Program Summary: June, 2012

The program is divided into the following phases:

• Breathing exercise to calm the mind
• In class music – to associate learning with fun
• Power-point presentation : Biography of An African-American inventor- to encourage the child to think creatively
• Mathematics session to increase reasoning ability and abstract/critical thinking
• 5 minutes of motivational speech
• Experimental session for the day

Biographies of the month (June)

Madam C.J. Walker

• She invented hair creams for black ladies in her times.

Benjamin Banneker

• He taught himself (no formal education)
• Designed an irrigation system at 15yrs
• Invented first American clock through observation of a watch

Dr. Charles Drew - Invented the blood bank

Fred Mckinley Jones - Invented the first large scale refrigeration system

Garret A. Morgan - Invented the gas mask and automated traffic light signal

George Washington Carver - Invented over 300 uses of peanuts

George Crum - Invented potato chips

Jan Ernst Matzeliger - Invented the shoe lasting machine

Experimental Session

• Use of the Binding machine to make their personal jotters
• Basic electricity using bulbs, battery and electric motors.
• Understanding basic electrical circuit diagrams/designing circuits from diagrams
• Construction of series and parallel circuits
• Principle of battery power – using lemon and electrodes of copper and zinc
• Measurement of Voltages and Resistance using Multi-meters
• Reading resistance values from actual resistors used in design
• Basic Magnetism - each child was made to work with electromagnets in a circuit
• Measurement of body sections ( height, elbow, fingers e.t.c)using tape for practical estimation of sizes and distances
• Theory, types and use of wheel and axles in construction of experimental vehicle
• Motion reversal using a steering wheel
• Preparation and analysis of mixtures

-Suspension, solution, colloids, emulsions

• Separation Techniques

-Decantation, Filtration, Evaporation ,Distillation

• Chromatography

-Separating the components of green marker and red marker.

• Fingerprint identification ,classification and analysis.

Mathematics/Critical reasoning

Developing equations from first principle

Math puzzles

Methods of speeding up arithmetic calculations

Observation exercises

Writing exercises

Practical Ciphering and deciphering of coded messages

Program Summary: July, 2012

The program is divided into the following phases:

• Breathing exercise to calm the mind
• In class music – to associate learning with fun
• Power-point presentation : Biography of An African-American inventor- to encourage the child to think creatively
• Mathematics session to increase reasoning ability and abstract/critical thinking
• 5 minutes of motivational speech
• Experimental session for the day

Biographies of the month (June)

Jack Johnson

• First black heavy weight champion of the world
• Invented a wrench

George Grant

• Invented the Golf tee

George Carruthers

• Invented an image converter used in telescopes
• Invented a camera used in space shuttle mission

John Henry Thompson

• Invented the Lingo Programming Language

Dr. Philip Emeagwali

• Invented the world’s fastest computer

Lonnie G. Johnson

• Invented a water gun manufactured commercially as a toy called the super soaker.

Otis Boykin

• Invented a precision wire resistor

Experimental Session

• Introduction to capacitors, diodes and variable resistors
• LEDs , Segment LED display unit
• Electric motor as generator, voltaic meter, photo resistor
• Solar battery, solar meter and rechargeable circuit
• OR, AND, NOR and NAND circuits
• Transistors (PNP and NPN) and their uses
• Silicon controlled rectifier(SCR) and the Darlington circuit
• Use of wheels and axles in the assembly of motorbike and door with a knob
• Use of pulleys in the assembly of a blender machine
• Introduction to hydraulics
• Use of hydraulic mechanism in the assembly of water gun, see saw without an axle, hydraulic material lift and hydraulic gate.

Mathematics/Critical reasoning

Math puzzles

Word problems in mathematics

Memory exercises

Public speaking

Writing exercises

Mapping

Program Summary: August, 2012

The program is divided into the following phases:

• Breathing exercise to calm the mind
• In class music – to associate learning with fun
• Power-point presentation : Biography of An African-American inventor- to encourage the child to think creatively
• Mathematics session to increase reasoning ability and abstract/critical thinking
• 5 minutes of motivational speech
• Experimental session for the day

Biographies of the month (June)

Joseph Lee

• Invented a machine for making bread crumbs
• Invented an automated bread making machine

Granville T. Woods

• Invented an improved telephone transmitter
• Invented ‘the troller’ used by street cars to collect electricity from over-head cables

Elijah McCoy

• Invented a lubricator for steam engine powered trains

Andre Reboucas

• Invented the torpedo

Kevin Woolfolk

• Invented a Hamster workout wheel

Benjamin Bradley

• Invented the first steam engine used to power a warship at 16knots

Dr. Benjamin Carson

• Led a team of 70 professionals that separated Siamese twins joined at the back of their heads in 1987

Experimental Session

• Oscillator, SCR controlled motor/bulb
• Light controlled segment LED display unit
• Touch controlled lamp and microphone controlled lamp
• Motion detector
• Introduction to relays: 4 & 5 pin relays; normally open (NO) and normally closed(NC)
• Relay buzzer, relay buzzer with speakers
• Introduction to Integrated circuits(ICs)
• Night alarm circuit and Day alarm circuit
• Night security lamp and Day security lamp circuits
• Use of wheels & axles in the assembly of a well
• Effect of axle size on speed
• Use of pulleys in the assembly of a stationary bike and material lift
• Fixed and moveable pulley, driver and driven pulley
• Introduction to gears
• Assembly of crane, gear box and carousel using gears

Mathematics/Critical reasoning

Math puzzles

Word problems in mathematics

Memory exercises

Public speaking

Writing exercises

Vocabulary builder

Program Summary: September, 2012

The program is divided into the following phases:

• Breathing exercise to calm the mind
• In class music – to associate learning with fun
• Video Documentaries of technological advancements to encourage the child to think creatively
• Mathematics session to increase reasoning ability and abstract/critical thinking
• 5 minutes of motivational speech
• Experimental session for the day

Documentaries for the month

Gearing Up (2 hours)

• The documentary traces the journey of some high school students involved in a robotics competition. It highlights the challenges they faced and how they were able to overcome them as well as the importance of developing team spirit.

Inventions that changed the world – The gun (1hour 30minutes)

• This documentary traces the development of the gun from simple gun powder to the sophisticated guns used in modern times. It highlights how complex technologies develop over many years from simple inventions and modifications. It also points out the interdependence of technology such as mass production techniques which is an off- shoot of the development of the gun.

Experimental Session

• Review of the concepts of voltage, current and resistance
• Review of electrical components and their symbols
• Observation of magnetic field around an electromagnet using a compass
• Electromagnet controlled bulb
• Vibration sensitive circuit
• Direction of flow of electricity reviewed
• Introduction to computer hardware
• Use of gears in the assembly of hand blender and rotary sign post
• Use of cranks in the assembly of pump jack/oil drill and sewing machine
• Design and assembly of a modified carousel
• Design and assembly of a projectile and a defence system

Mathematics/Critical reasoning

Math puzzles

Construction and bisection of line and angles

Conversion of units

Memory exercises

Public speaking

Writing exercises

Vocabulary builder