Blog – Page 6 – Oysters and Pearls

Engineering is Elementary: What Makes a Strong Mortor?

This week, the students are Materials Engineers, exploring the properties of various materials used in building a strong wall. Three types of soil – Clay, Loam and Sand – are explored for their adhesive properties and durability. Using their hands, mixing the different soil types with varying amount of water, the students made “rock sandwiches” which dried overnight. The following day, these were given the earthquake test (how many shakes to make them fall apart?) and observations about cracking were shared with the group.

The teachers opened the “store” for students who had prepared their Engineering Diagram and list of supplies requested. They could choose up to six scoops of the various soil types and up to 10 tablespoons of water. The gravel was already rationed in bowls.

Wall construction began in earnest outdoors with everyone getting down and dirty in the lower field. The walls were transported to the Director of Studies office for overnight drying. Friday, the students will test to failure, and a very large crowd is expected to observe.

Additional photos are in our Gallery

Sandra Washburn2022-03-03T00:56:02+03:00

Beware of Wild Animals

Every hard-working team deserves a break, even if it is short. Two days after a couple of earthquakes rocked us to sleep, off we ventured to Murchison Falls National Park. In four years of touring this same park, one never grows tired of discovering what creatures are about. Some of the standouts included an albino Ugandan Kob, a puff adder who remained in the middle of the road for everyone to get still shots and video footage, a mock charge from a large bull elephant and a Cape Buffalo lying flat on the ground as well some beautiful giraffes and a couple of lions.

The development of oil production is now rather more noticeable – bright fluorescent towers dotting the horizon at night; and by day, several large vehicles transporting equipment disrupt the road traffic.

Sadly, the solitary male lion we saw meandering along the road around sunrise lost his brother to a snare last January. I remember first seeing that pair in July 2011. But, the three-legged male, called Butcher Man is alive and

admin2022-03-03T00:59:10+03:00

Engineering is Elementary: Testing for Failure

EiE (Engineering is Elementary) finished the week with the Engineering Design Process. Ask, Imagine, Plan, Create and Improve are the five steps. In the small groups of three, the students sketched plans for their bridges. After reviewing the available materials, they wrote a list of supplies that they would need to get at the Store from Teacher Kate, keeping within the constraints of the amounts of each of the materials.

Sitting with the supplies, they began to experiment how to construct the bridges. Even the teachers were in suspense of how the problem would be solved. One clever student figured out that a wiki stix could be formed in a way that would hold the popsicle stick in place and this caught on among the other groups and then we saw binder clips, transparent tape and more wikis used to fasten the sticks and then the cross beams.

Recording the amount of materials used was the final step before testing for failure. First, a barge was passed under the bridge to check that the width was adequate. After that, notebooks representing pedestrians

Sandra Washburn2022-03-03T01:02:30+03:00Tags: Engineering is Elementary, Gulu, Oysters & Pearls, primary bridge design, Uganda|

Engineering is Elementary: Do you know this word…Process?

Engineering is Elementary is a program designed to be used within Elementary Schools to relay the concepts of Engineering, using a hands-on approach. Two experienced teachers from Boston Museum of Science arrived in Gulu last Saturday evening and will be teaching two of their 20 modules to two groups of students.

The first stop on Sunday morning was breakfast at San Kofa Café to fortify ourselves for shopping in the market for custom designed clothes in the local African fabrics.

Orientation at the school, for Kate Sokol and Erin Fitzgerald started on Sunday afternoon with a complete tour of the campus, including visiting the inside of each dorm and classroom, the athletic fields, the kitchen and the small pine forest planted in 2005 from seedlings. Every room was orderly and swept spotlessly clean. As far as the eye could scan, there was not a single piece of trash. Our hosts, Rev Ochola and Deputy Headteacher Dolly Oryem gave a detailed history of the school, including events leading up to their Centenary in 2014.

Sixty students in two classes of 30, inclusive of blind and visually impaired students as well as sighted

Sandra Washburn2022-03-03T01:08:33+03:00Tags: Boston Museum of Science, Engineering is Elementary, Gulu, Uganda|

Holiday Training – Ropes Course

Blind Annex Students at The Recreation Project, pass a Hula Hoop without unclasping hands.

During an unscheduled holiday, several Blind Annex students returned to Gulu High School for math and computer training. One morning, students visited The Recreation Project and loved the challenges of the Ropes Course. Here, they are passing a Hula Hoop around the circle while keeping their hands clasped. Ben, the leader is timing the passing, so everyone is focused on cooperating to pass it swiftly.

Passing the hulu hoop without breaking hand-holds

Sandra Washburn2022-02-28T23:22:45+03:00

First Term Holiday Training

Holiday Training started on Monday May 4th. For the first time, we are having a residential training session which costs more but also allows us to do more and gives the students free time for self-study or hanging out with friends that they miss seeing because they are at different schools. Here is the report from the teachers for the first day:

It was raining outside so we took over the dining hall, which is finally open now that the books have been returned to the library. Also, I’m trying to incorporate the 4 non-GHS students in my S3/S4 maths class and use them as a resource to help teach. Yesterday we paired up into teams of one student from GHS and one student from Iganga, and had a math competition. I think we’ll keep the competition going all week.

Sandra Washburn2022-02-28T23:22:45+03:00

Traveling Light – Not a Chance!

Heading to Uganda always presents a struggle to fit everything into six suitcases, if possible. Once I had 11 bags. Here is a photo from March 2013 of just my luggage in the vehicle…my business partner Denis directs the bellmen from Speke Hotel and our driver, Henry, to fit everything snuggly. This was after off-loading several items in Kampala with Nyaka Aids Orphans Project Country Director, Jennifer Nantale.

Sandra Washburn2022-02-28T23:22:45+03:00Tags: Africa, travel|

Preparations for Summer 2013 Travel

Plans for summer 2013 are in place and now we are all busy making lists of what we will need to take with us to complete all the teaching that is scheduled. My suitcases will carry robotics kits, laptops and software, flash drives, microscopes, books and snacks.

It’s important to bring some snacks with you because Ugandans tend not to eat between meals or in their cars like we do. They sit down for a meal and enjoy it with friends or family. My snack selection will include tins of nuts, bars of chocolate and different kinds of energy bars. I like to bring something new for the students to try. Last time it was Butter Rum LifeSavers and Craisins, both of which were a big hit. We are bringing some branded water bottles this year in hopes of promoting reusable vessels and that we will also consume fewer plastic bottles. KOR gave us a discount and a friend who works with a printer is preparing the stickers.

We don’t consume tap water, but St Jude’s Orphanage has wonderful fresh water right out of the ground that we can use to fill our bottles.

Sandra

Sandra Washburn2013-04-30T03:30:07+03:00Tags: African Education, African Learning Program, Gulu Uganda, Uganda|