SOULMATES
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Rekindling the spirit of care and respect for all life, through literacy
Foundation Phase
I’m a very special modern-day dinosaur!​​​
Big Book
Grade R Term 4 Life Skills
Topics: Birds; Dinosaurs:
Discovering that a distant cousin of today's birds was T. Rex.
Also in Afrikaans
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Refer to Lesson Plans:
Grade R Term 4
Grade 2 Term 2
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Plus Activity
Kittens... kittens... kittens!
Belinda learns that having her beautiful cat spayed stops more kittens being born. In this way we can make sure that no babies end up without a loving home.
Also in the following languages:
Afrikaans, isiXhosa, isiZulu, SeSotho, Setswana
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Refer to Lesson Plans:
Grade R Term 2
Grade 1 Terms 1 & 3
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​Plus Activities
eBook includes interactive activities
Molo, king of the dump
Vusi’s story is about courage and friendship, showing how love for a homeless goat can inspire a boy to overcome fear and fight for what matters. This is a tale of resilience, and the power of compassion to transform even the hardest life.
Also in the following languages:
Afrikaans, isiXhosa, isiZulu, SeSotho, Setswana
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​Refer to Lesson Plans:
Grade 1 Term 1 & 2
Grade 2 Term 3
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eBook includes interactive activities
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Oskar, the Watch-Pig
Willem and Annamaria love their pig Oskar so much that they cannot imagine sending him off to market, and Willem even decides he wants to stop eating bacon altogether. When Oskar saves the farm from a fire, Father agrees that Oskar should stay on the farm as a companion friend.
Also in the following languages:
Afrikaans, isiXhosa, isiZulu, SeSotho, Setswana
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Refer to Lesson Plans:
Grade 1 Term 2; Grade 2 Term 2; Grade 3 Term 1
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eBook includes interactive activities
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The Story of Thabo and Thabisile​
The twins in this story learn that in any relationship life works best when we give and receive. If we only take without giving anything from our side, we miss out on the good things others can share with us.
Also in the following languages:
Afrikaans, isiXhosa, isiZulu, SeSotho, Setswana
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Refer to Lesson Plans:
Grade 3 Term 1
Grade 4 Term 1
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eBook includes interactive activities
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Animals and the Seasons​
​Big Book
Foundation Phase, Life Skills
Topic: Animals and the Seasons: how animals are affected
Also in Afrikaans​
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​Refer to Lesson Plans:
Grade R Terms 1 - 4
Grade 2 Terms 2 & 4
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The dog who lost her coat
Tebogo learns that our companion animals need to be free from fleas, ticks, and other parasites so they can stay happy and healthy. By taking Lana to the vet, giving her medicine, and keeping her bedding clean, Tebogo helps her grow her hair back, and feel better.
Also in the following languages:
Afrikaans, isiXhosa, isiZulu, SeSotho, Setswana
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Refer to Lesson Plan Grade 1 Term 1
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Plus Activity
eBook includes interactive activities
Palesa finds a friend
Palesa is brave enough to stop the boy and
Mrs Malusi from abusing Obo, showing that we can all speak up when animals are suffering. Because she speaks out, Obo finds a loving home and becomes part of a family that keeps each other safe.
Also in the following languages:
Afrikaans, isiXhosa, isiZulu, SeSotho, Setswana
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Refer to Lesson Plans
Grade 1 Terms 1 - 3
Grade 2 Term 1
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Plus Activity
eBook includes interactive activities
The Precious Gift
This is a tale of Thabo and a donkey foal called Chipo who becomes his best friend.
As they grow up together, Thabo learns about kindness, responsibility, and how to care for animals. This touching story shows that donkeys are true treasures, loyal companions who give back when treated with love.
Also in the following languages:
Afrikaans, isiXhosa, isiZulu, SeSotho, Setswana
​​​​​​​Refer to Lesson Plans: Grade R Term 3​
Grade 1 Term 2 ; Grade 2 Term 3
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Plus Activity
eBook includes interactive activities
Caring Kids
​This reader comprises the 7 stories, as listed in this section, in the following languages:
English, Afrikaans, isiXhosa, isiZulu, SeSotho, Setswana
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The Cat Whisperer
"To all the stray cats out there, may you find love, warmth, and a forever home where you are cherished and cared for." — Author Erika du Toit
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THE FIVE FREEDOMS FOR ANIMALS
A3 Laminated Posters
The 5 Freedoms are endorsed by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) and are available to learners in all 11 official South African languages.
Recommended for all Grades
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Plus Activity
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SAMPLE CARDS
SNAP Playing Cards
2 sets of 20 cards each, laminated.
The needs we share with our animal friends.
Based on the 5 Freedoms for Animals as endorsed by the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH).
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English, Afrikaans & Xhosa
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A3 Laminated Board Game
Take turns to roll the dice. Move your piece forward on the board according to the number shown on the dice. Follow the instructions on the squares where you land, moving forward or backwards. The first player to reach square 35 wins. Have fun!
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English & Afrikaans
PLAYS
5 FREEDOMS The Play
Based on the 5 Freedoms for Animals as endorsed by the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH), this is a fun play for the entire class, giving learners an understanding of the needs we share with animals.
Includes dog puppet face mask templates to cut out.
Recommended for Foundation Phase
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Also in Afrikaans
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A Puppet Show on Sentience
This fun play gives learners an understanding of the meaning of sentience and empathy.
Includes animal puppet templates to cut out.
Recommended for Foundation Phase
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Intermediate Phase
Goosie's Story
Goosie's Story is about a laying hen confined to life in a battery cage... until she finds freedom! We share her belated discovery of the world and realise that, far from her being a mere unit of production, she has a robust ability to live life to the full.
This book is selected by the Department of Basic Education's LTSM Procurement Cycle​
Also in Afrikaans
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​​​Workbooks to order from Julia Knowler HERE
Refer to Lesson Plan Grade 2 Term 2
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Plus Activity
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Friends don't bite
3 comic style stories. 30 pages altogether.
Focus is anti-bullying and promotion of pet care. Endorsed by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
​This book is selected by the Department of Basic Education's LTSM Procurement Cycle
Also in Afrikaans & isiZulu
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Refer to Lesson Plans:
Grade 3 Term 1; Grade 4 Term 2; Grade 5 Term 4
The Great Cage Escape
When a box, punched with airholes, is found one morning on the doorstep of a pet shop, things take a dramatic turn... In his review of this book, world leading animal scientist and behaviourist, Dr Jonathan Balcombe, says: "Science is now revealing what we should have known all along — that animals have rich inner lives, emotions and passions, wants and needs, fears and desires. The Great Cage Escape captures poignantly the importance of freedom."
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Workbooks to order from Julia Knowler HERE
Refer to Lesson Plan Grade 5 Term 1
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eBook includes interactive activities
Senior Phase
Mollie
This story was a gift to Nature-based Education and we play it forward, as a gift.
"We are often blind to truth until it is too late. Mollie suddenly grew thin and frail before my eyes. One day she looked at me with pleading eyes and howled such that it all but reached my soul. Voltaire was right in recognising his cat's soul was the same as his own." — Author Noël Sweeney
A GIFT
Magnificent Boy and the Spirit of the Grey Hare
Magnificent Boy and Boetie — even the grey hare — lived in the farmlands between Kuils River and Stellenbosch in the Western Cape, South Africa, during the 1990’s.
At the time, author, Louise van der Merwe lived there too and watched events unfold.
Based on fact, this novel is her tribute to the awesome friendship between Boetie and Boy and their tenacious will to triumph against all odds.​
Also in Afrikaans
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Refer to Lesson Plans:
Grade 4 Term 2; Grade 5 Term 1
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Plus Lesson Plan : includes interactive activities
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For the Love of Kin
A fictionalised version of what really happened in South Africa in 2024 when Compassion in World Farming CEO, Philip Lymbery accepted an invitation from pioneering food company Newform Foods to sample its cultivated lamb meatballs. The fact that a very happy, healthy sheep, still enjoying life at the Greyton Farm Animal Sanctuary, had provided the meatballs, was motivation enough for Philip to break his 40-year fast from meat.
The story is told by Pecorino, the sheep who provided his cells for the cultivated meatballs.
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Refer to Lesson Plans: Grade 4 Term 3; Grade10 - 12
Module on Humane Education
Plus Worksheets