Middelburg learners bring giant periodic table to life
Middelburg learners are helping create a life-sized periodic table where every element will have a local story.
Learners from Middelburg Primary School’s STEAM Group are partnering with TechnoAfrika Discovery Centre at St Peter Christian College in Mhluzi to create a wall-sized 118-element periodic table.
Instead of displaying only chemical symbols, every element will tell a local story.
Elements for all
Local businesses, organisations, schools, families and individuals can adopt an element and become part of the project.
The MPS STEAM Group learners research their chosen elements before creating displays with facts, pictures, everyday uses and creative ideas. Every element needs a champion, and locals, businesses, organisations, can claim an element and join the project.
What normally fits onto a page in a textbook will eventually cover an entire wall.
Life for Lesedi
Lesedi Makgato, a member of the team at MPS, has a personal connection to his chosen element.
His mother chose lithium because Lesedi has a heart condition.
This brave young boy’s display explains lithium and its uses, including lithium-ion batteries used in medical devices such as pacemakers.
As more elements are adopted, each display will add another local story to the wall.
Science comes alive
Science teacher Sarai Mandude, who is involved with multiple STEM projects, encourages learners to learn through experiments, problem-solving and hands-on activities. These displays will become part of the Community Periodic Table at the TechnoAfrika Discovery Centre to grow the science scene of schools.
The question is, what element are you?
Middelburg’s young scientists are giving each one a local connection, turning the periodic table into a wall filled with science, creativity and stories from the people who make up the community.
Who knows? The element that catches your eye might just spark a learner’s next big discovery.
To become part of the Community Periodic Table, contact Elfrieda Kruger, a science teacher at Middelburg Primary School, on 083 637 8567, or TechnoAfrika on 079 847 4150.
