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Marguerite Parino
My name is Marguerite Parino or Miss Margo as I was known before retiring as a Special Education Teacher. Twenty years in the classroom has shown me that students, parents, colleagues, and even I learn best when information is presented in a way in which we can all relate -that is building on what we already know to engage and experience new information in a manner that utilizes all of our senses. Explore! Animals of the South Africa Lowveld does just that. Many books, especially children's books inundate the audience with a tremendous amount of facts on size, weight, length of gestation etc. and many people do enjoy reading about the demographics of animals. But, whether it is talking about the toileting activities of impala or showing through photography how a large kudu can disappear in the bush, I have tried to bring the animals to life.
My husband and I always dreamed of going to Africa. And we always thought it was well out of our means. However, after a lot of research, saving and planning we were able to put together the vacation of a lifetime - three weeks in the South African bush in 2010. And now just 16 years later we find ourselves as owner/operators of a 600+ hectare safari outfit tucked in the Waterberg Mountains, just three hours from Kruger. People always ask, "How is it that you live in Africa?". I think that that would be a great blog post.
My love for South Africa is represented in observations and stories I have listened to and told about the wonderful wildlife reserves and National Parks. Over the years, my ability to take excellent photos has increased and now I am patient enough to wait for the right moment to click and capture moments providing definition and evidence for my stories. When I am back in the states, I share my experiences and now my book with everyone. Always the teacher, I have written some lesson plans to go along with the book and have presented them to students in K-6. The first lesson is about lions and we begin by listening to the video of the lion found in the video section. That video was taken by one of our guests named Jane at the Entenbeni Private Reserve located 45 minutes from our own lodge.
In my book, I inform the reader that lions don't really roar. And I have presented that lesson to different groups of elementary students. After listening to the video, the students agree. And they are able to use what they already know to say that a lion sounds like a "motorcycle" "a dog barking" and "a train" and come to a conclusion that lions don't roar. The lesson continues with walking like a lion and ends with another hands-on-activity about how a lion's tongue works. Simple activities that are enjoyable for everyone.
My husband and I always dreamed of going to Africa. And we always thought it was well out of our means. However, after a lot of research, saving and planning we were able to put together the vacation of a lifetime - three weeks in the South African bush in 2010. And now just 16 years later we find ourselves as owner/operators of a 600+ hectare safari outfit tucked in the Waterberg Mountains, just three hours from Kruger. People always ask, "How is it that you live in Africa?". I think that that would be a great blog post.
My love for South Africa is represented in observations and stories I have listened to and told about the wonderful wildlife reserves and National Parks. Over the years, my ability to take excellent photos has increased and now I am patient enough to wait for the right moment to click and capture moments providing definition and evidence for my stories. When I am back in the states, I share my experiences and now my book with everyone. Always the teacher, I have written some lesson plans to go along with the book and have presented them to students in K-6. The first lesson is about lions and we begin by listening to the video of the lion found in the video section. That video was taken by one of our guests named Jane at the Entenbeni Private Reserve located 45 minutes from our own lodge.
In my book, I inform the reader that lions don't really roar. And I have presented that lesson to different groups of elementary students. After listening to the video, the students agree. And they are able to use what they already know to say that a lion sounds like a "motorcycle" "a dog barking" and "a train" and come to a conclusion that lions don't roar. The lesson continues with walking like a lion and ends with another hands-on-activity about how a lion's tongue works. Simple activities that are enjoyable for everyone.
https://youtu.be/6xGp7or7qVg