and Learning
18 | Maintaining a Positive Mindset and
Managing Burnout During Covid-19
22 | Emotional Regulation is Key
24 | Crawford Alumni
32 | School Pages
56 | Training Together - A Family Affair
58 | Best Ingredients for the Perfect Picnic
Basket
62 | 10 Most Wacky Ice-Cream Flavours
of the World
65 | Top 10 Kids’ Dream Careers
70 | Gear Up for 10 Unique Local Landmarks
74 | Landmark Motoring
Published by: Contact Media
Publishers: Donna Verrydt/Sean Press
Editorial Director: Debra Wagner/Robyn Swanepoel
(CrawfordSchools TM )
Editorial Manager: Christelle Wolmarans
Editor: Donna Verrydt (Contact Media)
Head of Finance: Lesley Fox (Contact Media)
Design: Janine Louw
Copy Editor: Natalie Kinsley
Production Coordinator: Christelle Wolmarans
Writers / Contributors: Natalie Kinsley,
Donna Verrydt and Christelle Wolmarans, Adam Botha,
Kerri-Lee Evangelidis, Ian Rothman, Traci Salter-Willis
and Morag Rees
Repro & Print: CTP
SCHOOL SCOOP
CRAWFORD’S
TREMENDOUS 10!
Leading the inspiration for
our theme this issue are the
10 tremendous campuses
that make up the
CrawfordSchools portfolio.
Nine of our campuses can
be found in Gauteng and
KwaZulu-Natal in South
Africa, with the remaining
campus in Kenya.
1
2
Each school facility is
so much more than a
passive container of the
educational process – it
is an integral component of
learning and each location
contributes to a unique learning
experience where students,
teachers and the community
engage in excellence.
Among this school group there is
a campus that is suitable for every
child, from big to small – a place
where they can come to their
own and thrive as an individual.
Crawford International Bedfordview
3
Crawford Fourways
Crawford International Bryanston
4
Crawford International Kenya
5
Image @ STEPHEN RAILTON
6
7
Crawford La Lucia
Crawford Lonehill
Crawford International Ruimsig
8
9
10
Crawford North Coast
Crawford Pretoria
Crawford Sandton
2 | Crawford Times
Snap Happy
WINNER!
And the results are in...
In 3rd position with a total of 316 likes is...
TEDDY BEARS BY VYAAN NAIDOO
Age: 5
Crawford Preparatory North Coast
In 2nd position with a total of 349 likes is...
FLOWER POWER BY VARANYA PERUMAL
Age: 5
Crawford Preparatory North Coast
And the winner,
with 503 likes, is...
JORDAN DAVID
from Crawford Preparatory North Coast
Submission name: Teddy Bears
Photographer: Vyaan Naidoo, Grade 5,
Crawford Preparatory North Coast
Submission name: Flower Power
Photographer: Varanya Perumal, Grade 5,
Crawford Preparatory North Coast
WINNER!
JORDAN WINS A VOUCHER
TO THE VALUE OF R5,000!
Congratulations Jordan!
We will send your prize to
you and we will make it snappy!
Photographer: Jordan David,
Crawford Preparatory North Coast
Every child a masterpiece | 3
TASTE BUD BATTLE
ENTRIES HAVE CLOSED!
HERE IS A SNAPSHOT OF SOME OF
THE ENTRIES WE RECEIVED...
Name: Emily Jacobs
Age: 6
Town: Gauteng
Dish: Citrus Cup
CLICK HERE
to see Emily’s entry
RETURN
ENTRY!
Name: Taya Steiner
Age: 13
Town: Gauteng
Dish: Orange
Decadence
CHECK OUT
HER VIDEO
SPOTLIGHT NEWS
Entries for the 2020 Taste Bud Battle have finally closed, and we are proud to announce that we
have received a record number of entries from all over South Africa and even beyond our borders!
We have let all semi-finalists know that they made it through to the next round, which includes
the Taste Tests and then on to the Final Cook-Off.
Name: Nehali Seebran
Age: 9
Town: Durban
Dish: Fruity Salmon Sushi Cake
CLICK HERE to
see Nehali’s entry
Name: Tali Kowalsky
Age: 12
Town: Gauteng
Dish: Tali’s Fruit Fiesta
CLICK HERE
to see Tali’s entry
Name: Shengzhe Hu
Age: 9
Town: Eastern Cape
Dish: Mango Milk Pudding
CHECK OUT
HIS VIDEO
2020
www.tastebudbattle.co.za
SPOTLIGHT NEWS
CHECK OUT
HER VIDEO
Name: Mia Stanley
Age: 9
Town: Western Cape
Dish: Mia’s Raspberry & Blueberry Sponge Cake Surprise
Name: Jessica Bieri
Age: 9
Town: Western Cape
Dish: Tantalising Strawberry Delight
CHECK OUT
HER VIDEO
Name: Neo Dithupe
Age: 15
Town: Pretoria
Dish: Fun Fruit Pavlova
CHECK OUT
HER VIDEO
Name: Resego
Kungwane
Age: 6
Town: North West
Dish: Fruity
Rainbow Jelly
Taste Bud Battle
facts and stats
CHECK OUT
HER VIDEO
Province submissions
42
Western
Cape
20
KwaZulu-
Natal
Name: Hawa Bibi Moolla
Age: 16
Town: KwaZulu-Natal
Dish: Berry Mousse Entremet
373 175
profiles
registered
26
Eastern
Cape
final
dishes
1
Free State
CHECK OUT
THE VIDEO
75
Gauteng
3
George
2
Limpopo
2
North
West
1
Northern
Cape
3
Outside SA
THE TASTE BUD
BATTLE KIDS TAKE
SPOTLIGHT NEWS
Pride and the Taste Bud Battle Kids were invited to spend the day at Cresta Shopping Centre
where they completed a treasure hunt in Toys R Us, followed by an awesome book scout
at Exclusive Books. The adventure concluded with a sushi-making workshop at John Dory’s
Cresta Shopping Centre!
Click on the video links below to see the kids’ big day out at Cresta Shopping Centre.
Click here on the Facebook link to go to the
Taste Bud Battle competition page where
you could WIN:
1. One of 10 x R100 gift vouchers to spend at Toys R Us Cresta Shopping Centre.
2. One of 10 x R100 gift vouchers to spend at Exclusive Books,
Cresta Shopping Centre.
3. One of 10 x R50 vouchers to spend at John Dory’s,
Cresta Shopping Centre.
2020
WITS
AN EXCEPTIONAL UNIVERSITY
Wits is a remarkable university that is internationally distinguished for its
excellent research, high academic standards and commitment to social justice.
DID YOU KNOW THAT WITS:
• is the largest producer of medical specialists and sub/super-specialists in
southern Africa?
• is ranked 200 - 300 globally (Academic Ranking of World Universities)?
• is in the top 100 globally in clinical medicine, public health, and mining
engineering?
• is placing its graduates at the forefront of the new digital economy (the Fourth
Industrial Revolution) through exposure to the Tshimologong Digital Innovation
Zone, big data, digital business and many other inter-related initiatives?
• acts as a change agent to make the world a better place e.g. numerous
academics were recipients of The Order of the Baobab?
• doctors performed the world’s fi rst intentional HIV+ liver transplant
from mom to save child’s life.
28
Recognised by peers
internationally as global
leaders in their fi eld.
A solid history of nearly
100 years
The only globally ranked university in Johannesburg,
the economic heartland of the continent
Over
180,000 alumni
Is one of the
top two
universities in Africa
& amongst the world’s
top 250 universities
in major global rankings
6
DSI/NRF Centres of
96
of our research is published in
Excellence
internationally
Highest of all SA universities Percent competitive journals
APPLICATIONS FOR THE UNDERGRADUATE CLASS OF 2021 ARE NOW OPEN
www.wits.ac.za/applications
10 | Crawford Times
www.wits.ac.za
SCHOOL FEATURE
INSIGHT INTO THE
IB PRIMARY
YEARS PROGRAMME
LOOKING INTO CONCEPTS AND DEVELOPING
CONCEPTUAL UNDERSTANDINGS
On the eve of the first International Baccalaureate teams visiting our Crawford
Preparatory Schools, to formally authorise the Primary School campuses as official
IB World schools offering the Primary Years Programme (PYP), we thought it would
be a great opportunity to reflect on one of the key essential elements of the PYP
Programme – concepts and developing conceptual understandings.
By Traci Salter-Willis, Head of IB: ADvTECH South Africa, Strategic Development Advisor
of ADvTECH Academic, and Director of Tournament of Minds, South Africa
A
concept is a “big idea” – a principle
or notion that is enduring and is not
constrained by a particular subject or
locked in place and time.
Concepts represent ideas that are broad, abstract,
timeless, and universal. Concepts add depth and
rigour in student thinking, as opposed to the traditional
“two-dimensional” curriculum consisting of facts and
skills only.
Concept-based learning moves beyond facts and
leads to breadth and depth of understanding.
Exploring concepts distinctly differs from exploring
facts in the following ways:
Facts
• Knowledge-based
• Content-driven
• Skills-related
• Supported by evidence
• Frequently topical
• Encourage recall and
comprehension
Concepts
• Open-ended
• Enable exploration of big ideas
• Highlight opportunities to compare and contrast
• Explore contradictions
• Lead to deeper disciplinary and transdisciplinary understandings
• Promote tranfer to familiar or less familiar situations, issues, ideas and contexts
• Encourage analysis and application
Every child a masterpiece | 11
SCHOOL FEATURE
Conceptual understanding invites
students to do the following:
• Think critically about big ideas.
• Recognise patterns.
• Make generalisations,
predictions and connections
across their learning, which is
across subjects.
• Transfer understanding to
different contexts (personal,
regional, local, global).
The PYP identifies seven key
concepts that facilitate planning
for a conceptual approach to
transdisciplinary and subjectspecific
learning. They can be
used in any order and as regularly
as students and teachers require.
THESE KEY CONCEPTS ARE DETAILED IN THE TABLE BELOW:
Key concepts Key questions Definition
Form What is it like? The understanding that everything has a form with
recognisable features that can be observed, identified,
described and categorised.
Function
Causation
Change
Connection
Perspective
Responsibility
How does it
work?
Why is it as
it is?
How is it
transforming?
How is it
linked to
other things?
What are
the points of
view?
What are our
obligations?
The understanding that everything has a purpose, a
role or a way of behaving that can be investigated.
The understanding that things do not just happen;
there are causal relationships at work, and that
actions have consequences.
The understanding that change is the process of
movement from one state to another. It is universal
and inevitable.
The understanding that we live in a world of
interacting systems in which the actions of any
individual element affect others.
The understanding that knowledge is moderated
by different points of view which lead to different
interpretations, understandings and findings;
perspectives may be individual, group, cultural or
subject-specific.
The understanding that people make choices based
on their understandings, beliefs and values, and the
actions they take as a result do make a difference.
Teachers promote and model
the development of conceptual
understanding through carefully
crafted questions, wonderings and
provocations that stimulate criticalthinking
skills by doing the following:
• Providing opportunities to
build on prior knowledge and
experience.
• Expanding beyond factual
knowledge.
• Stressing the importance of the
“how” and “why” of learning.
• Sparking student curiosity
and engaging them to think
conceptually.
• Inviting investigation.
• Inviting students to justify their
answers.
• Wording questions in ways that
are accessible to students.
• Asking open-ended questions to
allow for personal interpretation.
Concept-based inquiry is a
powerful vehicle for learning
that promotes meaning
and understanding, and
challenges students to
engage with significant
ideas. They integrate
new knowledge
with their existing
knowledge and
apply these
understandings
in a variety of
new contexts.
By identifying and
investigating key
concepts, students
learn to think
critically about
big ideas.
Let’s have a look at
how these key concepts
can enrich an inquiry into
butterflies as living creatures,
as opposed to simply
knowing facts
about butterflies.
• Encouraging pattern-finding in
student thinking.
12 | Crawford Times
CONCEPTUAL UNDERSTANDING
Living creatures have unique features that identify them and allow them to thrive and survive.
FORM – What is it like? FUNCTION – How does it work? CONNECTION – How is
it connected?
• What does it look like?
• Where are its eyes?
• What does it smell like?
• How big is it?
• What colour are its wings?
• How does it reproduce?
• How does it fly?
• How does it feed?
• How does it see?
• What do the antennae do?
• What eats butterflies?
• What use are butterflies to
humans?
• What do people mean by
‘the butterfly effect’?
CHANGE – How is it changing?
PERSPECTIVE – What are
the points of view?
REFLECTION – How do we know?
• What is its lifecycle like?
• Have they always been
orange?
• How has the population
changed?
• What were they like in the
past?
• Are all butterflies beautiful?
• Should we kill butterflies?
• Are butterflies pests?
• What’s your favourite butterfly?
• How do we know butterflies
eat nectar?
• How do we know the wings
of butterflies are made up of
tiny pieces?
CAUSATION – Why is it the way it is?
• Why are butterflies
symmetrical?
• Why did the peppered
moth change?
RESPONSIBILITY – What
is our responsibility?
• How can we help butterflies?
• Who do we need to educate
about butterflies?
• What is organic farming?
Whereas knowledge is locked in
time and place, the rich and fluid
context of the PYP encourages
conceptual understandings that
are changeable and may be
elaborated on or reinterpreted
as the students learning journey
continues through the different
Units of Inquiry as part of their IB
journey.
With understanding more of these
key concepts, the discussions
you engage in at home can
be readily extended to include
these and therefore allow for
engagement beyond facts and
skills alone. Give it a go!
Every child a masterpiece | 13
SCHOOL FEATURE
HYBRID TEACHING
AND LEARNING
This year started with a bang and little did we know that March 2020 was the
month where we would have our world turned upside down with the whole
country going into lockdown and schools having to embrace a whole new
way of approaching authentic teaching and learning.
By Ian Rothman, Senior Principal: Crawford Preparatory Fourways
There was great excitement
and apprehension as
we prepared ourselves
for moving into online
teaching and the staff spent
their holiday familiarising
themselves with the platform
that would allow them to stay
connected with their students
as we ‘returned to school’ for
the start of the second term in
April 2020. Schools are social
environments and one cannot
14 | Crawford Times
underestimate the importance of
the face-to-face contact. It allows
us the opportunity to connect
with our students, and also gives
us the chance to pre-empt
any situations that may affect
the students’ happiness and
performance at school.
Teaching online required that
we come up with really creative
ideas so that we continued to
stay connected with the students
and there was a great focus on
ensuring that they embraced
learning online as well as
remaining positive as their days
were spent indoors.
The second term of the academic
year saw us grow in confidence
teaching and learning online
and it was wonderful to see
how the students, parents and
staff managed to not only
follow the planned academic
programme but also enjoyed
planning for fun-filled events that
we were able to have online.
These included funky socks
and crazy hair days, cooking
and birthday celebrations,
dress as your teacher day and
everyone’s favourite – pyjama
day. These allowed us to have a
sense of normality during very
challenging times. We also stayed
connected as the students had
the opportunity to shift their focus
onto less serious matters as they
had to learn to cope with the
limited interaction with their peers.
When we started on this journey
there was so much that we all
had to learn, and days were
filled with highlights as well as
challenges where we wondered
if we would ever get this right.
The highlights included when
everyone managed to mute their
microphones before the start
of a lesson, the first submission
of work online and conducting
assessments when the children
were not in a classroom. The
challenges included connectivity,
managing students who all
wanted to say something at the
same time, and not always being
able to see how the students were
doing as they were only identified
by an icon on a screen.
June 2020, another month of
change as we prepared to
welcome back to school the
first group of students after the
full lockdown. There was great
excitement on the first day as
we heard the voices of excited
students returning to all our
Crawford School campuses,
something that we had missed
for over three months. Despite
all the safety protocols that
were in place, the students
were able to spend time with
friends, something that they had
really missed. With the students
returning to school, we faced a
different challenge and that was
how we were going to manage
to teach the students that were
in the classroom as well as the
students who were still online.
“
When we
started on this
journey there was
so much that we all
had to learn, and
days were filled with
highlights as well as
challenges where
we wondered if we
would ever get this
right.
”
Since the start of the lockdown
there were so many concepts
and approaches that we had
learned about and used for the
first time in our teaching careers,
and when the students returned,
it was the start of something new
– Hybrid Teaching and Learning.
Hybrid learning combines faceto-face
and online teaching into
one cohesive experience. There
are students who are on campus,
while some students continue to
work online. The traditional model
of education required that we
have to have children in class
for learning to happen, but we
have seen that we are able to
use so many different platforms
or approaches to ensure that our
students have every opportunity
to progress academically, socially
and emotionally.
There was a lot of planning
involved to ensure that we were
able to meet the needs of both
groups of students and we relied
heavily on effective technology
within our classrooms. There were
so many funny and memorable
moments at the start of the journey,
with staff members forgetting that if
they weren’t ‘strategically’ placed in
front of devices that were allowing
the students online to follow the
lessons, students not in class spent
the lessons interacting with their
teacher’s kneecaps. Despite this,
we have embraced the hybrid
model and have structured our
days in such a way that both
Every child a masterpiece | 15
SCHOOL FEATURE
groups of students can make the
most of the learning environment. It
is wonderful to see how responsible
the onsite and online students
have become. On campus, the
students follow the safety protocols
and have adapted so well to the
expectations of being back on
campus and the students who are
online login to their lessons and are
active participants in everything
that is happening in class.
With so much uncertainty about
what the remainder of the
academic year has in store for
us, the one guarantee is that
we have managed to meet the
needs of hybrid teaching and
this will allow us to create new
opportunities as we continue
throughout the year. As schools,
we have embraced change
and worked hard at being the
best we can be for all the roleplayers
in our schools. We have all
acquired new skills and realised
that every interaction requires
energy, engagement and focus,
and we must never underestimate
the importance of a sense of
community. Our successes are
due to amazing parental support,
teacher commitment, student
engagement and our need to
have the students experience a
sense of predictability, with great
surprises around every corner.
WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?
Resilience – Whatever comes
our way, we will embrace it
and make the best of it.
Crawford teachers live by
‘A Commitment to Excellence’,
working hard to ensure that
their students experience
success online and in class.
Teachers have had the
opportunity to create great
learning environments for
their students. They’ve been
creative, accepted change,
solved problems and
maintained relationships.
This would not have been
possible if we didn’t have the
support of our parents. Their
assistance has guaranteed
that we have been able
to maintain an excellent
academic programme.
WHAT HAVE WE SEEN IN OUR STUDENTS SINCE THE START OF ONLINE
LEARNING AND THE INTRODUCTION OF HYBRID TEACHING?
• The students take greater
responsibility for their own
learning. Work that needs to
be done independently is
done with enthusiasm and a
determination to succeed.
• Online etiquette and
effective communication.
The students are engaged
during online sessions and
understand the challenges
of having children in class
and online.
• With the Hybrid model, every
student is able to access
Technology allows us to
enhance our learning
programme as well as
understand that we have new
opportunities with the use of
online learning.
Learning material can be
accessed from anywhere
and students can be
connected to the learning
content at any time.
We can enhance the learning
experience, using platforms
to appeal to the needs of
our students with the use
of multimedia.
We can track progress by
analysing engagement with the
learning material and therefore
identify areas requiring support
and enrichment.
information presented by the
teacher at the same time.
Students can continue to
have authentic relationships
with their peers even if they are
not in the same place at the
same time.
• The students understand that
there are still class norms
and that they can still have
wonderful engagements in
class and online.
• Students embrace change
and adapt to everything they
have to cope with.
We can’t go back, and as educators we look forward to
continuing to experience the changes in the educational
landscape. We are inspired by what is still to come and the
connection between our students and teachers is at the heart of
quality education. This will continue and not be limited by time,
space and where we may find ourselves.
16 | Crawford Times
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PARENT FEATURE
MAINTAINING A POSITIVE MINDSET
AND MANAGING
BURNOUT DURING
COVID-19
Do you feel like you’re close to burnout? Do you feel fragmented, overwhelmed,
anxious and distracted? The Covid-19 lockdown has increased the pressure on us to
change that which we can change and surrender that which is beyond our control.
By Adam Botha, Transformation Life Coach
The late great Dr. Wayne Dyer often said, “When we
change the way we look at things, the things we
look at change.” I think this sums up how we get to
be more positive and affect our world and those
around us in a more positive way.
There are three key characteristics that define resilience:
1. An ability to understand and accept reality.
While optimism may appear to be an indicator
of resilience, blind optimism can foster denial.
Accepting reality allows us as individuals to be
prepared for it.
2. A belief that life and the hardships we
experience have meaning. This is the ability
to see the silver lining or underlying benefits
of a challenge, or to have faith that there
is a greater meaning behind it. This
belief often comes from a strong
value system that helps you
interpret the world around you.
As an individual, it also gives you
greater purpose.
3. An ability to improvise – to
be faced with an obstacle
and innovate a way around it.
Resilience is an important skillset
that you can build during these
challenging times.
18 | Crawford Times
It helps to self-assess how we are holistically to get
a clear idea of why we may be thinking, feeling or
acting a certain way. To accept how we are, we
have to first take the time to have a proper look to
see how we are and then we can look at what it will
take for us to change for the better. We can do this
by checking in with ourselves. There are four core
touchpoints that we can score ourselves on to give
us a holistic view and track how we are doing: Our
physical energy, our emotional wellbeing, our mental
focus and our spiritual connection.
OUR PHYSICAL ENERGY
As you scan your physical body from head to toe,
notice what shows up and score how much physical
energy you have out of 10 by asking yourself how
physically energetic you feel. Is there anything else
that you notice about how your physical body feels?
Now, what new habits can you think of that will
increase and manage your physical energy better
throughout the day?
• Rise early – getting up at 5am to draw in fresh
pure energy and to do some deep breathing,
yoga or tai chi, boosts us into our day.
• Sweat and stretch – 20 minutes of physical
exercise at the start and end of the day is a gamechanger.
• Eat well – maintaining a healthy diet, maintaining
blood sugar levels and drinking enough water
(2 litres or 8 glasses a day) goes a long way in
keeping our bodies happy.
• Rest enough – rejuvenating our bodies through
rest (a 20-minute afternoon nap) and sleep (7
hours of sleep at night).
• Nature nurture – time spent walking or running or
just being in nature energises and grounds us.
• Know your limits – be sure to put boundaries in
place, otherwise “life” will find a way to push your
limits.
To support you in establishing healthy boundaries
for your physical energy, ask yourself what your main
meal diet plan for each day of the week is, and
determine what you need to do to get to bed by
9pm and be up by 5am.
OUR EMOTIONAL WELLBEING
Take a little time to become fully aware of how you
are feeling emotionally and score yourself out of 10
by asking yourself how positive you feel right now.
Is there anything else that you notice about how you
are feeling?
What new habits can you think of that will uplift and
manage your emotions better throughout the day?
Reflection – journal about your experiences and
express your feelings freely.
Perspective – being aware of how often you react
versus how often you respond to external situations.
Routine – forming a routine will help you feel safe
and in control of your day.
Support – managing anxiety and stress in our lives
often means asking for help.
Practise – keep forgiving yourself and others, and
consciously note what you feel grateful for.
Humour – an episode of your favourite comedy
series might just lift your spirits.
To support you in establishing healthy boundaries
for your emotional wellbeing, ask what rhythm you
can build into your everyday life to help establish
emotional resilience and predictability, and when
anxious and stressed, ask yourself what needs to
happen (be released or expressed) for you to return
to joy/centre/calm.
Every child a masterpiece | 19
PARENT FEATURE
OUR MENTAL FOCUS
As you consider your current state of your mind,
notice to what degree you feel focused or fuzzy.
Score yourself out of 10 by asking yourself how
mentally clear and focused you feel. Is there
anything else that you notice about the way you
are thinking right now?
What new habits can you think of that will sharpen
your focus, and manage your state of mind better
throughout the day?
• Meditation – sitting for a few minutes every day to
be or observe your inner dynamics brings stillness
and calm.
• Learning – making time to learn something new
every day or to build on a skill keeps your mind
active.
• Teaching – sharing what has supported and
helped you will uplift and inspire your mental state.
• Awareness – expanding your interest in others
and the world will keep your mind informed and
fresh.
• Daily review – summarising what worked and
what didn’t will help you learn lessons and build
better habits.
To support you in establishing healthy boundaries for
your mental focus, ask yourself how you can share
what inspires you with others, and when you can
spend a little time reviewing your experiences at the
end of each day.
OUR SPIRITUAL CONNECTION
As you connect to the greater good, notice to what
degree you feel connected. Score yourself out of
10 by asking yourself how spiritually connected
(or connected to the greater good) you feel. Is
there anything else that you notice about your
connection right now?
What new habits can you think of that will
strengthen your spiritual connection, and support
you to be more in service of the greater good?
• Compassion – showing kindness and caring to
yourself and others will deepen your relationships.
• Gratitude – humbling ourselves to be thankful
for what we have brings peace and more to be
thankful for.
• Practise – choosing a mindfulness practise or
prayer in the morning will connect us.
• Study – contemplating spiritual, religious,
consciousness or philosophy stimulates us to think
spiritually.
To support you in establishing healthy boundaries
for your spiritual connection, ask yourself what
type of mindfulness meditation or prayer you will
practise daily, and what type of spirituality, religion,
consciousness or philosophy do you choose to
learn more about.
Let us keep reminding ourselves that this too shall
pass, and that now is the time for us to prepare for a
new way of life.
Adam Botha runs his
transformational life coaching
practice out of Johannesburg
and is a professionally certified
ICF (International Coach
Federation) Associate Certified
Coach and a member of
COMENSA (Coaches and
Mentors of South Africa)
www.iwalkawake.com
Email address:
adam@iwalkawake.com
@iwalkawake
@iwalkawake
20 | Crawford Times
Every child a masterpiece | 21
PARENT FEATURE
EMOTIONAL REGULATION
IS KEY IN PARENTING
By Kerri-Lee Evangelides, Crawford Preparatory Lonehill School Counsellor
Parenting is one of the
most challenging yet
meaningful life tasks.
Kelly Barlett’s shares a
meaningful quote: “Some of the
most important things you can
communicate to a child are that
feelings are okay, mistakes are
fixable, and nothing they could do
would push them away or make
you love them less. Behaviour is
not perfect; it is communication.
Embrace the imperfect and show
children they are worth holding
close to your heart.’
As adults we need to be aware
that children experience
many emotions during their
childhood and can understand
and differentiate appropriate
from inappropriate emotional
expressions. However, some
children still find it hard to express
their emotions, especially if they
haven’t learned to identify and
name them. There are eight
primary emotions, namely anger,
sadness, fear, joy, interest, surprise,
disgust and shame. These are
often learnt from emotional, social
and cultural contexts. Many
of our secondary emotions, to
name a few, are affection cheer,
relief or surprise, which come into
play at an early age as a child’s
emotions are either validated or
invalidated, influencing future
emotional reaction.
Emotion regulation is a threephase
process that involves
teaching children to identify
emotions, helping them identify
what triggers these emotions,
and teaching them to manage
these emotions independently.
22 | Crawford Times
When we teach children that their
emotions are valid, we help them
view what they feel as normal
and manageable.
Emotional invalidation prevents
children from learning how to
manage their emotions. When
we teach children to identify
their emotions, we give them
a framework that helps them
to explain how they feel, which
makes it easier for them to deal
with these emotions in a socially
appropriate way.
As parents it is essential to model
appropriate behaviour during
childhood. The best way to teach
your child to respond to anger
appropriately is to demonstrate
to him or her how. Research
suggests that children pick up our
emotions, and that those exposed
to many negative emotions
are more likely to struggle. In
other words, how we respond
to our children’s
emotions has
an impact on the development of
their emotional intelligence.
Ultimately, assisting children in
managing their emotions begins
by validating these emotions
and providing an environment
in which they feel safe to express
them. Children who feel safe are
more likely to develop and use
appropriate emotion regulation
skills to deal with difficult feelings.
A critical factor in children’s
psychological health is a child’s
increasing ability to regulate his/
her emotions by expressing their
feelings in constructive rather
than in impulsive or hurtful ways.
Emotion regulation means being
able to think constructively
about how to cope with feelings.
Improved emotion regulation
leads to benefits in all areas of a
child’s life. Research has shown
that children who are able to
regulate their emotions pay
more attention, work harder, and
generally do well at school. They
are better able to resolve conflicts
with their peers and show lower
levels of physiological stress. We
ideally strive for our children to
express their feelings but not to be
overwhelmed by them.
“
Emotion
regulation is a threephase
process that
involves teaching
children to identify
emotions, helping
them identify what
triggers these
”
emotions...
Children most effectively learn
to regulate their emotions when
they are confident that their
feelings will be heard. When a
child expects that her feelings
and concerns will be appreciated
and understood, her emotions
become less urgent. He or she
will be less persistent in his/her
demands, and more open and
flexible in seeking solutions to
problems. In addition, our children
will be more able to feel empathy
and concern for others and to
take responsibility for their actions.
During these conversations,
children begin to learn that their
feelings, although at times painful,
either through their own efforts
or with the help of supportive
adults, can be made better. Our
children’s present and future
emotional health can only be
improved in this way.
Some parents use authoritarian
parenting strategies that do not
allow the child an independent
voice or sense of efficacy. Other
parents overcompensate with
permissive parenting that doesn’t
teach children about limits and
self-control. Research shows both
extremes can interfere with one’s
ability to regulate emotions and
form healthy relationships as
adults. The best type of parenting
is fair, flexible and respectful.
Listening to and respecting your
child’s feelings, allowing choice,
yet setting fair and clear limits on
unacceptable behaviour, is the
healthy balance.
Young children don’t naturally
have empathy and consideration
for one’s needs. They develop
empathy slowly as they mature,
through experiencing the
empathy you demonstrate to
them. It is important to take some
time to connect with your own
feelings and calm down using
deep breathing or self-talk before
letting off your emotions.
Communicating effectively with
our children takes time and
energy. We need to become
aware of our own feelings and
automatic reactions and learn to
slow down to be able to choose
a more mindful way or alternate
route to addressing emotional
behaviour. Following through with
consequences teaches children
limits, whilst listening and granting
autonomy teaches our children
respect. Be sure to take care
of yourself enough so that you
have this type of mindful energy
for your family. This may mean
re-examining your priorities and
letting go of some things. Children
who have respectful, engaged
and consistent parents learn
to regulate their own emotions
more effectively, feel better about
themselves and are able to have
more loving relationships as adults.
Your child needs your
encouragement to develop her/
his own inner compass. Respect
their feelings and how they
feel about others. If they feel
uncomfortable about someone
or a specific situation, listen to
why, and try to assist them in
problem-solving. Affirm your child
by allowing him/her to trust his/
her own feelings.
Every child has issues that he or
she is afraid to discuss; these are
the issues where they need your
support and guidance most.
Of course, you may first need to
overcome your own discomfort
with the issue. Also, set regular
times when your child can bring
up what is bothering them.
In conclusion, when we feel
as children or adults that our
emotions are understood and
accepted, we begin to let go of
the weight of our feelings. This
leaves an opening for problemsolving.
Children do have the
ability to problem-solve themselves,
however, they may need your
assistance to brainstorm some
other options. Resist the urge to
solve problems for them unless
they ask you to as this can give
children the impression that you
don’t have confidence in their
ability to manage the situation on
their own.
Every child a masterpiece | 23
ALUMNI FEATURE
Crawford
Alumni
By Natalie Kinsley
An exciting and magnificent journey into the
future awaits matriculants. We caught up
with alumni students Prenessa, Uzo and Karli
to hear what they have been up to since
hanging up their school blazers.
Prenessa Nalliah
Prenessa matriculated from Crawford College La
Lucia in 2009 and has since founded Creative
Angels Fashion Benefit, and is co-founder of Perana
Set Design. She currently works for a digital agency
called Katana as a Campaign Manager.
Prenessa Nalliah
If you had three months off, lots
of money and no internet, what
would you do?
Run a development competition
for architects in South Africa and
India, to get the most sustainable
designs for housing, schools and
hospitals into the spotlight globally.
What is the greatest lesson you’ve
learnt from a previous failure?
My personal happiness should
always come first, provided I
maintain my integrity.
What is your biggest love?
My life partner, my spirituality and
the work that I do every day.
Is every failure (in life, in business
or in love) a lesson on the
magnificent road to success?
Absolutely.
What is your best and your worst
habit?
Best – reading and playing the piano.
Worst – expecting others to
produce the same high quality of
work that I do, regularly.
24 | Crawford Times
Finish the following sentence:
If you want to go into the fashion
industry you...
… need a thick skin, self-confidence,
vision, and undying curiosity.
What is your most magnificent
memory from Crawford?
The teachers. Most of them
showed me unconditional love
and parented me through tough
times they weren’t even aware
of me going through outside of
school. They made the culture
work, and it’ll remain with me
for the rest of my life. I still rely on
them for encouragement and
advice in life!
Are you finding your dream job or
creating it? How?
Both – I do what I love, when I
feel like doing it. The confidence
to do so came from my time at
Crawford La Lucia.
If you could have supper with
anyone in the world, who would
it be?
My grandfather or my late best
friend.
What are three daily habits you
swear by?
• Get admin out the way early.
• When in doubt, communicate.
• Accept the situation, change
what’s changeable and if I’m
still miserable, remove myself
from the situation.
What do you think will stand out
in your personal life when you
remember lockdown in 30 years
from now?
The financial and social impact,
and the agility and optimism
required to endure it.
In three words, what does the
world need the most?
Integrity, discipline, respect.
What is the most beautiful thing
you have ever seen?
My nieces and nephew,
and children of South Africa,
conquering their own fears and
reaching their goals.
Uzoma Bailey Ayogu
Uzoma, or better known as Uzo, matriculated from
Crawford Sandton in 2012 after which he earned
a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Duke
University. After graduating he spent three years
on Duke’s board of trustees. He is the CTO and
co-founder of Releaf, a supplier of high-quality
raw materials to food processing factories in
Nigeria. The core mission of the company is to
industrialise food processing in Africa, and Uzo’s
mission is to create broad-based social and
economic prosperity in Africa in his lifetime.
Uzoma with co-founders Isaiah and Ikenna
Uzoma Bailey Ayogu
If you had three months off, lots
of money and no internet, what
would you do?
Read and listen to my favourite
books in the most scenic parts of
the world interspersed with periods
of writing, exercising, watching live
sports, playing the piano, refining
culinary skills and visiting friends in
different parts of the world.
Biggest lesson born from a
previous failure?
Don’t be a hero – very quickly
assess your own gaps and
aggressively pull in resources
to change your circumstances.
Incremental changes will not lead
to outlier results.
What is your biggest love?
God
Is every failure (in life or
business or love) a lesson
on the magnificent road to
success?
Yes – if you choose it to be. Pain +
reflection = progress. Pain without
progress can just be demoralising.
You must actively make time to
extract the lessons.
What is your best and your worst
habit?
Best – Reading every day.
Worst – Wanting to send perfect
responses, resulting in no responses,
or very delayed responses.
Finish the following sentence:
If you want to go into business,
you...
…must do it surrounded by
people you respect, admire and
who have shared values.
What is your most magnificent
memory from Crawford?
Winning the district soccer
championship as Captain in my
final Grade 12 game.
Are you finding your dream job
or creating it? How?
Yes, by building Releaf I’m
contributing to my dream of a
prosperous Africa by the close of
the century.
If you could have supper with
anyone in the world, who would
it be?
Paul Kagame
Uzoma and his industrial team
What are three daily habits you
swear by?
• Reading daily
• Quiet time with God in the morning
• Writing down the most
important thing to do the next
day on paper before sleeping
What do you think will stand out
in your personal life when you
remember lockdown in 30 years
from now?
A period of very difficult business
decisions that forced me to reevaluate
my focus area within the
business.
In three words, what does the
world need the most?
Accessible unbiased data
What is the most beautiful thing
you have ever seen?
Watching my best friend get
married!
Every child a masterpiece | 25
ALUMNI FEATURE
Karli Coetzee
Karli was head girl of Maragon (now Crawford International
Ruimsig) and matriculated in 2015. She went on to do a BSc in
Human Physiology, Genetics and Psychology – a triple major –
at the University of Pretoria and graduated cum laude in 2018.
Karli is now busy in her second year of medicine (MBChB) at the
University of Namibia.
If you had three months off, lots
of money and no internet, what
would you do?
Take a trip around the world! It
would be a dream to see the
world, even more so without the
distractions that come along with
internet and social media. On
a serious note though, I would
establish feeding schemes for
hungry children. I know it sounds
so cliché, but helping people is
truly one of my greatest passions,
hence why I am studying
medicine. I have my own charity
that I established while in high
school called Hands from Heaven,
so I would donate a large sum
of my money towards that and
establish even more charities or
outreach programmes.
What is your greatest lesson
because of a previous failure?
To never give up. Successful
people develop from the amount
of times they persevered and not
by how many times they gave up.
What is your biggest love?
Not a what, but a who – Jesus
Christ.
In December 2018, Karli travelled to Europe with a touring
singing group. Here she is at a ski resort in Italy.
Is every failure (in life, in business
or in love) a lesson on the
magnificent road to success?
I believe there are no mistakes in
life, rather lessons to be learnt. If
a person manages to learn from
mistakes or failures, then growth
and wisdom develops. This is the
way to turn a negative incident
into a positive result.
What is your best and your worst
habit?
I am a perfectionist... and I am a
perfectionist!
Karli began a charity, Hands from Heaven,
when she was still at school.
Every child a masterpiece | 27
ALUMNI FEATURE
“
I have my
own charity that I
established while
in high school
called Hands from
Heaven, so I would
donate a large
sum of my money
towards that and
establish even
more charities
or outreach
”
programmes.
Finish the following sentence: If
you want to go into medicine
you...
… need to believe in yourself even
if it feels like no one else does. You
need to be willing to walk an extra
mile or sometimes 10 per day. You
need to shake off disappointments
and setbacks fast, and you need
to walk in FAITH!
What is your most magnificent
memory from Crawford?
Here, my friends and I are dancing in front of the school I built with my charity,
Hands from Heaven. For the work I did with my charity I was awarded LeadSA
Youth Hero of the Year for Gauteng in 2015. This was the day they came to
award me,” said Karli.
What do you think will stand out
in your personal life when you
remember lockdown in 30 years
from now?
I guess the bonus was that I was
home in South Africa during
lockdown. It was hard to do a
full term of medicine online, but
I would have never expected to
have the opportunity of studying
medicine while being at home.
The repatriation flight back and
14 days in quarantine was also
quite a crazy experience.
The amazing friendships I formed
there and still enjoy today.
If you could have supper with
anyone in the world, who would
it be?
My mom! We live in different
countries so I would use any
opportunity to see her.
What are three daily habits you
swear by?
• Be an early riser and make your
bed.
• Get active.
• Pray and spend time with the
Lord.
28 | Crawford Times
Karli draws a patient’s blood during
a routine checkup.
Karli graduated cum laude in 2018 with
a BSc in Human Physiology, Genetics
and Psychology – a triple major!
Every child a masterpiece | 29
SCHOOL PAGES
CRAWFORD COLLEGE
CRAWFORD
INTERNATIONAL
KENYA
CRAWFORD
INTERNATIONAL
RUIMSIG
CRAWFORD
LA LUCIA
CRAWFORD
NORTH COAST
ACADEMICS
In the Crawford
International
Kenya Design and
Technology class, Year
11 student, Joshua,
designed a mobile
display board to
advertise movies at
various points in the
mall so people do
not have to go to the
movie house to find
out what is showing.
As part of an
Interschool
Hackathon, the
Crawford International
School Kenya Year
10 students, Shiv,
Mugambi, Samantha,
and Year 11 student,
Michael, designed
a project to tackle
food insecurity. They
created a website
to help farmers
determine the best
crop for their current
land situation and
location.
Crawford International
Ruimsig Grade 12
Visual Art students,
Sabelo Mazwi, Teejay
Hlatshwayo and
Tumisang Leshoeli,
work hard to complete
their own masterpieces
for their final Visual Arts
practical.
The Grade 11
Accounting students
at Crawford
International Ruimsig
participate in their
annual Flapjack
Factory task. This is
done to introduce
the chapter on
Manufacturing.
Grade 11 Crawford
College La Lucia
student, Mira
Pillay, placed
34th nationally
in the De Beer’s
English Olympiad.
Furthermore, her
poetry was published
in the Kalahari Review,
and was among 400
entries selected to be
published in Professor
Jansen’s essay-writing
competition.
Crawford College
La Lucia students,
Daniel Cohen and
Adrian McIntosh,
were bestowed with
the highest honour
when they received
their white honours
blazers. A student
must attain full
colours in any three
of the four disciplines
to obtain the coveted
blazer.
Daisy Pybus has been
a Crawford North Coast
boarder for 18 months,
and in this short period
she has become a
familiar face both on
and off the stage. She is
passionate about learning
and believes in academic
excellence. In 2019, she
obtained an aggregate
of 96%, receiving the Top
Achiever for Grade 8
award. Currently with an
aggregate of 97.5%, she
will be a tough contender
to beat in Grade 9. She is
working towards a goal
and wishes to study either
Medicine or Astrophysics
at Oxford or Stanford.
Kent Williamson at
Crawford College North
Coast came over to us
from a neighbouring
school. He has consistently
and diligently applied
himself to his academics,
resulting in him being the
Top Achiever in Grade 10
in 2019. Kent sees himself
as hard-working and
always trying to give of his
best. He is ambitious and
determined, particularly
with his goals.
30 | Crawford Times
The Crawford College Lonehill
Grade 9 Technology curriculum
chose to pursue a STEAM
approach, which integrates the
STEAM (Science, Technology,
Engineering, liberal Arts and
Mathematics) disciplines into
a cohesive learning paradigm
based on real-world applications.
The students were given the
following brief: Occasionally
there is a discovery that is totally
unexpected and appears to
re-write history! During major
earthworks in a sleepy little
provincial town, a hidden storage
space is revealed. A team of
archaeologists is called in to
unravel all the clutter within. The
archaeologists find a cluster of
10 unusual items, which appear
to have been connected in some
way. Your challenge is to put these
items together to make a machine
that has at least two different
ways of operating and has the
potential to be of major benefit to
the modern world. Using recycled
and upcycled materials, create
a working model of the original
discovery, clearly demonstrating its
original purpose. You can see from
the photographs that the students
have embraced the challenges
of STEAM and produced creative
and high-quality solutions to the
challenges set to them.
CRAWFORD LONEHILL
Adam Mohamed packaging design
Aséa Pozniakow packaging design
Crawford College Pretoria
student, Jesmeka Naidoo, was
accepted into the Yale Young
Global Scholars Program
where she attended the
Politics, Law, and Economics I
session. Jesmeka was 1 of 143
students from 125 countries
who were chosen to attend
these sessions. She was the only
South African in the Politics, Law
and Economics program.
Ruva
Mushongahande
CRAWFORD
PRETORIA
Zinnirah Boodoo
CRAWFORD
SANDTON
Crawford College
Sandton is very proud
of their own Grade 12
Ocean Warrior, Aadila
Sirkoth, who was in
conversation with the
Minister of Fisheries this
term. She is bound to
make an impact on our
world, our oceans, and on
future generations.
Rebecca Stirling’s marketing poster
Students representing Crawford
College Lonehill in Round 2 of the
IT Olympiad.
Back (L-R): Jade Baboolal, Hannah
Stevenaert, Janina Rexrodt, Jené Bras
Middle (L-R): Amogelang Phasha,
Madison Aguirre, Jaime van den Bosch,
Greg de Villiers, Louvhan Moonsamy
Front: Kgatliso Mamabolo
At Crawford College Lonehill
we start introducing computers
and their applications, as
well as problem-solving and
programming skills, from
Grade 8. We like to expose the
students to different platforms
for programming, eventually
ending up programming in
Java in the senior years.
Grade 12 students, Gilles Teuwen,
Gemma Rushton and Gareth Cockburn
Grade 10 & 11 students, Tarique Mackay
and Benjamin Manning
Oresti Pavlou
The following Crawford
College Pretoria students
participated in the University
of Pretoria Mathematics
Competition and placed
as follows in their Grade
categories:
3rd place – Grade 9 student
Ruva Mushongahande
4th place – Grade 10 student
Zinnirah Boodoo
5th place – Grade 10 student
Oresti Pavlou
During Cycle 1 in STEAM,
Crawford College
Sandton Grade 8
students worked on the
Master Chef challenge.
The challenge included
designing and baking
their own cupcake and
ensuring that they create
a label with a logo and
packaging for selling the
cupcake.
WATCH THE VIDEO
OF CAILYN
Every child a masterpiece | 31
SCHOOL PAGES
CRAWFORD PREPARATORY
CRAWFORD
INTERNATIONAL
KENYA
CRAWFORD
INTERNATIONAL
RUIMSIG
CRAWFORD
LA LUCIA
CRAWFORD
LONEHILL
ACADEMICS
During a Year 4
Science class at
Crawford International
School Kenya, students
had an opportunity
to prepare a video
clip on sign language.
Veer’s message was
very clear. Can you tell
what he is saying?
CLICK HERE TO
WATCH THE VIDEO
While discussing light
in a Year 5 Science
class at Crawford
International School
Kenya, students
created shadow
puppet shows to show
their mastery of light
and shadows. Here is
Ashok’s dramatic story
of the Dragon and the
Virus.
CLICK HERE TO
WATCH THE VIDEO
Crawford International
Ruimsig Grade 4 pupils
inquired into change
by adapting to a new
chapter in our school
as we moved from the
old into the new.
CLICK HERE TO
WATCH THE VIDEO
As an introduction to a
Shapes in Mathematics
inquiry, the Crawford
International Ruimsig
pupils used Lego
blocks together with
creative thinking
skills to construct the
“impossible triangle”.
Sumanas Viranna, a
Grade 6 pupil from
Crawford Preparatory
La Lucia, participated
in the 2020 Talent
Africa Nationals and
was awarded with KZN
Provincial Colours in the
Performing Arts, a top-10
medal for competing
in the Top 10 in his age
category, 3 gold medals
(highest accolade) for
mime, monologue and
undramatised poetry,
and best costume in
the Junior category. He
has been selected as a
member of the SA Team
to represent Africa at
Talent America in New
York. Congratulations!
During Crawford
Pre-Primary La Lucia’s
unit of inquiry, ‘How
We Express Ourselves’,
the Grade 3’s learnt
about different types
of communication and
how it has changed
over time.
The Crawford
Preparatory Lonehill
Foundation Phase
in the Unit, ‘Where
we are in time and
place’, explored
various cultures and
countries. Pupils
brought items that
were authentically
from these countries.
Andrew Hurley in
Grade 1 recorded
his ideas about
an invention that
he created. The
presentation was part
of a unit called “How
we express Ourselves”
CLICK HERE TO
WATCH THE VIDEO
32 | Crawford Times
CRAWFORD
NORTH COAST
CRAWFORD
PRETORIA
CRAWFORD
SANDTON
CRAWFORD
FOURWAYS
CRAWFORD
INTERNATIONAL
BEDFORDVIEW
In exploring the
transdisciplinary
theme, ‘How the world
works’, Crawford
Preparatory North
Coast Grade 3 pupils
inquired into the
interaction between
the natural world and
human societies.
CLICK HERE TO
WATCH THE VIDEO
Crawford Preparatory
Pretoria pupil, Zayyaan
Boodoo, placed 3rd
in his category at the
University of Pretoria’s
Mathematics Olympiad.
Congratulations
Zayyaan!
The Grade 1s recent
Unit of Inquiry on ‘Where
we are in place and
time’ investigated toys
of the past and present.
The entire Unit was done
online, and the children
were fascinated to hear
about toys of the past.
A wide variety of toys
were researched, from
Barbies and tea sets to
the Rubik’s Cube and
toy cars, as well as other
games and toys.
The Crawford
Preparatory Fourways
Grade 1s separated
various images into
their own specific
wants and needs. This
forms part of their Unit
of Inquiry, ‘How we
organise ourselves’.
It is interesting to see
their various choices.
Crawford
International
Bedfordview Grade
6C pupil, Hayley
Wickham, is taking
the new normal
in her stride, back
at school and
geared to continue
the academic
programme.
The Crawford
Preparatory North
Coast Grade 6 pupils
have learnt about
geometric concepts
through Mathematics,
English, Technology
and Art. They explored
different geometric
concepts and through
this learning, they had
to use Tinkercad to
create a 3D Islamic
patterned stamp.
CLICK HERE TO
WATCH THE VIDEO
CLICK HERE TO
WATCH THE VIDEO
The Crawford
Preparatory Pretoria
Grade 6 pupils looked
at the properties of
solids, liquids and
gases during Natural
Science class. They
demonstrated that
there are spaces
between particles
of matter and that
particles of matter
move. Meanwhile,
the Grade 5 pupils
investigated the
materials, processes
and properties of
making glue using flour
and water and how
they go about making
cereal and oats.
CLICK HERE TO
WATCH THE VIDEO
Sello Lekalakala is a
buzzword within the
Grade 6 group at
Crawford Preparatory
Sandton. He recently
joined one of our Unit
of Inquiry meetings. By
sharing his own life story,
he gave the pupils an
incredible and heartwarming
understanding
of how educational
opportunities can
change your life. The
pupils were so inspired.
We salute you, Sello
Lekalakala!
As part of the Unit of
Inquiry ‘How the world
works’, the Crawford
Preparatory Fourways
Grade 7 pupils were
tasked to create a
presentation to depict
the concept that all
plants go through a
process of change
and help sustain life
on Earth. Hannah Pike
from Grade 7C looked
at coconut oil.
Crawford
International
Bedfordview pupil,
Corrado Costello, is
wearing the mask he
designed and made
in the Grade 5 STEAM
class. With this he
sends an inspiring
message even during
challenging times.
Every child a masterpiece | 33
SCHOOL PAGES
CRAWFORD PRE-PRIMARY
CRAWFORD
INTERNATIONAL
KENYA
CRAWFORD
INTERNATIONAL
RUIMSIG
CRAWFORD
LA LUCIA
CRAWFORD
LONEHILL
CRAWFORD
NORTH COAST
ACADEMICS
Towards the
end of the term
the Crawford
International
School in Kenya’s
KG-2 explored
the concept of
structures. Koome
described a
structure as “a big
big tower where
people sell cars on
the very top floor”.
Did you know you
can balance an
egg on its end
on the vernal
equinox? You can
certainly balance
an egg on its end
on other days
using a simple
trick with salt.
The Crawford
International
School in Kenya’s
reception class did
just that!
The Crawford
International
Ruimsig Pre-Primary
Grade 00s used
their fine motor and
perceptual skills to
cut, glue and create
their own road map.
They had great
fun learning about
signs and symbols
on the road and
why it is important
to follow them.
Crawford
International
Ruimsig Pre-
Primary pupils
learnt how to read
and follow a map
during their Unit
of Inquiry on signs
and symbols.
They had great
fun dressing up
like pirates and
following the
clues on their
treasure maps to
find gold coins.
Crawford Pre-
Primary La Lucia
is thrilled that their
offering transcends
borders and
connects people
globally. Ibuki,
from her home in
Japan, is excited to
practise speaking
English and to see
her friends online in
South Africa.
CLICK HERE TO
WATCH THE VIDEO
‘Children must
hold Maths in their
hands before they
can hold it in their
heads’. Crawford
Pre-Primary La
Lucia’s Grade 0s
have fun practising
their counting,
addition, sorting and
sequencing skills.
The natural growth
and discovery we
have all undergone
during this time has
resulted in some
best practices
being embedded
into our teaching
and learning ethos.
Crawford Pre-
Primary Lonehill has
a comprehensive
online pack
each week that
is exceptionally
prepared by our
teachers. We thank
all for embracing this
learning journey.
Crawford Pre-
Primary Lonehill
pupils joined
in the fun and
completed 9
Maths challenges
for our Pre-Primary
Maths Olympics.
They were then
either awarded
an Einstein trophy
for completing
all 9 activities
or a certificate
of participation.
Congratulations.
CLICK HERE TO
WATCH THE VIDEO
Crawford Pre-
Primary North
Coast Grade 00s
did an “eggciting”
science
experiment
where they
placed an egg in
a cup of vinegar.
They observed
the shell erode
and were
delighted when
they learnt that
the egg could
bounce!
The Crawford
Pre-Primary North
Coast Grade 0
pupils combined
story sequencing
and storytelling
to practise their
communication
skills and build
their confidence
in this area.
34 | Crawford Times
CRAWFORD
PRETORIA
CRAWFORD
SANDTON
CRAWFORD
FOURWAYS
CRAWFORD
INTERNATIONAL
BEDFORDVIEW
CRAWFORD
BRYANSTON
During their Unit of
Inquiry, Crawford
Pre-Primary Pretoria
Grade 0 pupils
explored, discovered
and developed an
understanding of the
concept of Time. The
pupils made timelines
of important events in
their lives and learnt how
time is managed using
various devices.
Inas Darsot from
Crawford Pre-Primary
Sandton has been
researching the solar
system and has
recorded a video
explaining how we
experience day and
night on earth.
CLICK HERE TO
WATCH THE VIDEO
The Crawford Pre-
Primary Fourways
Grade 00s are
learning all about
measurement. Using
Lego, they measured
their shoes, lunch
boxes and school
bags. They compared
the largest and the
smallest.
Oliver Grant Knight
from Crawford
International
Bedfordview could not
wait to return to school
to see his friends
and be in class with
Teacher Shantell.
After reading the
book, “Tyrannosaurus
Drip”, Crawford
International
Bryanston Grade 00s
learnt about the diet
of different dinosaurs.
We used hula-hoops
to create a Venn
Diagram and the
children were asked
to sort the animals
into herbivores,
carnivores and
omnivores.
Writing is a process that
begins with learning
how to handle writing
tools correctly, creating
different strokes on
paper and learning
various writing patterns.
Crawford Pre-Primary
Pretoria Grade 00s
have had so much fun
copying writing patterns
in flour, sand and
even delicious instant
pudding. The children
have also enjoyed
tracing these patterns
and have proudly
begun writing their own
names.
Blake and Caleb
Hackman from
Crawford Pre-
Primary Sandton are
participating in the
Crawford Mathematics
Olympic Challenge
which requires different
tasks to be completed
each week. Good luck
boys!
CLICK HERE TO
WATCH THE VIDEO
Crawford Pre-Primary
Fourways Grade 00s
are learning all about
signs and symbols.
Here they are having
fun looking at emojis
and identifying the
emotion displayed by
each.
CLICK HERE TO
WATCH THE VIDEO
Crawford International
Bedfordview
pupil, Wian, being
responsible in ensuring
the tricycles are
sanitised before being
used by his friends.
During Life
Skills, Crawford
International
Bryanston Grade 0s
used their drawing,
cutting and sticking
skills to create
sundials. They then
spent some time
outdoors observing
the movement of
shadows.
Every child a masterpiece | 35
SCHOOL PAGES
LEADERSHIP
THROUGH THE LENS OF 2020
The world is at a historic crossroads. 2020 has been a year of unprecedented
change, with dramatic adjustments to how we live, work, and learn.
By Morag Rees, Executive Principal: Crawford Sandton Campus
We are living in what experts have termed
a ‘VUCA world’ – volatile, uncertain,
complex, and ambiguous. But this VUCA
world doesn’t have to be something
to be feared; in fact, such volatility, uncertainty,
complexity, and ambiguity often brings with it
opportunities for the creation of a better world – one
that is more equitable, just, and inclusive. In times of
crisis, we need to actively seek new ways of seeing
the world, new ways of working, and a new kind of
leadership. This leadership, though, isn’t simply about
the people who run businesses or governments, or
about organisational structures; it is also about our
teachers, students and school community.
So, what should this leadership in a world of
unprecedented change look like?
IT IS HUMAN-CENTRED
If leadership is about seeing opportunity in the
uncertainty of change, then the best place to look
for it is among the people who are most affected by
36 | Crawford Times
and capable of adapting to the change. Leadership,
then, is not about popular textbook or buzzword
theories, but is found in the broad-based wisdom
of people. It is intrinsically connected to public
expectations, inclusive of the voices that leadership
ultimately needs to and must serve. Leadership is
therefore not driven from the top down but guided
from the bottom up. In schools, student voices,
insight and needs have increasingly proven to be a
legitimate and meaningful basis for leadership, and
student wisdom and compassion should increasingly
guide priorities and projects if schools are to continue
being relevant and credible.
It is crucial that we make a mental shift away from
thinking of people as ‘doing’ resources, to thinking of
them as being human. This requires that leadership
be not about templates and rules but rather about
relationships; it is at its core about deep empathy
and connection to context, needs, and cultures.
Covid-19 has underscored the urgency required to
address systemic vulnerabilities and it is increasingly
clear that leadership should move away from
traditional models, which prioritise profits and
IT IS CREATIVE
competition, towards creating holistic shared value
for all stakeholders. In schools, leadership should
centre around integrity, thinking and conscience
ahead of the pursuit of results, grades or status.
For students it is about self-reflection and the
community – student leaders need to be sensitive to
the hopes and needs of their peers before seeking
their own recognition or power.
IT IS DIGITALLY ENABLED, RATHER THAN DIGITALLY
LED
While integration of new technologies is key to
keeping up with the changes we are experiencing,
technological leadership holds little value when it
is not applied through the lens of humanity. New
technologies, instead of being about the pursuit
of the latest and greatest, offer the opportunity to
connect people and society more effectively. It is not
surprising that where online teaching has been built
on established, trusting and equal relationships, it
has been notably more effective.
Technology can function as a tool to facilitate
and support better relationships, as a driver of
collaboration, cooperation, and creativity. We don’t
need technological progress for technology’s sake,
but to move people forward, together. Our student
leaders, who are often masters of technology,
need to direct their leadership to using technology
to build, to affirm and reassure, before using it to
publicise or self-congratulate.
IT IS COLLABORATIVE
Historically, leadership has been understood as
a role rather than a way of working. In a world of
change, this needs a bold evolution.
Leadership isn’t about a person, but about groups
of people, cooperating and partnering in dynamic
networks that create new value for everyone
within the system. A changing world is a multistakeholder
world, where the private sector, civil
society, community groups, the media, academia,
and the public sector must partner if we are to solve
deep systemic issues which have become more
apparent over the past few months. Teachers and
students of all ages, backgrounds and talents need
to accept equal responsibility for, and have equal
rights to, opportunities to share and contribute.
School and student leadership should therefore be
agile and responsive, adapting as an organic and
cooperative system, rather than being part of a
cumbersome or bureaucratic hierarchy.
Fostering this collaboration requires an
abandonment of rigid structures, old habits, and
outdated ways of thinking. It requires a mode of
leadership that opens up opportunities for problemsolving
that conventional methods just don’t allow
for: creative leadership. This creativity must include
innovations and solutions that come from students
and their community.
Creative leadership is about looking at our changing
world through new eyes to develop and realise
innovative ideas and unconventional solutions to
structurally complex or challenging situations that
help make us more resilient to change. It requires
collaborative and digitally-led spaces, but also the
establishment of cultures and belief systems that
encourage people to be different and give them
a sense of safety to think unconventionally in a
world that demands new solutions. Bringing this to
life requires a shared sense of purpose. Leadership
in schools needs to increasingly not just hear, but
nurture and encourage the voices, ideas and
solutions offered by the students they serve.
IT IS PURPOSE-DRIVEN AND VALUE-LED
Times of crisis and dramatic change can often result
in chaos and confusion. Leadership in these times
therefore demands clarity of purpose. For leadership
to be sustainable and effective, it needs to stretch
beyond what we want to achieve to why we want to
achieve it.
Purpose-driven leadership helps us identify that
‘why’. It helps us define a strong core of what we
believe in and shapes the values that guide our
daily behaviours and interactions. For it to be
effective, it must be authentic and resonate with not
just your colleagues or classmates, but all partners,
to make it credible and achievable. Crawford
schools are fortunate to have a strong ethos – and
this ‘Crawfordology’ offers a meaningful and welldefined
purpose against which school and student
leaders should determine appropriate actions,
decisions and behaviours.
These five attributes of leadership are essential
for a changing world. They ensure that leaders
have the resilience and adaptability to move
forward with purpose and conviction. This kind of
leadership helps us work towards a more equitable
society and inclusive community. Ultimately, it will
guide Crawfordians, as they embrace a different
approach to address the significant global
challenges we face.
CLICK HERE TO MEET SOME OF CRAWFORD SCHOOLS
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, JUDICIARY, COUNSELLORS
AND CLASS REPRESENTATIVES 2020/2021
Every child a masterpiece | 37
SCHOOL PAGES
CRAWFORD COLLEGE
CRAWFORD
INTERNATIONAL
KENYA
CRAWFORD INTERNATIONAL
RUIMSIG
CULTURE
Watch Crawford
International School Kenya
Year 10 student, Andrew
Gitonga, performing a
devised monologue created
from a stimulus of a picture
of a bent tree.
CLICK HERE TO
WATCH THE VIDEO
CRAWFORD
LA LUCIA
Crawford College La Lucia
Grade 9 student, Cally
Van Heusden, created,
directed, performed,
filmed and edited her
own monologue video for
Option Drama around the
creative interpretations of
the word ‘quarantini’.
CLICK HERE TO
WATCH THE VIDEO
Congratulations to
Crawford International
Ruimsig College student
Mikaela Visagie for
achieving excellent results
for her participation in the
ATKV-DigiPraat-project.
She achieved an A for
ATKV – DigiPraat, 88% in
the provincial round for
National Inter-Schools
Public speaking League,
and an NEA Young
Performers Award.
Congratulations to
Crawford International
Ruimsig College student
Brendan Moorcroft who
competed at Talent Africa
Nationals and earned gold
medals in both his Drama
performances. He also
made the SA team that
will be competing at Talent
America in New York.
Congratulations to Shiara
Dawneerangen, who
participated in the Con
Spirito Drama Competition
and achieved 84% (A) for
English Prose, 90% (A++)
for Dramatic Poem, and
90% (A++) for Monologue,
(A++) for Monologue, 93%
CRAWFORD
LONEHILL
Crawford College Lonehill Grade
12 student, Savannah Shaw, has
released her first debut single,
“Free”, documenting her journey
with mental health illness, to a
global market. Savannah hopes
to inspire and help millions of
people around the world who
are suffering from mental health
issues. She is extremely talented,
and her hope by releasing such
an inspiring song is to remove
the stigma around mental
health challenges.
CLICK HERE TO
WATCH THE VIDEO
38 | Crawford Times
CRAWFORD
NORTH COAST
CRAWFORD
PRETORIA
CRAWFORD
SANDTON
Crawford College Sandton
participated in this year’s edition of
SACEE debate Championships which
was hosted online with two teams in
the junior and senior divisions. Sandton
NYX advanced to the Grand Finale.
A special mention to team members
Ganya Arora, Kabir Burra, Caitlin Levien,
Mivuyo Penze and Tavleen Katari.
Crawford College North Coast
has been dancing, singing
and acting its way through this
pandemic – perhaps not as
openly or publicly as usual –
but our online and digital work
has been as prevalent and
phenomenal as North Coast
always is! It has been amazing to
watch the students just take off
at a run, or even just fly and quite
frankly exit the stratosphere with
their incredible brilliance and
unique creative concepts. They
truly have shown that creative
problem-solving and analytical
thinking are tools they are so
good at using, without even
knowing they are employing
them! This is what Culture at
Crawford College North Coast is
all about.
The Grade 11 Drama students
were tasked with creating a
Digital Performance from 11 sets
of creative stimuli given to them.
They had no boundaries and no
“specific” performance element
required, as can be seen in the
video. Lethukuthula Mtolo has
done a “Spoken Word” version
of a Hugh Masekela song.
Music, Dance and Drama 2020,
thank you for making us throw
away the box!
CLICK HERE TO
WATCH THE VIDEO
SO, WHAT’S THE BIG FUSS ABOUT SCALES?
Why learn scales? What are they
for? What exactly are the benefits of
practicing scales? We have all asked
these questions before. Crawford
College Pretoria shares some secrets
on how to understand the benefits of
practising scales.
• It develops finger independence,
finger agility, finger strength, flexibility
and, subsequently, overall technique.
• It develops muscle memory and instils
discipline in your daily routine. Muscle
memory is essential when memorising
music.
• Practising scales with a metronome
promotes a strong sense of rhythm
and pulse.
• It assists in knowing the various keys.
If a composition is written in A major,
you will then understand and know
what accidentals to play. As the piece
modulates you will similarly recognise
and understand what new accidentals
to play.
• It will increase your confidence as a
performer.
• It leads to an understanding of keys,
which will help you with your sightreading.
• Practising scales trains your fingers to
play common patterns found in music.
The most difficult aspect of practising
scales is getting started, so start today
and make it part of your daily regime.
CLICK HERE TO
WATCH THE VIDEO
One of our senior Debating teams,
the Red Brigade, comprising of Tanju
Ozdemir, Reuben Morris, Charlotte
Abrahams and Gareth Rees.
CHLOE
BRAYSHAW
VIDEO
Hannah Said, Grade
12 who has been
accepted into
Waterfront Theatre
School for 2021
without an audition.
She will be studying
her Musical Theatre
Degree at this Cape
Town Arts’ School.
Chloe Brayshaw,
Grade 12 Drama
student: History of
wrong guys
“I don’t want
to discover
something new,
but something
forgotten.” - Jerzy
Grotowski
HANNAH
SAID
VIDEO
During lockdown, Crawford College
Sandton teachers were missing their
students and so they created and
shared a video with them.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH
Every child a masterpiece | 39
SCHOOL PAGES
CRAWFORD PREPARATORY
CRAWFORD
INTERNATIONAL KENYA
CRAWFORD
INTERNATIONAL RUIMSIG
CRAWFORD
LONEHILL
Rahil Singh performs a
tribute on drums to all our
essential frontline workers in
the fight against the Covid-19
pandemic.
CLICK HERE TO
WATCH THE VIDEO
CULTURE
Watch Crawford International
Preparatory Year 7 student,
Reyna Muchiri, performing an
improvised monologue based
on escaping home to go find
her mother.
CLICK HERE TO
WATCH THE VIDEO
CRAWFORD
LA LUCIA
The Crawford Preparatory
La Lucia Drum Department
recently launched the Virtual
Drum Project! This video
featured 50 drummers from the
campus and spread a message
of hope, unity and teamwork.
CLICK HERE TO
WATCH THE VIDEO
Saxophone:
Maroale Rachidi, our talented
saxophonist, performs the
beautiful melody of the Skye
Boat Song at our bi-annual
showcase.
Monologue:
Lwandle Sibanda shows off
her talents at the Interhouse
Public Speaking Competition.
Our school is alive with talent!
Music Theory Class Video:
Music Theory Elective is
Crawford International
Preparatory Ruimsig’s
new offering in the Arts
Department to promote the
future of Music as a subject.
CLICK HERE TO
WATCH THE VIDEO
Dance: The grade 7 pupils
in the unit, “How we express
Ourselves”, participated in
a Traditional Greek Dance.
Despite lockdown and
COVID protocols, pupils
continued their learning
journey gaining more
knowledge about the
Kalamatiano.
CLICK HERE TO
WATCH THE VIDEO
Music: Crawford
Preparatory Lonehill
hosted an online Music
concert showcasing the
exceptional performances
of music pupils and their
progress thus far. Owing
to the protocols and
lockdown, many pupils
recorded their videos at
home. The Crawford family
were entertained in the
comfort of their own homes.
CLICK HERE TO
WATCH THE VIDEO
40 | Crawford Times
CRAWFORD
NORTH COAST
CRAWFORD
PRETORIA
CRAWFORD
SANDTON
CRAWFORD
FOURWAYS
The Crawford
Preparatory North Coast
Grade 4 pupils are on a
learning journey into the
art of storytelling through
Stop Motion Animation.
They are finding out how
to use different types of
material for their Stop
Motion and are currently
using playdough.
During lockdown our pupils at
Crawford Preparatory Pretoria
used Dance, Drama and
Music to express themselves.
Abigail Peters doing her
online music exam
Crawford Preparatory
Fourways has many
cultural superstars. Pupils
Kayla and Kaho (Grade
3) recited a poem,
“You’re a Gem”, written
by Mrs. Silcock. With such
creativity, the Unit of
Inquiry on natural forces
is brought to life as part of
their Drama class.
CRAWFORD
INTERNATIONAL
BEDFORDVIEW
Crawford International
Bedfordview took on the
#Jerusalema Challenge
set by Crawford North
Coast and challenged
all the other campuses to
participate. So much fun
was had!
CLICK HERE TO
WATCH THE VIDEO
Grade 1 pupils practised
tongue twisters. They then had
to make up their own tongue
twisters, draw their faces on a
piece of paper and write their
new tongue twister on their
drawn tongue.
The Grade 2s filled a heart
with all the things that make
them happy, and then gave a
speech on ‘the pieces of their
heart’.
After studying Aesop’s Fables,
Grade 3 pupils wrote their
own scripts for the Lion and
the Mouse characters and
made puppets to use in a
puppet show to present their
scripts.
Grade 5 pupils learned all
about beat and rhythm by
doing The Cup Song.
Grade 6 pupils used
movies to demonstrate their
understanding of Saving the
Earth.
During Lockdown level
5 and 4, students at
Crawford Preparatory
Sandton continued with
online Music lessons,
learning new songs, and
bringing joyful sounds
to their homes. We are
extremely proud of our
pupils and staff who
enthusiastically kept
the beat going! Several
students at Crawford
Preparatory Sandton
successfully completed
their digital examinations
of the Trinity College
of London during the
national lockdown. You
make us proud with your
achievements during these
challenging times!
Grade 4 pupil, Surina
Govender, has grown
tremendously in her music
this year. It may have
something to do with her
funky purple piano!
Every child a masterpiece | 41
SCHOOL PAGES
CRAWFORD PRE-PRIMARY
CRAWFORD
INTERNATIONAL KENYA
CRAWFORD
INTERNATIONAL RUIMSIG
CRAWFORD
LA LUCIA
CULTURE
Crawford International
Kenya Kindergarten student,
Liam, is showing off his rock
star moves as part of the
collaborative dance project
to celebrate his promotion
to the next class. What a fun
way to ‘move it’ from a small
kid class to a big kid class!
CLICK HERE TO
WATCH THE VIDEO
CRAWFORD
SANDTON
Sofia Marani from Crawford
Pre-Primary Sandton recently
started public speaking and
has been practising her
poem ‘Hickory Dickory Dock’
for you to enjoy.
CLICK HERE TO
WATCH THE VIDEO
Crawford Ruimsig’s Pre-
Primary comprehensive
music programmes allow
for children to express
themselves in a variety
of creative ways. Class
drumming is one way and
always a firm favourite with
the Grade 0 pupils!
CRAWFORD
FOURWAYS
Crawford Pre-Primary
Fourways’ Teacher
Gail has cleverly
incorporated Music and
Dance into the Physical
Education Programme.
Our Grade 000s have
fun learning various
physical skills while
singing and dancing.
Dance and movement
are lots of fun and always
incorporated into the ‘brain
break’ sessions between
Crawford Pre-Primary La
Lucia’s blended online
learning sessions.
CLICK HERE TO
WATCH THE VIDEO
CRAWFORD
BRYANSTON
During their artist study,
Crawford International
Bryanston Grade 00s learnt
about Andy Warhol and pop
art. They created their own
works of art using bright,
bold colours and their
handprints. Meanwhile, the
Grade 0s created spring
masterpieces. Each day,
they would add a different
element to their artwork
such as a border, a flower
garden, and even 3D flowers.
42 | Crawford Times
CRAWFORD LONEHILL
CRAWFORD NORTH COAST
CRAWFORD PRETORIA
Crawford Pre-Primary
Lonehill’s ‘Jellytots’ had
to learn and act out their
favourite nursery rhyme
during an online lesson.
Daniel joined our school
with a very limited English
vocabulary and sang his
newly learnt nursery rhyme
with great enthusiasm. We
are very proud of him.
CLICK HERE TO
WATCH THE VIDEO
The children at Crawford
Pre-Primary North Coast
have started exploring
the ‘Magic of Music’ with
Mrs. Wadsworth. What
fun and excitement as
they learn new songs,
explore the use of
different instruments and
dance to new rhythms
with their Principal.
ADVERTISE INSIDE
The Crawford Pre-Primary Grade 000 pupils have been
exploring ‘The Magic of Music’. The pupils listened
to different sound clips. After discussing each sound
clip, the pupils used their facial expressions to display
how music influenced their feelings. The pupils also
identified that music is played at parties, that we dance
and exercise to music, and that we use music during
mindfulness to calm us down and to help us breathe.
We have explored that sounds have an origin and that
sound travels to our ears. The pupils, both online and
offline, began reading basic musical notes. Each pupil
created their unique song by cutting out musical notes,
pasting them onto a sheet of paper, and playing or
reading out their song. Our Grade 000s are true little
composers, and each song is a masterpiece.
SPRING ISSUE 2020
The Crawford Times is the official and exclusive
mouthpiece of the Crawford Schools TM . It is a
quarterly publication that reflects the ethos of
this world-class institution while highlighting the
achievements of each school, as well as that of
the students. Due to the nature of the publication
and the quality of the print and content, it enjoys
high dwell times and pass-on ratio.
Crawford Times celebrates all that is successful
about these fantastic schools whilst also
communicating directly with parents, primarily, and
then students and extended family, including proud
grandparents and family friends.
Plus: Hybrid Teaching • Perfect Picnic Basket • Managing Burnout
Get in touch with us today!
info@contactmedia.co.za | 011 789 6339
Every child a masterpiece | 43
SCHOOL PAGES
MEET THE COACHES
If you want to know exactly what benefits sport at school can
bring, or just need help articulating what exactly your hours
of training have brought to your CV, then fear not! We’ve
picked some of our very best coaches in the business to
share their wisdom with us, to give us a competitive edge.
CRAWFORD INTERNATIONAL
BEDFORDVIEW
Coach Peter Phillips
Resilience and learning from our
setbacks
SPORT
In life, we all have stressful situations we
have to deal with. We all make mistakes,
but it is our resilience and will power
that determine what kind of a person we
are. We can we learn from our mistakes
and make changes where necessary
to ensure we do not make the same
mistakes again.
This is true in sport too. Here at Crawford
International Bedfordview, we have had
our battles, which we overcame and got
through.
We are a small school, and in sporting
circles, we have always been the
underdog and is still seen as an easy
target by other schools in terms of our
sporting abilities.
In the past we allowed this to get the
better of us when we competed. However,
we used this experience to improve
ourselves and push ourselves to be able
to compete and show other schools that
we are a force to be reckoned with.
We are resilient and one of the strongest
schools in our area. We have shown, with
our determination and learning from past
mistakes, that we can compete with the
best of them.
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TO WATCH
THE VIDEO
With the correct leadership and role
models we have created a bond and
guided our learners to always give
their best. This positive atmosphere has
inspired us to overcome obstacles and
achieve excellent results. Not allowing
our defeats to take us down, but to make
us stronger. If you are not scared to make
mistakes and try different strategies,
you will find the right formula to make a
success of everything you do.
44 | Crawford Times
CRAWFORD INTERNATIONAL BRYANSTON
Coach Nqobile Mnkandla
Communication is key
Crawford International Bryanston
and Playball have partnered
since 2019. Playball specialises
on the foundational phase of
sporting prowess that will open
doors to competitive engagement
in sporting activities (baseball,
basketball, cricket, hockey, netball,
rugby, soccer and tennis) to
selected Crawford International
Bryanston students.
Communication is key and the
relationship between Playball and
Crawford International Bryanston
has benefitted greatly from the
school’s open-door policy. We, as
Playball, are able to engage with
management and any staff member
on any day of the week when we
have coaching commitments at the
school. Should we note any issues
with any of our students, these
are immediately relayed to the
school personnel without any redtape
hassles that usually hamper
communication.
It is also worth noting the importance
of the school’s management
acting as the medium between
the parents and Playball. This has
de-cluttered and streamlined the
communication process, and so
effectiveness is guaranteed. This is
not only commendable but true to
the mantra ‘if it ain’t broken don’t fix
it!’. As such, we shall maintain the
status quo.
CRAWFORD FOURWAYS PREPARATORY
Coach Jon-Paul Smith
The importance of teamwork
“Coming together is the
beginning; keeping together is
progress; working together is
success”. This proverb by Henry
Ford highlights the importance
of working together in a team.
This ability is often taught to be
applied in the business world but
is relevant to one’s profession, in
sporting, and in everyday life.
Teamwork is an essential
element of society and plays an
important role in assessing one’s
ability in various kinds of careers.
Teamwork is not only reflected
in a team’s success, but also in
individual growth.
Teamwork is the concept
of people working together
cooperatively, as in sales
teams and sports teams. It
has also become so valued
that many large corporations
have developed specific
tests to measure potential
employees’ teamwork ability.
It has become an important
goal in most workplaces as it is
understood that teamwork gives
employees a sense of ownership
and encourages cooperation.
Furthermore, teamwork is viewed
as one of the key driving forces
for improving performance.
Teamwork is important to
organisations as all staff and
team members are able to
complete critical tasks. Teams
are also important and can
perform at higher levels than
typical workgroups. Higher
performance levels are the result
of a greater synergy resulting
from collaboration and jointly
produced outputs rather than a
pooling of individual outputs. In
today’s crazy world we must all
strive to be better team players
and collaborate to greatly
contribute to society.
CLICK HERE
TO WATCH
THE VIDEO
Every child a masterpiece | 45
SCHOOL PAGES
MEET THE COACHES
CRAWFORD INTERNATIONAL
SCHOOL KENYA
Coach Malik Mwabondo
Remaining disciplined
Discipline is essential to sport. It builds an athlete’s
character to help them set their mind to achieve
great things. Beyond sports, it is also instrumental
to succeed in other areas of life. Participating
in sports early in life gives a lifelong sense of
discipline to students.
SPORT
Discipline permeates every area of our lives, from
career to education to personal health. How does
discipline relate to sports? Kids can struggle to
know when to play and when to get work done.
Sports is the best way to help teach children some
simple discipline skills, like getting to practice on
time, or not talking while someone else is talking.
Discipline may not be fun at first, but it is the best
way to correct unproductive behaviour. Any sport
requires properly executed techniques to succeed.
If not, one can get frustrated and even give up
prematurely. Discipline can be unpleasant, but the
sacrifice is worthwhile.
Discipline helps you stay active, organised, have
more self-control and to stay productive and
focused. This skill not only applies to sport, but it
can also come in handy at school, at work, and
at home. It also helps you gain self-respect and
admiration from others.
CRAWFORD PREPARATORY LA LUCIA
Coach Shaun Ferreira
Maintaining passion, drive
and focus
In order to maintain passion,
drive and focus for your
respective sport, I would
encourage you to start off by
setting realistic short-term goals
(within three months), mediumterm
goals (within six months)
and long-term goals (within a
years). Without setting realistic
goals you may find it hard to
stay focused and have the drive
in your respective sport.
Once you have established
these realistic goals, it is time to
ask yourself: “What will it take for
me to achieve these goals?”
CLICK HERE
TO WATCH
THE VIDEO
In order to achieve these goals,
you will need characteristics such
as passion (your love for the sport),
drive (putting in the hard yards)
and focus (remembering your goals
when the going gets tough) to help
you get to the point of achieving your
desired goals.
There is a famous sports quote
by Derek Jeter: “There
may be people who
have more talent than
you, but there is no
excuse for anyone
to work harder
than you do”.
At Crawford International School Kenya,
discipline has been one of the main
ingredients to the tremendous success the
school has achieved within a short time
since its inception in September 2018. Now
that we have new, strict guidelines because
of the Covid-19 pandemic, children will be
required to be more disciplined than before.
CLICK HERE
TO WATCH
THE VIDEO
46 | Crawford Times
CRAWFORD LONEHILL
Coach Russel Munroe
A willingness to take criticism
CLICK HERE
TO WATCH
THE VIDEO
The job of a school sports coach is often one
where criticism is levelled from all fronts. Be
it your coaching style, selection of teams, or
general running of sport events. The ability to
decipher whether the criticism is constructive or
destructive rests very much with the individual.
For myself, I see criticism like any other skill – I
needed to have learnt to be willing to take
criticism as a means for improvement. Once I
had ingrained this skill into my bank of other
skills, I changed my perception and did not
easily get demotivated by what could be
perceived as derogatory or destructive criticism.
I learnt to display attitudes when receiving
criticism which have helped me along the way.
I became less defensive when receiving criticism,
and learnt to decipher the facts from biased
statements, be more assertive in communicating
when facts are untrue, and not to take criticism
so personally. This has helped me move on and
grow from negative, destructive and sometimes
personal criticism.
CRAWFORD NORTH COAST
BELOW ARE 5 TIPS TO MANAGE STRESS:
1. Set realistic goals and targets. Yes, we all want
to be the best of the best but those individuals
who have reached this goal did not wake up one
morning and had automatically achieved it. They
set a goal and worked every day to get there.
Accept that this is a long road.
2. Positive self-talk. Remember to believe in yourself
and your ability. Self-confidence is an important role
in controlling your anxiety and stress.
Coach Keri Byron
An ability to manage stress
CLICK HERE
TO WATCH
THE VIDEO
During these unprecedented times, an ability to
manage stress is paramount to success. We need to
learn to challenge ourselves and look deeper into our
own ability and realise that we were born to succeed.
Feeling stress is normal, but how we access this
pressure and move it into something positive is the key
to ultimate euphoria.
3. Embrace adversity. You will experience obstacles
and hurdles on your climb to success. These are the
times when you push yourself to move forward.
4. Chill out. It’s okay to stop for a day. Redirect your
thoughts and find a way to channel your stress into
something fun.
5. Talk it out. I’m sure you’ve heard the expression,
“when in doubt, talk it out”. This is an amazing way
to release any tension or stress that you are feeling.
There is always someone who can (and will) help
you through this.
Every child a masterpiece | 47
SCHOOL PAGES
MEET THE COACHES
CRAWFORD PRETORIA
Coach Alice Khosa
Perfectionism: Pros and Cons
Often in sports, athletes strive for the best shot,
strike or run because it has to be “perfect”. Being
a perfectionist in sports is associated with a strong
work ethic, an athlete who is highly committed to
their goals and are willing to learn and improve.
Being a perfectionist in sport comes with setting
high expectations. However, I often see young
athletes become frustrated and disappointed
when they fail to meet these expectations. They do
not perceive that missed shot or incorrect strike as
being part of the learning and growing process of
the game.
There is nothing wrong with striving to be the
best but when athletes start holding unrealistic
expectations to be perfect in the game and
forgetting that making mistakes is part of the
learning process, then focusing too much on being
perfect defeats the purpose of training, competing
and playing the game.
SPORT
It is important for coaches and parents to help
young athletes understand that being “perfect” is
not what makes them who they are but rather effort,
mistakes, victories, losses and endless dedication
makes them strong and perfect athletes.
CRAWFORD SANDTON
Coach Braydon Dixon
Acknowledging failure,
praise and appreciation
What is the secret to success?
Past failures are directly related
to future successes. Without
them, you may not be motivated
enough to reach your goals.
Athletes often face defeat – do
not let it get you down. Instead,
let it drive you to success. Failure
is just as essential in sport as
success, no matter what your
sport. If you have the right
attitude and view your failures
as learning experiences, you
can use them to push forward
and achieve success.
It is important at this time to
appreciate all the important
CLICK HERE
TO WATCH
THE VIDEO
aspects that will make you
succeed and overcome these
failures. Never give up! It is not
wanting to win that makes you
a winner; it’s refusing to fail. Even
if this takes time, keep going
and never let a challenge
stop you from reaching your
goals. Looking at failure in
a positive light will help you
grow. Instead of letting failure
defeat you, you can learn C
from it and improve.
Remember that not everyone Y
is going to believe in you,
CM
but you can be determined
MY
to always believe in and
have faith in yourself. You CY
must learn to rely on yourself
CMY
to reach your goals, no
matter what challenges you K
encounter. Appreciate life’s
small lessons and the journey
along the way, and take all
the opportunities to assess
how you can improve.
Always believe in yourself
and trust the process and
journey that you are on.
M
48 | Crawford Times
CRAWFORD INTERNATIONAL RUIMSIG
Coach Floris du Plooy
Why failure is a stepping stone to success
Failure is one of the most important teachers on the
journey to achieve success. One cannot succeed if
one does not fail along the way. The trick is to choose
how to respond or react to failure. It is a very simple
decision: you either give up or be willing to fight
to succeed. It is one’s attitude that makes all the
difference. A ‘no fear’ attitude can be the quickest
road to success.
Failure will prepare students for future success. When
encountering a similar event, experience will help one
overcome challenges. Therefore, one must embrace
failure as there is a learning opportunity in every
situation – both in victory and defeat.
A student should never be fearful of making mistakes.
Remember, the best lessons come from the toughest
defeats.
Failure is proof that you are trying and that you are
determined to succeed.
CLICK HERE
TO WATCH
THE VIDEO
Every child a masterpiece | 49
SCHOOL PAGES
CRAWFORD COLLEGE
Social responsibility is the idea that our actions affect others and that we should strive to
impact individuals and society positively. In today’s increasingly complicated world, this
sentiment rings truer than ever before. Social responsibility starts at home, and it prepares
your children to be global citizens. The best way to learn responsible virtual behaviours
is through practise. At CrawfordSchools we inspire ways to interact with those less
fortunate than ourselves and provide many different opportunities to put it into practise.
CRAWFORD NORTH COAST
CRAWFORD LONEHILL
CRAWFORD PRETORIA
Community Outreach Team
supporting the Crawford College
Lonehill support staff with Survival
Boxes
SERVICE
Crawford College North Coast
Grade 10 Interact student, Priyanka
Singh, spent her Mandela Day
baking biscuits for the Durban
North Baby Home. Priyanka also
organised an Interact collection
drive for The Baby Home.
CRAWFORD LA LUCIA
This Mandela Day, our college
students wanted to make the
biggest difference to the littlest
people. A generous donation, with
much love, was given to The La
Lucia Baby House.
CRAWFORD INTERNATIONAL
RUIMSIG
Crawford International Ruimsig
College decided that this year for
Mandela Day, we would support
Cradle of Hope by distributing food
parcels to families in need. We
donated over 100 parcels.
EduLift SA, run by Crawford College
Lonehill Alumni student Justin
Carlse, is a registered Public
Benefit Organisation that focuses
on the education of students from
underprivileged communities in
Johannesburg. Since the start of the
nationwide lockdown they have
been unable to run their weekly
Saturday School held at Crawford
College Lonehill, due to the gazetted
regulations surrounding social
distancing. But as the lockdown
continued, they saw the need for
social and food relief grow.
EduLift SA then started their own food
relief initiative called Meals for Life.
They began collecting food parcels
at the beginning of May, and with the
assistance of the Crawford College
Lonehill community outreach team,
they have distributed over 15,000
sandwiches and fruits as part of their
#BreadAndSpread campaign. They
have also supported the Christway
Safe Haven Soup Kitchen, which
feeds more than 500 people daily,
with just over 2 tonnes of soup
vegetables. However, their biggest
feat has been through the distribution
of their food parcels, called Survival
Boxes, which each aim to feed a
family of three for two weeks. Edulift
and Crawford College Lonehill have
managed to distribute over 1,100
Survival Boxes in Gauteng, Durban
and Cape Town with many more on
the way. Thank you to all who have
donated and helped us in making
Meals for Life a success.
Crawford College Pretoria
participated in a clothing
drive during lockdown. The
drive was a great success
and was received with
open arms by The Potato
Charity. The items were
distributed to warm those
in need during the winter
months.
CRAWFORD SANDTON
Crawford College
Sandton students,
Ashleigh and Alexis
Accone, made
sandwiches for their
Wendywood/Morningside
Manor Community
Action Network (CAN)
Sandwich Challenge.
Between the two girls
they made roughly 350
sandwiches over three
weeks. The sandwiches
were distributed to
four orphanages in the
surrounding area that are
supported by CAN.
50 | Crawford Times
CRAWFORD PREPARATORY
CRAWFORD
INTERNATIONAL
KENYA
CRAWFORD
LA LUCIA
CRAWFORD NORTH COAST
CRAWFORD
PRETORIA
Crawford Preparatory North Coast
proudly supported Reach for a Dream
and wore their pajamas and slippers to
school. Such fun was had by all.
Crawford International
Kenya preparatory
student, Keyan (Year 8)
painted a jaw-dropping
and beautiful mural at
a local bowling alley
that is opening soon. He
recently took up doodling
as a hobby and hopes it
inspires others to pick up
a fun skill.
CLICK HERE TO
WATCH THE VIDEO
CRAWFORD
LONEHILL
Crawford La Lucia
Preparatory families helped
keep those less fortunate
warm this winter with their
generous Mandela Day
contributions. Blankets
were donated to the Robin
Hood Foundation, Kloof
SPCA and the Ubuntu Army.
CRAWFORD
FOURWAYS
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE
SLIPPER DAY VIDEO
Flag Animal Farm gives a shout out
to Crawford North Coast! The school
supported them in their feeding
program using the Grade 7 Valentine’s
Day funds raised earlier in the year.
#CrawfordCares. Watch the space for
more charity initiatives.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE FLAG
ANIMAL FARM VIDEO
CRAWFORD SANDTON
Crawford Preparatory
Pretoria was on the
receiving end this time!
The children of Iwanuma
City, in Japan, made a
special “Tanabata” gift for
our school to encourage
and send well wishes to
the people of South Africa
who are suffering from
Covid-19. The bamboo,
with well wishes attached
to it, is about 3 metres long.
“Tanabata” is the name of
a festival that takes place
in July or August in Japan,
where people decorate
the bamboo with good
wishes for the future.
Crawford Preparatory
Lonehill pupils continue
acts of kindness by
supporting the Daily Bread
Organisation that helps
feed families in need. We
ask for pupils willing to
participate to kindly pack
an extra sandwich and
fruit each Thursday, which
helps to fill the tummies of
about 70 hungry children.
As part of a Mini City
Council initiative,
Crawford Preparatory
Fourways pupil Nicole
Steinhobel coordinated
the collection of animal
food to be distributed to
various animal shelters
in Johannesburg. She
has created a beautiful
“Lockdown gift basket”
for a raffle whereby a
donation of food gets you
an entry.
The Grade 6 pupils at Crawford
Preparatory Sandton set about making a
difference in our recent Unit of Inquiry on
‘Sharing the Planet’. They were exposed
to the 17 UN Sustainable Development
Goals and immediately decided that they
would like to reach out to our community.
They voted on a ‘Readathon’ where pupils
would read and explain articles on these
goals to their parents, teachers, and
extended family members. One of the
pupils designed a sponsorship form that
went home with each child. Another child
made a donations box and as the money
came in, two classmates kept a strict
account of this money. The support was
overwhelming, and we received donations
and sponsorships of R7,500. The children
learnt so much during this process of
which they were in charge. Once we
had the money, the teachers went and
bought groceries for the five families who
we support. What a wonderful gesture to
be able to give something to people in
such dire straits. The recipients were most
grateful, and the children really felt as
though they had ‘Made a Difference!’
CRAWFORD
INTERNATIONAL
RUIMSIG
A big ‘Thank you’ to all our
Crawford International
Ruimsig preparatory
parents for their
contribution towards the
Baby Moses Sanctuary.
Just another example
of Kindness and Giving
displayed by our Crawford
community.
Every child a masterpiece | 51
SCHOOL PAGES
CRAWFORD PRE-PRIMARY
CRAWFORD
LONEHILL
CRAWFORD
NORTH COAST
CRAWFORD
FOURWAYS
SERVICE
Never has a year needed smiles, hugs and blessings
more than 2020. Crawford Pre-Primary Lonehill
teachers have been blessed throughout the
Covid-19 pandemic with supportive management
and employers, enthusiastic children, committed
parents and motivated colleagues, so this Mandela
Day we decided to pass it forward. We, as a school
at Crawford Pre-Primary Lonehill, put together a
“Bagful of Blessings” to gift to the children of Takane
Kids. The Principal of Takana Kids, Caroline, and her
daughter Zee, are currently looking after 40 children.
They have not been able to feed these children
during the pandemic, so the donation was very
much appreciated! Thank you to all our staff, parents
and pupils for your generous donations!
CRAWFORD
LA LUCIA
This year, Crawford Pre-
Primary La Lucia’s ‘Winter
Warmth’ campaign
collected and donated
31 blankets and 156
packets/40 boxes of
soup to the Durban
North Methodist Church,
which runs a community
preschool and soup
kitchen for the homeless.
CRAWFORD
INTERNATIONAL
KENYA
Crawford International
Kenya pupil, Mark
(Year 9), distinguishes
himself as a committed
peer mentor willing
to use his passion for
photography to share
positive messages that
inspire hope among
his peers and the entire
Crawford community
during Mental Health
Awareness Week.
His Way Mission is a
non-profit organisation
supporting communities
that are struggling due
to poverty. They have
played an important
role in distributing food
parcels during the
Covid-19 pandemic on
the North Coast. We at
Crawford Pre-Primary
North Coast, together with
our generous families,
collected items of food
and donated these to be
included in much-needed
food parcels.
CRAWFORD
SANDTON
Crawford Pre-Primary
Sandton was able to
donate food items
such as oil, maize meal,
pasta, tinned food,
fruits, vegetables and
12 Pick n Pay bucket
hampers to make little
tummies happy at the
Teddy Bear Clinic. We
thank our families for
their support.
As part of a Mandela
Day initiative,
Crawford Fourways
pupils collected
pockets of oranges
for our essential
service workers in
our community. We
donated a total of
250 oranges to the
Douglasdale Police
Station.
CRAWFORD
INTERNATIONAL
BEDFORDVIEW
Crawford International
Bedfordview pupils
AJ and Mia Venter, in
commemoration of
Mandela Day, filled
“Jars of Hope” to feed
67 people. The 34
jars filled with dried
ingredients will feed
hungry families in need
of food.
52 | Crawford Times
Meningococcal Meningitis -
a potentially devastating but preventable infection 1,2
Meningococcal Meningitis Facts
Meningococcal Meningitis:
• is an infection caused by a bacteria
(Neisseria meningitidis) 1,2
• is spread from person-to-person via respiratory
droplets (e.g. sneezing, kissing, coughing) 1,2
What are the risks?
Early diagnosis is very important as a healthy child can die
within 24 hours of the first appearance of symptoms (e.g. sore
throat, cough, runny nose, fever, vomiting, skin rash - but these
do not always appear in babies, until it’s too late to treat
them). 2,4
• Can be fatal and cause long-term complications 1,2
• Has the biggest impact on babies
(e.g. in pre-primary/daycare settings) 2
• Is a vaccine-preventable condition 5,6
For survivors of this disease, there may be life-long
consequences. 1 These include: 1,2
Babies under 12 months of age have the highest
incidence of Meningococcal Meningitis infection. 3
Loss of limbs/
amputation
Brain
disorders
Hearing
loss
Protect your baby with the right dose of the vaccine, at the right time 1
Follow the below regimen, to fully protect your baby:
Babies from 9 to 23 months old: 2 doses, given 12 weeks apart 1
FACTS: • Babies are particularly vulnerable because of the relative immaturity of their immune systems. 6
• Delaying a second dose of the vaccine, when recommended, means your infant will not be optimally protected. 5,6,7
• Vaccination is a successful intervention for preventing Meningococcal Meningitis and its devastating effects. 5
Protect your baby
2-day with 2 doses under 2-years! 1
Scan this QR Code
for more information.
Always consult your healthcare provider
for any questions about Meningococcal
Meningitis and/or vaccination.
15383
References: 1. Meiring S, Hussey G, Jeena P, et al. Recommendations for the use of meningococcal vaccines in South Africa, Southern African Journal
of Infectious Diseases 2017;32(3):82-86. 2. Batista RS, Gomes AP, Gazineo JLD, et al. Meningococcal disease, a clinical and epidemiological review.
Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Medicine 2017;10(11):1019-1029. 3. American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Infectious Diseases. Prevention
and control of meningococcal disease: recommendations for use of meningococcal vaccines in pediatric patients. Pediatrics 2005;116(2):496-505.
4. Moore J. Meningococcal Disease Section 3: Diagnosis and Management: MeningoNI Forum. The Ulster Medical Journal 2018;87:94-98. 5. Zunt
JR, Kassebaum NJ, Blake N, et al, on behalf GBD 2016 Meningitis Collaborators. Global, regional, and national burden of meningitis, 1990-2016:
a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016. Lancet Neurol 2018;17:1061-1082. 6. Nadel S. Prospects for eradication of
meningococcal disease. Arch Dis Child 2012;97:993-998. 7. Noya F, McCormack D, Reynolds D, et al. Safety and immunogenicity of two doses of
quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine or one dose of meningococcal group C conjugate vaccine, both administered concomitantly with routine
immunization to 12- to 18-month-old children. Can J Infect Dis Med Microbiol 2014;25(4):211-216.
sanofi-aventis south africa (pty) ltd, reg. no.: 1996/010381/07.
2 Bond Street, Grand Central Ext. 1, Midrand, 1685.
Tel: (011) 256 3700. Fax: (011) 256 3707. www. sanofipasteur.com.
MAT-ZA-2000278. V1. 07/2020
Every child a masterpiece | 53
HEALTH
TRAINING TOGETHER
A FAMILY AFFAIR
Hi! My name is Melissa and I work as an online qualified personal
trainer, functional nutrition coach and a group fitness instructor.
Not only do I train clients as my job, but I live a lifestyle of
balancing healthy eating and being physically active.
By Melissa Press, Melissa FITPRESS,
Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
During the recent lockdown I enjoyed
spending quality time with my family and
have even tried to involve my children
in helping me train some of my clients
virtually by either helping me demonstrate an
exercise or even just counting down the client’s
reps. I try include physical activity into my children’s
lives, too, so that they grow up being active and
making healthy food choices as a way of life and
without viewing it as a chore (“exercise and diet”).
For many adults, training refers to the treadmill, a
gym or lifting weights, but to kids it refers to playing
and having fun. It doesn’t have to be exercise,
sweat and tears. We can make it fun for our kids
by getting them to play outside more rather than
being indoors. We have amazing weather in our
country and are fortunate enough to have the
opportunity to have our kids jump on a trampoline
or play on their jungle gym, or simply run around
playing a game of tag with their siblings or friends
in the garden. Today, excessive screen time and an
inadequate amount of physical activity add to the
problem of childhood obesity and is just becoming
a way of life for a lot of our kids, so it’s a good idea
to make training together a family affair.
54 | Crawford Times
BELOW I HAVE LISTED 10 IDEAS
TO HELP YOU GET THE ENTIRE
FAMILY INVOLVED:
1Help your kids do
a variety of ageappropriate
activities
and make being active
a part of your daily life -
taking the stairs instead
of the elevator is a good start. Our
kids need to start moving more
and being more physically active
instead of getting everything
instantly and delivered to them.
2
By training together
as a family, you’re not
just spending quality
time together, but you
are doing something
active and healthy. Parents are
instilling healthy habits in their
children by engaging in physical
activity and exercise. There is a
saying that “you become what
you surround yourself with”. By
training together and regularly as
a family, our children will grow up
with physical activity being a part
of their lives.
3
Lead by example.
Embrace a healthier
lifestyle and you will
be a positive role
model for your family.
Children often want to be just like
their parents and emulate their
behaviour – they’ll ask to join
Dad at the golf course or jump
around trying to do aerobics like
Mom. Let them get involved and
encourage active behaviour from
a young age.
4
We all know how
important it is to have
a healthy lifestyle,
involving body, mind
and soul. Kids yoga
has become popular.
I personally love the rush and
endorphin release from an intense
exercise session, and children feel
the same “happy feelings” after
running and jumping around. It
is also important to quieten the
mind. Research has shown that
yoga improves focus, memory,
self-esteem, academic
performance, and classroom
behaviour and even reduces
anxiety and stress in children.
5
Training as a family
is a good way to
motivate each other
and hold each other
accountable. Make
sure you don’t let
each other down and go for that
weekly family run or walk. Trust me,
the kids will most definitely not
forget, which is a good thing as
you are held to it even if you don’t
feel like it.
6
Training doesn’t have
to be boring or a
chore. It can be fun,
and there is no better
way to make it fun
than by including the
kids. If they have fun, then they will
come back for more. I try make
it as fun as possible when my
children are exercising with me.
I put music on and even if they
are just jumping around half the
time and not doing the actual
exercises, they are still moving
and having fun (while I may be
sweating up a storm...).
7
Tennis matches or
soccer tournaments
are great ways to
get the entire family
involved, as well as
entering walkathons
or family fun runs on the weekends.
As a family we often try to have one
active day on the weekend. Tennis
is a family favourite, girls against
boys. The kids love tennis so much
now that we have been playing it
as a family, so we have decided
to send them to tennis coaching,
which they are really enjoying.
8
Trail walks or hikes
are also a great way
to spend time out in
the open while still
being active. We have
so many great options on our
doorstep here in South Africa. With
great weather and good company,
a trail walk or hike can become a
social event followed by a healthy
picnic, which the kids will love.
9
Besides enjoying
the health benefits
of regular exercise,
fit kids sleep better.
This is a fact.
10
Improving
strength doesn’t
have to mean
lifting weights.
Instead, kids
can do pushups,
crunches, pull-ups, climbing,
handstands and wrestling. So, dads,
take it away and enjoy weekly
wrestles with your kids.
I have put together a simple fullbody
workout to demonstrate 10
exercises for you to do with your
kids and to get them involved.
CLICK HERE
TO WATCH
THE VIDEO
@melissa_fitpress_wbffpro
www.melissafitpress.com
FOOD
BEST
INGREDIENTS
FOR A PERFECT
A picnic is one of the joys of warm weather, sunny days, blue skies and a
perfect excuse to enjoy the great outdoors with friends and family – especially
after a very long lockdown. Beyond a pristine picnicking spot and someone
to share it with, there’s not much else needed to enjoy dining ‘al fresco’ than a
few magnificent ingredients. Here are a few items you can’t go without...
By Christelle Wolmarans
CHOOSE YOUR EQUIPMENT
CAREFULLY
Nothing dampens spirts more
than a leaky cooler box or a
dish that didn’t make the trip.
Check your Tupperware and seal
it properly. Make sure everything
made it out of the fridge and
into your basket. Wrap any
particularly pungent items in
a plastic bag, and for very hot
days, make sure the cooler box is
still in working condition.
Ensure that you have enough
plastic cups and bottles, especially
56 | Crawford Times
for your little ones to avoid any
unforeseen breakages. Consider
packing a lightweight tray if you
decide on glass for the grownups,
to avoid the unnecessary spillage
on the grass.
Paper plates and serviettes is a
must – you can even add some
decorative ones for a more fun or
formal dining experience. These
are important items not only for the
perfect outdoor ‘table’ setting but
also easy to chuck in a bin once
the picnic has come to an end.
HAVE COLD DRINKS ON HAND
The main rule for outdoor eating
is to keep hot foods hot and cold
foods cold. Ice packs will get the
job done, but frozen bottles of
water and juice do double duty.
After they melt (and the food has
been eaten), you will have cold
drinks on hand for everyone.
WET WIPES EQUALS CLEAN
HANDS AND FACES
Pre-moistened wipes will keep
hands clean, and help to clean
up sticky spills, even if there’s no
running water nearby.
PREP YOUR MEAL
The simple picnic
basket formula is finger
food that is as easy to
prepare as it is to eat. Pies,
Scotch eggs, sausage rolls
and chicken drumsticks are
considered classic picnic treats
for a reason – they are all finger
foods that travel well. However,
also consider some of these
delicacies to make your picnic
meal just a touch more gourmet.
• A touch of salty
Stuffed olives, rosemary and
sea salt nuts, veggies with
hummus, smoked mussels on
crackers, mini pizzas, crisps,
drywors and biltong are all
delicious and easy to put
together. If you feel a bit more
creative, you can channel your
inner chef and whip up some
spring rolls, which are easier
to make than it sounds. Add a
variety of colours like peppers,
carrots and spinach, and
don’t forget the soy
sauce at home.
These simple
DIY snacks
are all
there to
satisfy the
ultimate
salty
craving.
• Delicious and creamy
Cheese please! Pairing
cheese and crackers is a really
awesome way to entertain your
picnic guests. Aim for three
to five cheeses with a range
of textures and milk types.
Three is plenty if the board will
accompany other dishes in a
multicourse meal, but opt for
more if cheese will be the star of
the show. Be creative and have
fun with your board choice. The
serving vehicle can often be as
much a source of conversation
as the cheese itself.
• Carb it up!
Sandwiches are the best picnic
food out there and the flavour
combinations are endless. They
are compact and don’t take
up too much space in your
cooler box. You can also eat
them with your hands. To pack
them, wrap them in a reusable
sandwich wrap or foil so that
they hold together until it is time
to unwrap them.
Every child a masterpiece | 57
FOOD
• Remember something spreadable
There are plenty of great dishes that can spice up your
picnic, but as soon as your fancy butter, jams, and/or
pesto’s hit the picnic blanket, all the other offerings
might be forgotten. Enjoy these with thin slices of
seed breads, baguettes or flatbreads, and top
each with an anchovy, fresh berries or create a
combo that will completely steal the spotlight.
• Add some crunch
Simply seasoned and fried
tender juicy meats, veggies or
even tacos with tangy flavours are
easy to create at home and add
spice to any classic picnic meal. If
you have a vegetarian in the mix, a
crunchy black bean, tortilla chips
and avocado wrap is
an absolute must.
• Do it fresh
A salad is always a great addition
to any meal. Select your favourite
ingredients, fruit or vegetables and
either serve them in clear plastic
cups with lids, or jam jars.
Just leave a little room at the top
and bring along a dressing that
will complement the flavours.
An awesome fresh spring salad is
watermelon, feta and rocket leaves.
The contrast of salty and sweet is
absolutely delicious!
MAKE MEMORIES
The first step to forming
a lasting memory is to
pay attention, enjoy the
moment, and experience
every second with those you love. Then, take snapshot with
a camera right at the end to bring it all together for you to
reminisce with future generations.
So, ditch the dining room this season and take it outside.
Arm yourself with picnic recipes that you are sure to pull
together for a memorable, movable feast.
• Something sweet
Rustle up a batch of vanilla cupcakes with
pretty butter icing and decorate them with fruit
or sprinkles for the perfect picnic treat. Fudgy
brownies also make for an ideal end to a meal
in the great outdoors.
58 | Crawford Times
Every child a masterpiece | 59
By Christelle Wolmarans
Flavours of the World
I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice-cream! Nothing beats the cool, creamy and sweet taste of icecream
on a delightful spring day. Some people like vanilla, some chocolate, while others enjoy something
that isn’t for the faint-hearted. Let’s take a trip around the world to discover the wackiest ice-cream flavours.
The Booger
Sweet spot: The Ice
Cream Store, Rehoboth
Beach, Delaware, USA
EntoMilk
Sweet spot: Gourmet
Grubb, South Africa
If you are not squeamish
and willing to try anything,
then a scoop of the
Gourmet Grubb insect milkbased
ice-cream is just for
you. EntoMilk is apparently
highly nutritious. The dairyfree
“milk” is lactose, gluten
and sugar-free, and is high
in protein, healthy fats and
minerals such as zinc, iron
and calcium. This new milk
paves the way for all sorts of
related edibles and old-time
favourite deserts, just with a
‘gogga’ flavour.
‘Traditional’ isn’t the word
you’d choose to describe any
of the ice-cream varieties in
this store - they don’t even
serve vanilla! If the ‘Catching
Fire’ flavour, inspired by the
Hunger Games, with its
surprise of a real scorpion
is not your thing, try
‘The Booger’, which
is one of the tamer
versions. This goodie
is made of only
yummy ingredients:
vanilla ice-cream,
caramel, and bits
of marshmallow
with green food
colouring added to
the concoction of
a gooey icky booger
that all kids love, and
parents absolutely hate.
The Lobster
Sweet spot: Ben & Bill’s
Chocolate Emporium,
Bar Harbour, Maine, USA
Don’t let the word ‘chocolate’
in this store’s name fool you,
as there is nothing chocolaty
about this unique destination.
The famous delicacy they are
known for sounds absolutely
insane, but a butter-infused
ice-cream dinner dessert with
freshly cooked lobster folded
into each bite is so wrong
that it is completely right.
Remember to share and not
be shellfish!
CLICK HERE TO VISIT
GOURMET GRUBB
CLICK HERE TO VISIT
THE ICE CREAM STORE
CLICK HERE TO VISIT
BEN & BILL’S
60 | Crawford Times
FOOD
Special
Vanilla
Sweet spot: Lick Me I’m Delicious,
Bristol, England
Gilroy
Garlic Ice
Sweet spot: Gilroy Garlic Festival,
California, USA
Gilroy in California is the self-proclaimed “Garlic
capital of the world”. Their annual festival features
garlic being used in practically every way
imaginable. So, it’s no surprise that you’ll find garlic
in your ice-cream. The roasted garlic brings out its
sweetness, and balances beautifully with traditional
ice-cream flavours. It is so deliciously potent that
even Dracula won’t come near you.
CLICK HERE TO VISIT GILROY GARLIC FESTIVAL
Mavericks, rebels and free spirits, the Lick Me
I’m Delicious team has plenty of flavourful
combinations that will
be a conversational
piece forever and
a day. The Special
Vanilla flavour of
ice-cream isn’t what
makes it weird. The
English ice-cream
maker adds the
proteins that makes
jellyfish glow to his
vanilla recipe. So,
when you lick the icecream
the proteins
activate and cause
your scoops to
light up like a
Christmas tree.
CLICK HERE TO VISIT
LICK ME I’M DELICIOUS
Banana Curry
Sweet spot: Black Dog Gelato,
Chicago, USA
Black Dog Gelato flavour combinations are
inspired by whatever the local farmers bring
them. They put an addictive heap of curry in
their ice-cream, which brings to mind Indian
take-out on a winter’s night. Now this ice-cream
is definitely on the savoury side of sweet!
Creamy, sweet and spicy, each flavour pops on
your palate in harmony. Shockingly delicious, the
Banana Curry ice-cream is a Must. Have. More.
CLICK HERE
TO VISIT
BLACK DOG
GELATO
Cold Sweat
Sweet spot: Homemade
Ice Cream in Angier,
North Carolina, USA
Fire and ice, ice and fire.
One of the hottest
delicacies on the
planet. Made with the
habanero chillies,
the infamous ghost
chilli and two kinds
of hot sauce, this
super-delicious
and spicy icecream
will ‘burn’
your socks off.
CLICK HERE TO VISIT
HOMEMADE ICE CREAM
IN ANGIER
Every child a masterpiece | 61
Tiger’s Tail
Sweet spot: Kawartha Dairy, Canada
This delicious ice-cream is a Canadian
classic. It is a spooktacular homemade
liquorice, caramel and orange scented
vanilla ice-cream that elevates childhood
Halloween fun.
Swirls and twirls
bend around
a pipe frozen
like a tiger’s tail.
Please note no
big cats were
harmed in the
making of this
confection!
Pet Bird
Sweet spot: Torimi Cafe, Tokyo, Japan
This small café serves up Bird. Yes, a Tokyo icecream
shop has flavours such as java sparrow
and parakeet. But no, not to worry, you won’t
find feathers in your scoops, just the things
these birds eat, like fruit, nuts, grains and
seeds. Very good for the digestive system!
CLICK HERE TO VISIT
KAWARTHA DAIRY
CLICK HERE TO VISIT
TORIMI CAFE
Foie Gras
Sweet spot: OddFellows, New York City
OddFellows takes the ‘odd’ in its name seriously.
Over the years they have become
synonymous with experimental
flavours. Since opening their doors
in 2013, they have concocted
more than 300 different weird
and wonderful flavours that spark
conversations worldwide. One is the
rich, fatty, melts-in-your-mouth foie
gras variety.
It’s a unique
flavour that
people tend to
either love or
hate. If you’re a
fan of foie gras,
don’t miss a trip
to OddFellows.
CLICK HERE TO VISIT
ODDFELLOWS
62 | Crawford Times
LIFE HACKS
TOP 10 KIDS’
DREAM CAREERS
Teacher, fireman, astronaut...
We’ve all heard these options flow from the
imaginations of our kids as they make their
future ‘Dream Career’ lists. But the truth
is that your baby may want to be a
game ranger today but a ballerina
tomorrow, so strike while the iron
is hot! While there’s interest in
a particular subject, use that
interest to create fun activities
and to facilitate learning! Here
are the top 10 kids’ future dream
careers and our suggested activities,
crafts and games to keep the dream
alive - for now anyway.
By Donna Verrydt
1Dancer / Choreographer
TikTok has taken over the world and
16-year-old Charli D’Amelio and
19-year-old Addison Rae are now the
world’s biggest dancing stars and
top earners! So, it’s no surprise that
dancing and choreography is on the
popular careers list for kids, with every pre-to-late
teen wanting to hit it big by busting some moves.
2Actor
Here’s a cool drama game to get
your kids creating various scenes
and characters. The game is called
‘It’s Mine, It’s Yours!’ and features
two kids and one stuffed toy. The
CLICK
actor without the toy
must create a scenario where he will
need to steal the toy from the other
actor. Once he has done so, the actor
that lost the toy will need to create
another fantasy scenario to steal it
back. Examples: a fake Kung Fu fight
to win the toy, or a secret agent stalk to
steal it back. See how creative kids get
while “stealing”.
And what better way to get into the
swing of things than by watching
Disney’s Teen
Beach Movie
dance tutorial,
taught by the
movie stars, CLICK HERE
Ross Lynch and TO JOIN
Maia Mitchell, THE VIDEO
themselves!
TUTORIAL!
KIDS CHARADES
This fun acting board game is an easy way to
facilitate young acting dreams while having
fun with the whole family. Get yours from
Toys R Us online.
HERE
TO SHOP
Every child a masterpiece | 63
LIFE HACKS
3
Game Ranger
It comes with the territory, literally,
but becoming a game ranger is
on the dream career list of many
young African-born children
thanks to our Big 5 heritage and
often experiences one-on-one.
For younger kids, enhance their interest by
helping them make “Spoor Slip Slops”.
THIS WILL ENTAIL:
1. Your kids investigating different types of
animal spoor (learning - tick)
2. Choosing the spoor they like the best
(decision-making - tick)
3. Using thick craft foam, scissors and glue
to create the spoor shapes on the bottom
of their slops (crafting and fine motor skills
development - tick)
CLICK HERE
TO SEE HOW
TO MAKE
THESE
4. Finding mud or sand and making tracks
(fun in nature and dirty play - tick)
5. Other kids can guess the different spoors
and get points (healthy competition - tick)
THE WORLD’S
WORST
TEACHERS BY
DAVID WALLIAMS
Mike DeMaio
4Teacher
Teacher Mike DeMaio took his
teaching beyond the classroom
and onto YouTube, using music,
animation, voice-overs, puppets
and other entertaining things
to engage
the kids. And kids think he
is hilarious! Check-out his
lessons on Times Tables, The
Titanic, Sharks, Volcanos and
Planets to name a few.
CLICK HERE
TO SEE
THE LESSONS
Think your teachers
are bad? Wait
till you meet this
lot, written by the
famous David
Walliams. Available
from any decent
bookstore or try it
as an audiobook,
narrated
by David
Walliams
himself.
CLICK HERE
FOR THE AUDIO
VERSION ON
AUDIBLE
64 | Crawford Times
5Scientist
If your kid wants to be a scientist,
you are in luck! Try and ride this
wave for as long as it lasts! There
are hundreds of junior science
videos on YouTube, and thousands
of fun experiments to try at home,
like the Bouncy Egg experiment below.
CLICK HERE FOR
THE VIDEO TO
SHOW YOU THE
EXPERIMENT
THE BIG BOUNCY EGG EXPERIMENT
Instructions:
1. Place three eggs into three
separate glasses.
2. Fill the glasses with vinegar and
a few drops of different food
colouring in each glass.
3. Leave the eggs in the coloured
vinegar for two days.
4. Remove the eggs and peel them
gently. Then rub them until they are
smooth and shiny – and rubbery.
5. Lightly drop your eggs on a flat
surface and watch them bounce
around. Note: Don’t drop them too
hard – they can still splatter, but
maybe that’s the game?
6You need:
Firefighter
‘Extinguish the
Flames’ is a great
party game for
your ambitious
little fire fighters.
• Large water guns - better to
have ones that can shoot quite
a distance.
• “Flames” cut out of
cardboard or foam.
• Tin cans – tape the
flames onto these.
Arrange the tin
cans on a table or
a wall with the “flames” facing
forwards and get the kids to stand
behind a line and squirt water
at the flames. The first firefighter
to “extinguish” the flames by
knocking the can off the table or
wall wins!
For older kids, get them to research
ways to make fire without using
a lighter or matches. Bear Grylls
has many ideas for this, including
rubbing sticks together and using a
magnifying glass,
but it was his
ability to make fire
using a smashed
mobile phone
that really got
our attention!
* Note: Parental
supervision always
advisable – you know kids!
CLICK HERE
TO WATCH
BEAR MAKE FIRE
Every child a masterpiece | 65
LIFE HACKS
7Detective
Being a cop
and busting
baddies is
always a popular
dream career
for kids, but why
not encourage them to take
it one step further and go full
detective! The play will be a little
more mature, more scientific,
and comes complete with loads
of gizmos and gadgets such
as fingerprint kits, walkie talkies,
badges and clues.
Get this DIY Fingerprint
Verification Kit for R129.90 from
Toys R Us. Your kids can reveal
and record their fingerprints. The
kit includes case record cards
and a forensic lab badge.
CLICK HERE TO
ORDER ONLINE
9Astronaut
Exciting news
for kids who
are aiming for
the stars! NASA
(yes, the NASA)
offers amazing
content for spaced-out kids on
their NASA Kids Club site. Here
you will find games (which
support STEM development
skills), you can meet the
crew currently orbiting Earth
on the International Space
Station, and you will be able
to see NASA’s most fascinating
pictures and videos of things
like the moon, the sun, planets,
and of course, the earth.
8Veterinarian
The game Pet
World – My Animal
Hospital – Dream
Jobs has been
downloaded by
28,622 people
and is rated 4 stars. The game
allows your child to take care of
pets such as monkeys, alpacas,
panda bears and dogs in a
realistic animation setting.
Other game features include:
• Managing your own pet hospital
• Learning the daily tasks of
being a veterinarian
• Examining and caring for cute
animals
• Collecting daily coins and
rewards
• Unlocking various treatment
rooms as you go
66 | Crawford Times
Available from Google Play.
CLICK HERE TO
DOWNLOAD
CLICK ON THE
LINK BELOW TO
CHECK IT OUT
ASTRONAUT CRAFT
For dress-up fun, making an
astronaut suit for your child
will make them love you to
the moon and back, and it
doesn’t need to make your
expenses skyrocket.
CLICK HERE TO
WATCH ‘5 BEST
SPACE CRAFTS AT
1 MINUTE CRAFTS’
ON YOUTUBE
10
Doctor
Operation said the
doctor, operation said
the nurse! Poor Cavity
Sam is back, and he
has returned to this new
generation still feeling
under the weather! Get your mini MD-wannabees
the legendary Operation game. Kids can use
tweezers to try and remove Sam’s “ailments”, but
they must be careful not to touch the sides of Sam
otherwise his nose will light up and you will be
buzzed out.
The Operation game is available
online from Toys R Us for R429.90
CLICK HERE
TO ORDER
UNIONVAULT.CO.ZA
Safety Deposit Box
Facility
Pretoria
Every child a masterpiece | 67
TRAVEL FEATURE
GEAR UP FOR
10 UNIQUE
LOCAL LANDMARKS
Unusual travel destinations
As countries begin to ease lockdown measures, all eyes are on how
international borders will reopen. Some nations have already agreed
on a mooted possibility of travel, whereas other countries have only
allowed for citizens to roam their own country freely.
By Christelle Wolmarans
South Africa has some of the weirdest and
wackiest attractions you may never have
heard of. So, gear up for 10 unique destinations
that will take your road trip into the fast lane.
1THE SHOE
20km from Ohrigstad on the border
of Limpopo and Mpumalanga
The Shoe was built in 1990 by artist,
owner Ron van Zyl. It is not only filled
with the “old woman’s” furniture, but
also houses a museum and art gallery.
Here you can find spectacular wood and bronze
carvings. Many of the artworks are available to
purchase. This destination also provides a quaint
tea garden and gift shop for special memorabilia.
So, next time you are in the area, kick off your
shoes and make yourself
comfortable at The Shoe.
2ECO SHRINE
Hogsback, Eastern Cape
Nestled in the Amathole
Mountains, the Eco Shrine can be
reached via a spectacular leafy
tunnel of hazelnut trees. It was
constructed by Diana Graham in
1955. It is a beautiful place that imbued a sense
of homage to its surroundings and includes a
6m tree sculpture of an angel carved out of
a redwood tree that was struck by lightning
many years ago. The circular enclosure with
oil paintings and glittering mosaics forms a
majestic, peaceful shrine to cherish the true
beauty of this earth. Thus, it comes as no surprise
that this special place has walked away with
so many big awards, including the Greed Dove
Award from the US, and the Mail and Guardian’s
Green Trust Award. Like any enchanted forest, this
walk is legendary.
CLICK HERE TO VISIT
THE SHOE
CLICK HERE TO VISIT
THE ECO SHRINE
68 | Crawford Times
3 4
OWL HOUSE
Nieu-Bathesda, Eastern Cape
The Owl House is where history
and art meet. It used to belong to
the late Helen Martins. She and
her assistants spent many years
creating this colourful house and
fantasy garden, with mirrors, candles, and lanterns
positioned to catch the light at different times of
the day. The garden displays many quasi-religious
tableaus and mythical figures that make up a
forest of 500 statues that are intense, baffling and
compelling. In memory of this beautiful lady who
had a brilliant mind and imagination, the Owl
House has been kept intact as a museum and
was declared a provincial national monument in
1991. Make sure to make this destination part of
your journey, learning to go beyond the conforms
of the mind into a never-ending wonderland of
mystical creatures.
GIANT POST BOX
Calvinia, Northern Cape
The small Northern Cape town
may not be an energetic urban
hub of glitz and glamour, but it is
certainly a unique little town with
one of the most-photographed
attractions in South Africa. It features a tall, bright
red post box, which was converted from a water
tower in 1995 into what is probably the largest
post box in the world. The post box measures 6.17
metres high and has a circumference of 9.42
meters. It operates as a functional post box and
no, fortunately one does not have to be nearly six
metres tall to post a letter. There is a human-height
post box built into the
side of this behemoth.
When you post your
letters from this spot,
your letter will receive
a rare postmark, a
hand-stamped flower.
This is significant
because Calvinia
is one of the areas
that erupts into
bloom ever year, as
veld flowers blanket
the Namaqualand
in a sea of red.
CLICK HERE TO VISIT
THE OWL HOUSE
CLICK HERE TO VISIT
THE GIANT POST BOX
5LARGEST PINEAPPLE
Bathurst, Eastern Cape
Bathurst is one of the biggest pineapple-growing
areas in South Africa and also home to the largest
pineapple in the world. The building itself stands three
stories (16.7m) tall. It’s made of metal and fiberglass
and features an observation platform. The inside of the
pineapple contains a museum dedicated to the fruit with a variety of
pineapple products available for sale. On the second floor you have the
magnificent 360-degree views of the surrounding farm lands. The national
attraction draws hundreds of people to the small town to get their picture
with the yellow wonder.
CLICK HERE TO VISIT
THE LARGEST PINEAPPLE
Every child a masterpiece | 69
TRAVEL FEATURE
6BIGGEST CHAIR
R60, between Worcester and
Robertson, Western Cape
The enormous red chair
at Rooiberg Winery is the
largest of its kind on the
African continent. People
can “camp out” on the chair experiencing a
festive atmosphere from a dizzying height. Just
to make sure your visit is as comfortable and
unhurried as possible, the chair is decked with
its own table and chairs. So ‘come have a seat’
and enjoy one of the most beautiful sceneries
in the Robertson valley.
CLICK HERE TO VISIT
THE BIGGEST CHAIR
7ADAM’S CALENDAR
Ehlanzeni, Mpumalanga
Known to only a few, and
only accessible through
a rough dirt road past the
wild horses of Kaapsche
Hoop, is a peaceful space
filled with incredible views and a megalithic
stone calendar. With the shape of a circle and
a diameter of 100 feet, it is nicknamed the
‘Birthplace of the sun’, Africa’s Stonehenge.
They believe that Adam’s Calendar is the
flagship of the ruins and that it remains
accurate as a calendar following the
shadow of the setting sun cast by the central
monolith onto a flat calendar stone next to it.
Pictures taken from the air seem to support
the hypothesis. As with many similar stone
monuments, it loosely aligns with the celestial
world and a must-see for those who dare take
the journey.
CLICK HERE TO VISIT
ADAM’S CALENDAR
8TSWAING METEORITE CRATER
Soshanguve, South Africa
Tswaining – the place of salt
– is an ancient impact crater
on the outskirts of Pretoria.
It is believed that the crater
formed some 220,000 years
ago when a giant meteorite slammed into
earth, creating a half-mile-wide crater and
destroying all vegetation within a 25-mile radius.
The remains of these activities are still present
as ruins around the crater. It now lies within a
protected reserve with several hiking trails and
an amazing picnic spot not to be missed by
the avid photographer or hiker.
CLICK HERE TO VISIT
THE TSWAING CRATER
70 | Crawford Times
9SUDWALA DINOSAUR PARK
Nelspruit, Mpumalanga
The Sudwala Dinosaur Park is a
Jurassic Park-like outdoor museum
filled with life-sized dinosaurs and
prehistoric animals. Set among the
beautiful tropical garden, the park has many different
species of monkeys and birds, together with a lovely
viewing deck over the Rainforest Valley. The rich
and colourful activities from the park have brought
people a fresh and fun paradise where they can
explore different scenes of dinosaur families thriving.
An ecological environment not to be missed when
traveling through Mpumalanga.
CLICK HERE TO VISIT
SUDWALA DINOSAUR PARK
10
KAAIMANS GROTTO
Wilderness, South Africa
This cave, which overlooks
the Indian Ocean, has
been turned into a
shelter and makeshift
museum. It is filled with shell chandeliers, religious
iconography, mannequins and other trinkets
and living quarters for staff. The cave is well worth
the visit with a brief introduction to history and
knowledge on the surrounding areas. Follow the
train tracks to the west and you will find a magical
path, a place of eccentric artwork and pilgrimage
run by Clifford and friends. A must see, even if you
just stop for a cup of tea on the deck overlooking
the Kaaimans whilst they tell you their life cave
story. A fascinating and memorable experience.
CLICK HERE TO VISIT KAAIMANS GROTTO
Every child a masterpiece | 71
CAR REVIEW
LANDMARK
MOTORING
LAND ROVER’S DISCOVERY
LANDMARK EDITION AND DEFENDER
There are few things I love more than being out in the South African
bushveld in a capable 4x4. Recently, as I sat reverse-parked at the
dam at Ezemvelo Nature Reserve, enjoying a flask of coffee and a
rusk while perched in the roomy boot of the Land Rover Discovery
Landmark edition, this was reconfirmed.
By Tamara Oberholster
72 | Crawford Times
After being cooped up
during lockdown, it was
the best day I’d had in
months – a magnificent
machine to play with in a
magnificent location. Plus, the
panoramic sunroof was perfect
for this petite amateur birder and
photographer to get some height
when trying to get a decent shot.
The Discovery Landmark
Edition was launched in 2019
to celebrate three decades of
the Land Rover Discovery and it
feels like a celebration to drive
it. With a 190kW/600Nm 3.0-litre
TD6 engine paired with 8-speed
automatic transmission, the
Discovery Landmark Edition
combines comfort and luxury
with grunt and speed.
Land Rover calls the Discovery
the “ultimate go-anywhere SUV”
and I wanted to go everywhere in
this car. Built on the Discovery SE,
the Landmark Edition adds the
Dynamic Pack, which includes a
sexy front bumper design, and
Narvik Black mesh grille, fender
vents and nameplate scripting
on the bonnet and tailgate,
plus Landmark badging on the
tailgate. It’s like the SE’s suave
influencer sibling – it just begs to
be photographed.
“
...The
discovery made
light of rocky
ridges and sandy
hairpin bends...
”
The exterior has a fixed
panoramic roof, front fog lights
and signature taillights. Privacy
glass and 20-inch Gloss Black
wheels complete the effect.
Inside, the high-quality finishes
whisper “luxe”, whereas the 380W
Meridian Sound System will blast it
if you like.
It’s a dream to drive, especially
in the great outdoors. The
Discovery’s air suspension is
famous, and for good reason. It’s
like floating along on a personal
cloud, which is nice enough
when you’re on the highway or
cruising around the suburbs, but
it truly comes into its own on a
corrugated dirt road.
As much as I loved playing with
the off-road modes, raising and
lowering the suspension and
squealing in glee as the Discovery
made light of rocky ridges and
sandy hairpin bends, most of the
driving I did with it was in town,
and it impressed me there, too.
You expect a luxury SUV to come
packed with technology, and
the Discovery does, but there are
also some small practical design
features that show just how
much thought has gone into the
vehicle. My favourite is the small
recess in the boot that allowed
me to transport fragile groceries
and even a set of potted orchids
without danger of them being
flung around while cornering at
speed. I also loved the fact that
the middle row of seats slides
forward and backwards like the
front seats, and that the tow-hitch
retracts when not in use.
Every child a masterpiece | 73
CAR REVIEW
The controls are a bit different
to what I’m used to – there’s a
sleek knob to dial instead of a
gear lever – but it’s very intuitive (I
can attest to this, given that I was
handed the keys as I was leaving
for a meeting and had to learn
the controls on the fly).
The entertainment console
connected effortlessly with
Android Auto and the Google
Assistant, which I hadn’t previously
used. In fact, one night I was
explaining to my husband how
Google Assistant works. “You just
say something like, ‘Ok, Google.
What’s the weather like in Cape
Town?’” I said. We then both
nearly had a heart attack when a
voice calmly responded in a clear
British accent from my phone in
the next room!
“
The discovery
landmark edition
is built for modern
living and city
style
”
The Discovery Landmark Edition
is built for modern living and city
style and is a classy beast of a
vehicle. But if you’re looking for
something slightly more rugged
in appearance, that prioritises
off-road capability and which
offers more customisation than
ever available on a Land Rover to
date, you might consider the new
Land Rover Defender 110.
The name is a nod to the 110-
inch wheelbase of the previous
generation, and the Defender 110
body style offers a choice of five,
six or 5+2 seating configurations
and a loadspace ranging from
1,075 litres behind the second
row, to 2,380 litres with seats
folded. Coming soon is a shortwheelbase
version, Defender 90,
with seating for up to six.
74 | Crawford Times
You can choose from the flagship
3.0-litre straight 6-cylinder P400,
with Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicle
technology (outputs of 294kW
and 550Nm), or two 2.0-litre
variants. The P300 turbocharged
petrol offers 221kW and 400Nm,
while the D240 twin turbocharged
diesel option produces 177kW
and 430Nm.
The Defender 110 has ground
clearance of up to 291mm and
maximum suspension articulation
of 500mm. Then there’s that
glorious air suspension, which
provides an off-road ride height
lift of 75mm and floating-cloud
comfort. An additional 70mm
of lift means the body can be
raised by a maximum of 145mm
when needed, while the aptly
named Elegant Arrival mode
automatically lowers the body by
50mm so you can get out of the
vehicle easily.
There are four specs available:
the base Defender, S, SE and
HSE models. All versions feature
permanent all-wheel drive with a
high and low-range transfer box,
air suspension, Terrain Response,
LED headlights, Connected
Navigation, 3D surround cameras,
10-inch Pivi Pro infotainment, a
driver condition monitor, and
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
Smartphone Packs.
Furthermore, you can choose
to customise your Defender 110
with one of four packs: Explorer,
Adventure, Country and Urban.
Each is designed to tailor your
ride to your lifestyle.
As with all Land Rover models
since 2016, the Defender 110
is also capable of receiving
remote updates, meaning it can
download data while you’re
sleeping, updating its electronics
without you needing to visit a
Land Rover retailer.
The Land Rover Discovery
Landmark Edition retails from
R1,373,000, while the Defender
110 retails from R1,050,100. More
information at.
As much as I loved playing with
the off-road modes, raising and
lowering the suspension and
squealing in glee as the Discovery
made light of rocky ridges and
sandy hairpin bends, most of the
driving I did with it was in town,
and it impressed me there, too.
The Discovery Landmark Edition
is built for modern living and city
style and is a classy beast of a
vehicle.
Every child a masterpiece | c