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Year 4’s chemical reaction experiment
There is a famous Chichewa proverb that says; “M’mera mpoyamba” which is translated as catch them while young. The saying emphasizes the importance of a child’s formative years and how whatever happens at this early stage has a bearing on a child’s later years. This is the bedrock of the just concluded Grenville’s Science Week which was brought to an end on Friday 4th November 2022.
Reminiscing, Thomas Jefferson’s popular quote on education hijacked my imagination: “We are to provide an education adapted to the years, the capacity, and the condition of everyone… directed to their freedom and happiness.’ Let’s deal with the golden phrases embedded in this quote to see the events that went down during Science week.
The week-long activities were themed ‘Energy” All the classes were challenged to work with a particular type of energy suitable for their age group. This challenge necessitated brainstorming, critical analysis, and creative ingenuity which some students are not even aware they possessed. This goes to show that challenge is a vital part of teaching 21st-century learners. Each year level was given an aspect of energy to work with.
Year 1’s sound energy project
On Tuesday 1st of November science facts were reeled out by Years 1,2, and 3 to the amazement of the audience. Here, science misconceptions were dissolved and new knowledge was planted – what a way to learn. On Wednesday, 2nd November, the entire school witnessed dynamite debate between Years 3 and 4 as well as Years 5 and 6.
The proposal: “Without Science, the world won’t be a better place” Both sides, 3 and 4 vehemently, vivaciously, and logically presented the argument for and against so much so that the audience was swayed back and forth, some quietly sat on the fence but at the end of the day, Year 4 carried the day based on the decision of the panel of judges. On the other hand, Year 6 silenced Year 5 as they were able to prove beyond reasonable doubt that robots will not improve the quality of human lives.
Cross section of engineers from Year 2
Friday 4th November 2022: Grand Finale. The activities for the day were: Quiz competitions and Project Exhibition. The quiz was so grueling and keenly contested among Year 5 contestants to the point that the second contest was canceled to pave the way for the project exhibition. Mmesioma Nsedum Year 5c won the competition as she did not miss any questions posed to her while the contest lasted.
In the second position were Myles Makinwa Year 5c and Derek Abegunde of Year 5B while Yara Kannan of 5A came third. We must comment that Yara gave other contestants a run for their money as the gap between her and other winners was as thin as the air.
Our lovely parents
Year one explored sound energy and emerged musical instruments such as guitars, drums, and maracas. Year two focused on mechanical energy group and presented a water well and an escalator. Year three’s project centred on electrical energy and they came up with a rechargeable fan and a table lamp.
Meanwhile, year four traversed the field of chemical energy and through various chemical mixtures, elephant toothpaste was produced as well as chemical reactions to cause bubbles. Year five focused on light energy leading to the construction of a two-way light system. Lastly, year six dug into solar energy and constructed impressive solar city prototypes.
Everyone had an input according to ability. Learners got an inkling of their capacity and were challenged to come up with plausible project proposals. So, all hands stayed on deck till the final presentation of the projects.
Year 2’s presentation
The icing on the cake was the exhibition of projects. Just a minute, remember Toyota’s maxim: ‘Good thinking, good product.’ This succinctly described the revelations that came out of the exhibition as it revealed ingenuity, thinking, and creativity.
All these are not age bound; neither were they franchises that could be bought. They are innate or learned but the truth is, they must be tapped and that is the essence of everything we do in Grenville school.
Guess what? The best project as a matter of surprise did not come from the upper classes but everybody celebrated the freedom to think and to get involved in a worthy learning course that led to the happiness of all. Let the pictures tell the rest of the story.
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