EVANDER – Mr Hideo Nakano, a science specialist at the Osizweni Education and Development Centre, visited the University of Zululand Science Centre (Unizul SC) from 21 January to 23 January to introduce locally available inexpensive science and mathematics educational materials to interns and other science centre staff across KwaZulu-Natal.
He was invited by Mr Alfred Tsipa, an operation manager at the Unizul SC and former science specialist at Osizweni.
Mr Nakano conducted demonstrations and group activities where participants learned on the first day to make a magic bean with slides, a paper geometric puzzle, a paper cube, Lenz’s law, a wind car, a straw whistle, a Cartesian diver, a straw whistle, a magic square, a fountain, a roto-copter and dropper, a rubber band helicopter with plastic propeller, a paper tube rocket and launcher.
They learned on the second day to make a paper windmill, a straw polyhedron, a roto-copter and dropper, a paper blade helicopter, Bernoulli principle, a paper board propeller, a rubber band helicopter and a wind car.
Participants learned on the last day to make an air pressure rocket, a spectroscope and a paper tube and they were introduced to straw molecular models.
These science and mathematics activities were designed along the concept of the universal design for learning science.
Mr Nakano said the first day’s activities were selected for pre-schools and primary schools.
“Most of the activities we did were paper activities.
“If you have a computer and a good printer, anybody can begin the same fun activities in no time.
“For some activities, during which we had to cut straws, I tried to demonstrate the cutting as slowly as possible.
“While we were not able to use the best quality scissors, most of the participants managed the cuttings.”
Mr Nakano said he found some of the participants had difficulties when they built up straw wind car skeletons.
“They were confused and could not capture the three dimensional layout of each part.
“I found introducing three dimensional model activities are important for South African schools.
“Fortunately, at the end of the wind car activity, every participant was able to make the skeletons because colleagues and group mates helped one another.”
