It's been almost a decade since I was inside a classroom filled with cute little faces. This really is a feel good moment. I am at Golden Grove Primary School inside a grade one class.

The Grade one students are singing the 'Dettol' song. It goes a little something like this:

I bush my teeth
I wash my hands with soap after using the bathroom
And there are no germs on me…

It doesn't take long before I am humming and mumbling along.

This 'show-and-tell' trip has been organised by the Pick n Pay School Club. The club, which has been around for six years and is the largest independent educational material provider in the country, supplies 1840 schools around the country with educational kits. The kits include teacher guides, learner worksheets, year planners, nutritional guidelines, posters and competition entry kits.

Jonathan Ackerman first started the initiative by taking 20 children from Masiphumelele outside Cape Town and teaching them how to play golf in the afternoons.

"I wanted to see another Tiger Woods coming out of the previously disadvantaged area," explained Ackerman.

But he later he realised that these kids were performing badly at school, and so he decided to start the Pick n Pay School Club. Ackerman said: "I decided we should invest in knowledge."

The school club reaches out to the previously disadvantaged schools and former Model C schools. Schools have to register if they want to be part of the programme. Once they have done so, the teachers are invited to attend a workshop aimed at equipping them with the necessary skills to use the educational material provided by the club.

The importance of healthy eating

Children are taught the importance of healthy eating and the benefits that come with it. The grade one class we visited were able to tell us the importance of a healthy diet. They are encouraged to influence their families to lead healthy lifestyles.

Children become brand aware from an early age — they know what to look for whilst inside a store and what to avoid.

The challenges change as the children grow older. Bearing in mind that the 'braai' is part of South African culture, grade three learners are required to come up with ideas for a healthy braai.

The class we visited presented its ideas to the Pick n Pay team. The students suggested vegetables, grilled fish and chicken and promoted healthy drinks.

The school club doesn't only distribute educational kits, it also runs a follow-up programme with all of its schools. It checks the progress and interacts with the educators.

They also promote road safety through DVDs in over 200 high schools across the country.

Pick n Pay's School Club material came out tops when it was compared to content supplied by the education department and other independent programmes.

According to researchers and educators, the content distributed by the school club is relevant to the educational curriculum and is pitched at the right level, making it a bit challenging, but not too difficult.

Pick n Pay has been voted South Africa's Coolest Grocery Store in The Sunday Times Generation Next Awards for the past five years. They are giving back to the community and the initiative is going from strength to strength.

The club — which includes partners Lucky Star, Aquafresh, Scott's Emulsion, Nedbank and Dettol — also allows students an opportunity to win prizes to the value of R160 000.

All schools are welcome to photocopy or reproduce any of the study material contained in the educational material for their schools. The material is also freely available at www.schoolclub.co.za