Science Week 2018
Many schools emphasize reading and Mathematics in early childhood education to the detriment of Science but at the International School of Ahafo, we aim to close this gap by redirecting attention on Science in the best interest of our children. Early childhood Science education is vital to encouraging lifelong interest in Science, Engineering, technology and innovation, and communicating their relevance in everyday life.
To this end, the school celebrated the fascinating world of Science from 5th to 9th February 2018. Unlike the previous year, all Science projects and activities were done in school and throughout the week, children busied themselves with several Science projects and experiments with the guidance of teachers. For homework, pictures of famous scientists such as Marie Curie, Abraham Graham Bell, Mae Jemison, among others were displayed on a notice board and children were tasked with researching them and participating in a short quiz at line-up the following morning. It was a massive success and great fun for the children who realized quickly that all these scientists were once like them with similar aspirations.
In order to avoid the boredom of repetitive projects and experiments, children also had the opportunity to interact with a Geo-Statistician from Newmont Ghana Gold Limited about Science in the real world.We were amazed at how much children know about their parents’ work and the questions they posed.
Additionally, there were whole school Science projects and experiments. On Tuesday morning, Mr. Mulawarman made an impression on us with his passion for aeromodelling. He welcomed us into his home for a crash course on flying and went on to fly a model aircraft on the MKV helipad. Later that morning, we were joined by Mrs. Mulawarman who taught us how to make scented oils from all the flowers and ingredients readily available in MKV.
All activities for the week culminated in a Science Exhibition on Friday, 9th February 2018, to which all parents and friends of the school were invited. Exhibitions were done consecutively and classes, which had finished their demonstrations, joined the audience to watch other classes’ demonstrations.Sankofa made elephant toothpaste, wrote secret messages with invisible ink, made some cabbage colours, balloon rockets and tried out their Popsicle stick catapults. They also impressed on us the need to cultivate healthy eating habits by measuring the sugar content in our favourite drinks and breakfast cereals and presenting the results. Sankofa finished off the week by experimenting with baking banana bread with Mrs. Mulawarman and eating the results.
Some of the projects showcased by Nkyinkyim bordered on making elephant toothpaste, making a thermometer, turning milk into stone, layering liquids, exploding a lunch bag and making chicken bones malleable. Gye Nyame launched a rocket bottle into space and demonstrated the Science behind density and scuba diving, growing crystals from salt solution, making bath bombs and growing mould. Nyansapo tested the solubility of common liquid solvents, tested the strength of different bridges; found out the ideal conditions for corrosion and established whether or not anybody in the audience was colour blind and whether an ant could find honey in a maze.
On Friday afternoon, we all gathered at the library and watched Amanda’s re-enactment of her experiment on acid and bases from the previous year. Thereafter, well-deserving students (Nana Abena Frimpong, Tomas Valenzuela, Seyram Sika Ako and Amanda Mulawarman) received certificates for being Great Scientists. A special award was also presented to Mrs. Mulawarman for her tremendous support during the week. This was also an opportunity to see the results of the scented oils made earlier in the week and to smell the sweet aroma of the scented oils. We finished off the week by eating banana bread and retiring into our classrooms to reflect on Science and its contribution to our world.
Indeed, Science Week was a challenging yet learning opportunity for the children, many of whom had to try their experiments/ projects several times before getting it right. Their resolve and patience were tested beyond measure but they learnt to persevere and to doff their hats for all scientists who have made the world a better place. We hope that you enjoyed it as much as we did.
Remember, “ the more we learn Science, the more we see that its wonderful mysteries are all explained by a few simple laws so connected together and so dependent upon each other, that we see the same mind animating them all.” Olympia Brown