"Nyota" for kids " The Universe is bigger than all of us", Venus, Moon and Jupiter

Young professionals and children in Kenya had a celestial treat this month. From 1st December 2008, we have had star gazing sessions with young children and professionals. The month begun with a chance to engage young children and members of the public in astronomy. 

The children were amazed that the two "stars" were actually planets, Venus and Jupiter. Some said the site reminded them of a smiling face with two eyes while others insisted that the site looked like a smile with two dimples. "Wow". Since then we have had to invite them for more sessions. 

Asking them which of the three celestial bodies is biggest, some of the really young children shouted "the moon", while the older ones said Jupiter. Explaining to them why the big planet appears smaller and dimmer while our moon appears much bigger made them ask more questions.

The children then had a chance to look at the moon with the aid of the telescope and were impressed by the craters and mountains they saw. They were shocked to see the full moon and not the crescent shaped moon. we explained to them why we only saw the crescent shaped moon. It was fun explaining to the children how the telescope works. They really enjoyed looking through the telescope and wondering whether there was life out there. Some actually asked if there was life in the moon and the planets. 

The children have to run back home and as they are heading home, some start discussing how they would love to travel to the moon some day. These children are aged between ten and two and live next to the Hands-on Universe Africa/Universe Awareness Kenya donated office. I have made new friends and hopefully through this science they may be inspired to become scientists in my country. the fact that they have asked the question why gives me enough satisfaction for that day.

We are able to see five planets with our unaided eye, Venus and Jupiter are the brightest of the five partly because, Venus is the closest planet to our own while Jupiter is the biggest planet in our solar system. Jupiter and Venus are actually far apart although they may appear close. They are approximately 800 million kilometers apart. 

For the children, it was a short treat but it was worth it. The sponsors were eager to see how the bodies look through the 4.5 inch reflector telescope that they donated. It was exciting for them when they saw the detail on some of the bodies we looked at. A discussion on astronomy issues followed, some tried to remember the few astronomy classes they took many years back.

This experience was made possible by Pulse Health Care who donated the telescope

“Nyota” for kids “The universe is bigger than all of us” at Ray of Hope

How do you sensitize and excite children between the ages of five and eleven in Astronomy? Will this science’s relevance be felt and understood by minors who are not even in a formal institute of learning and are in a community learning center? This were the questions we had in mind shortly before we started the "Nyota" kids project at the ray of hope center in the slums of Kawangware.

After brainstorming and wondering how best to make the solar system personal to the children Jonah came up with a wonderful idea; why can’t the children build up the solar system from clay. 

This idea provided us a channel to effectively communicate to the children on our planet and galaxy. We knew we had exactly three hours at the school so we were challenged in designing activities that would last that long.

Personally, I was looking forward to going back into the classroom after months of absentia from interacting with the kids. On the other hand I was apprehensive of what exactly was going to happen at the Ray of Hope community centre. After all we have to go there for a second and third time. The first time therefore has to be with a bang so that after we leave the kids are looking forward to having us back. 

It was decided that Jonah, would do the introduction, basically introducing our group to the children and why we were there. He would then introduce the earth and pass on the globe to Susan who would in turn take the kids through sense of scale and introduce the planets using Celestia. After the kids have a sense of how unique each planet is from the other they would be handed colored cards with the planets and split into groups and build their own planets. I would then wrap up the programs, with a careers talk on general science then narrow it down to relevance of Astronomy.

We arrived at the center exactly at 10.30 to find the kids having their porridge. We sat at the mini-staffroom with the two teachers at the center. We tried to find out more about the children’s background and more so their science background. The teacher admitted that their science knowledge was indeed minimal. 

The Ray of hope Center is basically made up of two classes the lower and upper classes. Basically the kindergarten and pre-unit aged children are all grouped together whereas the older kids are in another class. They have a PE room that is not so big. It is in the PE room that we had all the fifty six children heaped plus their teachers, Michaela (an American volunteer at the centre) and the three of us. Initially the idea was we would project the planet images on the wall but as soon as we saw the PE room we realised this was not possible. Besides, there was a power cut at the centre.

Jonah went straight on and introduced our group and planet Earth in sheng (Swahili slang), and the kids immediately responded. He then passed on the globe to Susan who went through sense of scale. The kids had fun guessing how the earth moved and the little Earth, Moon sun dance that Susan had three volunteers demonstrate to show day/night and eclipses. 

When she asked the kids if they knew any planets, we were shocked to hear the kids shout the names of different planets considering that their teacher had warned us on their little astronomy knowledge. 

How about a little knowledge of our own home? The children role play and act as the Sun, (boy holding torch), earth (boy with globe) and moon (girl with small ball)

Using Celestia, software on space, Susan showed the excited children how planets differed from each other. We then divided Clay to scale of different planets and divided the children into ten groups. 

Each group was assigned a planet that they were to mould and the last group was to mould the moon. Even though the clay was divided to scale, some naughty kids managed to acquire more clay to make their planet bigger. The moon group divided its clay amongst them and made little moons. This turned out well as suddenly we had asteroids.

Each group was then to paint their planet exactly the same colour it was. This proved to be a challenge at the paint we had did not necessarily have all colours that the planets have. Overall the kids did a superb job and that day, they went home knowing exactly how each planet looks. 

The Saturn group had extra fun as they had to make a ring around their planet. The Jupiter team had to enlist help from their teacher, as they had to mould huge chunks of clay into one huge Jupiter. 

It was great passing through different groups in different rooms and hearing the kids tease each other about planets assigned to them. At one point I remember the Venus team teasing the mercury team that their planet was so rough and they wonder if it represents the group members. The mercury team hit back immediately telling the Venus team that they did not even know how to properly pronounce their planets name.

At the end of the day, we had an important photo session with all the groups posing with their planets. Each team was proud of their production. They proudly posed holding their planets and smiling. 

The children then were asked to arrange the planets in order after which Susan named them and the teacher took them to a little display room behind the P.E. room.Our planets after the children arrange them in order (wish we had more space)

We assembled all the children in the PE room for my little careers talk and the relevance of today’s activity. I was nervous, but managed to psyche up the kids with a Swahili proverb – where there is a will there is a way to dissuade them from thinking of they can’t because of their disadvantage and instead think that they can. I asked them to repeat the proverb over and over until they believed it. 

We had a little chant at the end on science for Africa and Science for you and me. My only regret at this point is not having proper video recording equipment so as to have a video diary trilogy of our subsequent visits to the centre.

The children, as a vote of thanks, sang us a song that has been ringing in our heads for the past few days and I think will stay their longer. The song starts with twinkle twinkle little star then stretches to the alphabet. We are challenged; next time we are here we must have a solar planet rhyme. Next time is next week… Mmh...

After lunch, we left Ray of hope community centre Kawangware, dirty but enriched and with a clearer vision on how to sensitise young children. Indeed it was a two way learning process.

The "Nyota" for kids project was sponsored by FourTell eAfrica Ltd.

“Nyota” for Peace “The universe is bigger than all of us”

The road to Mathare slum is not bumpy and the potholes are not as many as other parts of Nairobi. Yet to get to there is a hustle anyway. First you have to take the correct matatu then once you get there jump though various open sewers through a crowded market to get to the chief’s camp our destination sometime in March 2008.

Early 2008 was a bloody period in Kenyan history. Basically, our beloved country was on headline news in major news channels world over because of the post election violence. If you are a scientist or maybe an enthusiast in science, what role do you play in restoration of sanity? Do you just sit back and wait for history to write itself because this is not your mandate?

We knew what our obligation was as HOU/UNAWE members. We knew that we had to leave the comforts of our homes venture into internally displaced people’s camps (IDP) and reach out to children there. Albeit, distract their minds a little bit from their disrupted lives, with fun games on science.

We contacted Isaac Musyoka a Cosmos Education official to help us organise our trip to the IDP. Cosmos Education had visited Mathare IDP camp and Mr. Musyoka informed us that he could easily arrange a visit there.

On the planned day five HOU/UNAWE volunteers together with two university students literally jumped onto a fast moving matatu headed to Mathare IDP camp. 

The IDP camp was a culture shock to most of us who have never been in IDP camps. To see hundreds of Kenyans living in tents cooking outside the tents and the kids having no playground was an eye opener on how in a few months our island of peace was rivalling several war torn African nations.

Upon arrival at the IDP camp, we had no clear idea on how we were to conduct activities. Spontaneity was called for as this was not an institution where there were properly laid channels of communication.

By use of song and dance, we managed to gain the attention of the children at the IDP camps. They came gathered around us and immediately joined in. It occurred to me that what this kids craved for above all else was play. 

We conferred amongst ourselves on the task ahead; first of all here are children who main concern for all we know could be food, shelter and clothing. If it extended to secondary needs then medical care would come first and education a near second. How then, could we introduce astronomy to such a group?

It was agreed to maximise use of play. We divided the kids up. Gave each one of them a drawing paper and crayons and played a game of – heavenly bodies. The children were excited and drew variety of heavenly bodies. As they were drawing from imagination we could not make out most of the drawing. One heavenly body though was a constant- the sun. The kids longed for the sun, real sunshine in their life.

After the kids finished their drawings, we introduced sense of scale and did our standard earth, moon and sun dance. The kids found this amusing and laughed their heads off. 

We then did a physics experiment on laws of motion that included tug of war, this exercise brought most of the kids to their knees and there was little competition on which group was stronger.

One kid was dared to defy gravity, by remaining on air while skipping a rope. After several tries he conceded to the laws of gravity.

At some point I left our group to talk to the mothers and fathers at the IDP camp. The mothers shared with me their experience after the elections and how they managed to escape. They told me of a child who witnessed his father being hacked to death. The child was playing with our group and you would not know what he had gone through. One mother had to commute daily to a friends house in another slum to sleep their as she had a new born baby and could not sleep with the baby in an open tent in cold Nairobi weather.

After three hours it was time to say goodbye and indeed it was a tearful one. Most of the kids followed us to a matatu stage and we had to take them back to the IDP. They followed us again and the mothers had to threaten to beat them for them to give up.

Several thoughts rushed through my mind as we left the IDP. They all started with one though: If I were president…