Did you know that squid have three hearts? Or that female sardines can produce 200 000 eggs a season? And that rock lobsters moult 11 times before they are fully grown?
These are just a few of the fun facts contained in our new activity book featuring a downloadable pack of cards to teach kids more about fish and sustainable seafood.
The book – titled “Let’s play card games and learn about fish” – is the work of WWF-SASSI with the support of the UN One Planet network. This exciting creation should be used in conjunction with the free WWF-SASSI app which is regularly updated with information about the sustainable seafood list.
Teachers and parents are encouraged to download the book for free, and to cut out and laminate the brightly coloured fish cards for use in the classroom or at home. It contains ideas for more than 15 games and activities for kids from grades 4 to 10 and synchronises with the school curriculum.The cards are small enough to fit into a handbag, picnic basket or rucksack and are adaptable to any age group. There are also templates for those who wish to expand on the pack by creating their own cards.
We have tested these cards and facilitated training with our networking partners including aquariums, environmental educators, Table Mountain and West Coast National Parks staff and school teachers and everyone it has been great fun! It’s a great way to introduce kids to the idea of sustainable seafood and how they can contribute to taking care of our oceans. One of the activities for older kids is to encourage them to look at menus from seafood restaurants and test where they are on the sustainability list using the WWF-SASSI tools. You’ll be amazed at what you find!
To download the game, go to wwf.org.za/sassi