High School Volunteer Course

High School Volunteer Course | July 2026

Interested in this course? Email us at [email protected]

Course curriculum

1. Welcome
2. Daily Programme
3. WhatsApp Group
4. Aquarium Philosophy
1. Incorporating our Vision and Mission into the Touch-pool and Microscope displays.
2. 1. How to use the microscope
3. 2. Upper classroom microscope
4. 3. Lower classroom microscope
5. 4. Microscope exhibit
6. 5. Stay calm and focus
7. Rubric for Touch pool and Microscope oral assesssment
8. SOFTEN Presentation Skills
1. 1 GENERAL INFORMATION
2. ACTIVITIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF ALL VOLUNTEERS
3. 3 VOLUNTEER TRAINING
4. BENEFITS & INCENTIVES PROVIDED FOR ALL ACTIVE VOLUNTEERS
5. VOLUNTEER BILL OF RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
6. ATTENDANCE POLICY
7. DRESS AND APPEARANCE POLICY
8. SEPARATION POLICY
9. 10 VOLUNTEERS’ ROOM
10. 11 VOLCOM
11. 12 CHANNELS OF COMMUNICATION
12. 13.1 DISCIPLINE
13. 14 EMERGENCY PROCEDURES
14. Volunteer Handbook | February 2026
1. Two Oceans of South Africa and its Diversity
2. South Africa’s coast is influenced by two major currents
3. Differences between the three main coastal regions
4. A. Kwa-zulu Natal Province – East coast: Marine life is diverse and colourful
5. B. Agulhas province- South Coast: The intermediate region
6. C. Namaqua Province – West Coast: Vast numbers, but few species
7. How the South African climate and hence vegetation is affected by the ocean currents
8. Red Tide
9. Understanding the Two Oceans
1. Tides
2. Tides
3. Abiotic and biotic factors
4. Intertidal Zonation
5. Cape Town Tide Times
6. Rocky Shore Ecology
1. Why is classification important?
2. Creating Order of a living world
3. Scientific Names
4. Naming Nature
5. Classification
1. Key concepts:
2. Introduction
3. Seaweeds
4. Cooking and Eating seaweed
1. Green Algae
2. Uses of Green Algae
1. Examples of Brown Algae
2. Brown Algae: Kelp
3. Kelp Forest Structure and foodwebs
4. Uses of Brown Algae
1. Red Algae
2. Uses of Red Algae
1. Key concepts
2. Meaning of biological terms
1. Phylum: Porifera
2. Porifera
1. Key characteristics
2. Cnidaria classes
3. Sea Anemones
4. Coral
5. Coral bleaching
6. Jellyfish
7. Hydroids
8. Bluebottles
9. Cnidaria
1. Flatworms
2. Flatworm moving
3. Platyhelminthes
1. Peanut worms
2. Peanut worm under a microscope
3. Sipunculida
1. Characteristics
2. Class Polychaeta
3. Free Living worms
4. Sedentary Worms
5. Annelida
1. Characteristics
2. BRINE SHRIMP (Artemia salina)
3. How to culture brine shrimp
4. Class: Picnogonida : Sea spiders
5. Subphylum: Crustacea
6. Class Cirripedia: Barnacles
7. Isopods and Amphipods
8. Hermit Crabs
9. Crabs
10. Rock Lobsters
1. Moss or Lace animals
2. bryozoa.pdf
1. Characteristics
2. Mollusca Classes
3. Class Polyplacophora :Chitons
4. Class Bivalvia
5. Class Gastropod : Slugs and snails
6. Winkles
7. Limpets
8. Abalone, perlemoen and ear shells
9. Whelks
10. Cowries
11. Slugs and snails ( Nudibranchs =naked +gills)
12. Class Cephalopoda
13. Octopus
14. Cuttlefish
15. Paper Nautilus (Argonauta argo)
16. mollusca RSB course .pdf
1. Characteristics
2. Echinoderm classes
3. Class: Asteroidea - Starfish or Seastars
4. Class: Ophiuroidea - Brittlestar
5. Class Echinoidea- Sea Urchin
6. Class: Holothuroidea - Sea cucumber
7. Class: Crinoidea - featherstars
8. Echinoderms Rocky FOH volunteers.pdf
1. Subphylum: Urochordata
2. Class: Ascidacea - Sea squirts( tunicates)
3. 13. Chordates.pdf
1. Fish groups
2. Cartilagenous Fish
3. Bony Fish
1. Introduction
2. (H) Habitat Destruction
3. (I) Invasive alien species
4. P(Pollution)
5. (P) Population increase
6. (O) Overexploitation of Resources
7. What can we do to mitigate some of these impacts?
1. Post course evaluation
2. Volunteer Induction Presentation

About this course

133 lessons
0.5 hours of video content

Instructor(s)

Senior Teacher Anzio Abels

Anzio is an experienced environmental educator and outreach specialist with the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation, he currently serves as Outreach Educator and Technology Coordinator. Anzio holds a qualification in Biodiversity and Conservation Biology from the University of the Western Cape and has dedicated his career to marine conservation education and community engagement.

Head of Core Education Programmes Chanelle Thomas

Chanelle Thomas is an environmental educator with over 15 years of experience in nature conservation. She is passionate about sharing the wonders of nature with young people and creating opportunities for meaningful connections with the environment. Through engaging, hands-on learning experiences, she inspires curiosity, appreciation, and stewardship of the natural world.