Science Fair

Ready to let the car go.  After it has stopped
 moving, they measured how far it traveled.

The past several weeks, Standard 6 has been busy with experiment projects.  The goal of the project was to have smaller groups of students conduct an experiment on their own, write a lab report, create a poster about their experiment, present it to the class and share their work with the teachers during a poster fair.

The groups conducted different experiments.  Two groups explored the amount of friction created by different floor surfaces.  They released toy cars from the top of ramps and then measured how far the toy car traveled on concrete, a mat, and a carpet.  They did several trials and averaged their results.  They created a bar graph of their results, and discussed whether their results supported their hypothesis, and what experiment they could do next to further explore friction.

Two other groups explored cohesion by using a plastic pipette to see how many drops of different liquids they could fit on a Tanzanian coin.  They were very surprised that a coin could hold so many drops of water.

Pupils counted the number of drops of water,
vinegar and oil that could fit on a coin.

Other groups measured reaction times by seeing how quickly volunteers caught a dropped ruler.  Two groups compared average results for boys and girls in Standard 6, and two groups also compared reaction times of teachers to pupils in Standard 6.  They were very good at making sure that every volunteer's hands were the same distance apart and that they dropped the ruler from the same point each time so that their results were accurate!  

The last two groups explored how our ingrained ability to read interferes with the speed with which we can name colors of letters if the word spelled by the letters is a different color.  Not quite clear?  Give it a try!  Name the color of the letters of the words below.  Don't read the words.

brown

green

purple

red

Now try to name the colors of the letters below.  Don't read the words!

The volunteer waits to catch the ruler.  The
centimeter at which they catch it will tell
how quickly they react.

brown

green

brown

red

Pupils timed how long it took volunteers to name the color of
the letters of a word (not read the word).

During their experiments, pupils learned how to use plastic pipettes, had fun rolling toy cars down ramps, and asking teachers to catch rulers and name colors of letters where the word was a different color.  Not only did pupils complete the experiments with enthusiasm, teachers participated eagerly as well.

After finishing their experiments and writing their reports, they created a poster to describe what they did and what they found using the format of science fair posters.  We worked on creating reading-friendly posters and highlighting important information.  We also used colored markers (thank you Klaus and Mary!) to decorate and jazz up the posters.

On Wednesday afternoon students began their classroom presentations, and they also hosted a poster fair for the teachers in order to share what they had learned and created over the last several weeks.  As I walked through the poster fair, I was delighted to see my pupils eagerly engaged with their teachers: answering questions, demonstrating procedures, referring to and explaining their graphs, describing what they found and what they would like to do next. 

I am so proud of them and I hope you enjoy their work!   

Putting finishing touches on their posters before the poster fair.

Our academic teacher and a pupil discuss the poster in the background.

Standard 1 and 2 Kwaya

I'm sorry this post is late!  I had a wonderful long weekend in Arusha, Tanzania where Teacher Aaron, Allison and I met with other ELCA volunteers working around Tanzania.  We learned about the missions of other volunteers and shared some of our own experiences from Bukoba.  It was rejuvenating to connect with other Lutherans abroad, and to enjoy the comforts of a larger city.

Below you will find a short video of the newest addition to the KEMPS Sunday choirs.  These girls are in Standard 1 and 2.  Although they were a bit nervous, they were also very excited to perform for you!

Baba yetu wa mbinguni, Jina lako litukuzwe.

Our father in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Song of the Week: "Ni Nani Huyo?" by the Kwaya Umoja

Here is another song from the boys' kwaya umoja.  They wanted to film their songs in different places around campus.  This is in front of the teachers' office in our main quad.

"Ni Nani Huyo"

Refrain: Ninani ye ni nani huyo nimuonaye mtu wa nne ndani ya moto? x2

Verse 1: Abedinego na Meshaki walikuwa motoni wakimshukuru Mungu kwa Imani Pekee. x2

Verse 2: Na sisi binadamu ni watoto wa Mungu tumshukuru Mungu kwa Imani pekee. x2



"Who is that"

Refrain: Who is that, the forth person in the fire? x2

Verse 1: Abednego and Meshach were in the fire praising the Lord in faith. x2

Verse 2: And we people are children of God, so we need to praise the Lord in faith. x2

Translation by Elibariki and Yona, Standard 6.

Song of the week: "Wanadamu" by KEMPS boys' Kwaya Umoja

Most Sundays, I attend church at the school together with the pupils and matrons.  Entirely in Kiswahili, it is an excellent time for me to practice my language skills.  The teachers who live on campus take turns leading the service, and as the sermons are more geared towards children, there are Sundays every once in a while where I feel I understand something of the message for the week.

Even more thrilling than understanding part of a sermon, or finding the right page in my hymnal or bible, is the chance to listen to the different choirs of pupils.  There are several girls' choirs, and one boys' choir.  All of these choirs are impressive as the pupils lead them themselves, practice on their own time, decide on dance steps, harmonies, drumming patterns and who will sing solos.

 Today I have a video of the boys' choir, called the Kwaya Umoja (Choir of Unity).  It consists of boys from standards 3-6, and even a standard 7 graduate who returned to campus when he heard I would like to videotape them.  It is lead by Henry in Standard 6 who plays the guitar and also sings several solos in different songs.  I am constantly impressed that these boys can play the guitar, lead themselves, dance, sing solos and sing in harmony!  I would never catch an American boy dancing with such confidence!    

I will try to post a new song each Sunday,  so tune in every Sunday for a taste of church music Tanzanian, or KEMPS, style! 

"Wanadamu"

Verse 1: Wanadamu tunayo dhiki kubwa.  Maisha yetu ni ya wasiwasi.
             Amani utulivu vimekwisha.  Tukimbilie wapi kuokoka? x2

Refrain: Yesu anasema jipime moyo uwe na amani.
             Yesu anasema ni mimi nimeushinda ulimwengu x2

Verse 2: Dunia yote ina yumbayumba.  Roho za watu zinadundadunda.
             Fikiria kutuvusha mawimbi kama si Yesu mwana wake Mungu.


"People"

Verse 1: People we have big problems.  Our life is of worries.
            Peace and harmony are over. Where should we run to save ourselves?

Refrain: Jesus says test your heart and you shall have peace.
            Jesus says I am the one who won the world.

Verse 2: The whole world is staggering.  Hearts of people are beating.
             Think of crossing the waves if it is not Jesus the son of the Lord.

Translation by Henry, Elibariki and Yona (Standard 6).

Latest News on Construction at KEMPS

Last week, construction resumed on the boys' bathrooms.  Thanks to many of you and your generous donations, we watched trucks with cement, rock and other building materials arrive on campus.  Since then, workmen have been busy cementing the floor, framing out doorways and windows, and building an entrance wall to give privacy on the exposed hilltop.

Last week, construction also took place to link the school building rooftop to the main rainwater tank on campus.  The school's running water is extremely unreliable and instead, students and staff (myself included) rely on the rainwater collected in the tanks for daily chores such as washing, bathing and even drinking water.  Two weeks ago the large tank went dry and the school (200 or more pupils, as well as the staff) shared one small reserve tank for bathing, cooking and washing.  Fortunately, the rains have since returned, and with the new piping collecting additional rainwater, there should be fewer shortages in the future.

Below are some photos of the latest construction on campus.

Dancing to the Drums at Graduation 2012

My recent posts have shown that I have spent a lot of time galavanting around East Africa, and I figured it was time to share a little about the students at KEMPS as they are, after all, the reason I am here.

The past 5 weeks the school has been on holiday so that the national census could take place.  As teachers are well educated, they are expected to run the census, which is why the school has been closed.  However; this past week we have reopened and been busy preparing for Standard 7 Graduation which took place yesterday.

The day was filled with songs and dances from each of the classes from pre-school to Standard 7.  I led Standard 1 in singing Frere Jacques complete with actions and chimes for the bells ding-donging at the end.  They finished by wishing Standard 7 good luck and saying "Au revoir!"  Although not quite in key, they were enthusiastic, remembered all their words and actions, and my three chime players came in right on cue.

Below are several videos from the day which show the pupils drumming, singing and dancing. The first shows two Standard 5 pupils drumming for their class entrance song.  The second is of the Standard 6 exit song.  The third is the school choir.  In many choirs here it is common for one dancer to address the audience.  The pupil who does this is in Standard 4.  The last video shows pupils from different standards dancing a traditional dance called ngoma (which means "drum").  Unfortunately I don't have a video of Standard 1 as I was busy directing.  Enjoy my kids!

Trekking Gorillas in the Mist

The mountain Gorillas of Dian Fossey have always had a certain aura of mystery about them.  They live in the foothills of Volcanoes National Park which are often engulfed in mist.  The roads to reach the different groups are rough lava rocks.  The paths to trek the gorillas are equally non-existent.  Our guide used a machete to cut a path through extremely tall and vicious stinging nettles.  All of us were wondering if the gorillas would ever appear when one slowly came lumbering into view.  The male silverback was followed by a mother carrying twins and a mother with a newborn less than a month old.  As we followed the gorillas and peered through the brush, we were surrounded by the pleasantly busy sound of tearing and chomping as the gorillas pulled down stalks of plants, stripped them and ate the interior. 

Enjoy the photos and video below of the gorillas we observed.  Pay particular attention in the video to catch a glimpse of the newborn!

Sunset over the volcanoes.

Our hike began with a wonderful stroll through the
bamboo forest along a stream.

Our trail through the nettles.  Can you see it?!

Mama and baby give us a look as we watch them eating.

This silverback is stripping the outer part of the the stalk before eating
the rest.  After eating, he came walking right past us while we
scrambled into the stinging nettles to get out of the way.

The Susa group has three silverbacks.  This is the 3rd silverback and the
lowest in rank.  One of the most impressive things was observing the length
of their arms and the size of their fingers.

Posing for the camera.

Unfortunately I did not get a picture as the male silverback
walked past; however this time I was ready, both to jump
into the brush and to take a picture! 

They were close.  I was a bit nervous to face the camera instead of keeping
my eye on the Gorilla.