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 a new 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’s Southern African Sustainable Seafood Initiative (WWF-SASSI), with the support of the One Planet network. It should be used in conjunction with the free WWF-SASSI app which is regularly updated with information about sustainable seafood.
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.
The WWF-SASSI list uses a traffic light system to make it easier for consumers to make decisions when buying or ordering fish. Green means it’s OK to eat the fish, orange means you should “think twice” about eating it and red means “don’t buy”.
Said Pavitray (Pavs) Pillay, who leads the WWF-SASSI programme: “We’ve tested these cards and everyone who has used them loves them. 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 scale using the WWF-SASSI list. You’ll be amazed at what you find!”
To download the game, see wwf.org.za/sassi or click here.
For a PowerPoint on how you can use this resource, see wwf.org.za/sassi
To download the WWF-SASSI app go to www.sassiapp.co.za
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