Learning with granny Science for Cyberkids

Learning with Granny!
The Communication Wheel

The holidays were fast coming to and end and all the children - except Ann - had gone off to the beach. She had chosen to stay home and help Granny organize her photo collection.

"What are you going to do with all the pictures?" she asked.
"I'm going to make a 'Communication wheel' replied Granny. "See, here is my 'wheel'" said Granny, lifting the carpet and pulling out a corrugated cardboard circle that was about 1 Metre in diameter.

Seeing the surprised look on Ann's face, granny added - "I kept it there to stop it from getting damaged after I found it. Now I will stick on some of the pictures of the people I have enjoyed communicating with in different interesting places in Africa. The pictures will also help me to communicate with people who can't read yet or others who might speak a language I don't know."

The others arrived back and were soon involved in helping to choose pictures for the wheel.

"I like this one Granny" said Margie picking up one of the 'Ark of Hope' and the children welcoming the visitors to their school. "Yes" agreed Granny "that was when the Earth Summit was being held in Johannesburg" . (See granny's story on the Earth Summit)

"I like this one of the StarLab at the SciFest, where the children learnt about the stars in the portable planetarium" said Ann. "Will there be another SciFest this year Granny?" she asked. "Yes indeed, we will have to watch for the program" replied Granny as she positioned the two pictures on the 'wheel'. (See granny's earlier story on the Sasol Scifest). Visit the Scifest web-site.

"You have to put one on of Mark Shuttleworth Granny" commented Lee "he certainty communicated with everyone around the world when he went into space."

"Here are my favourite ones about the trip to Smithsdrift to visit the Bushmen and also the ones from the Congress '98 when you went to the fossil sites", said Vinny picking up a little pile. "Are you going to put these up Granny?".

"Yes" said Granny "and we will be using those too - when we continue our "Trip through Time." Enter the picture above to see the whole image.

"What are these ones?" asked Terry "I don't remember them."

"No, those are recent pictures, you hadn't arrived yet. You missed the 'People's Carnival - Nealo Nathi -We Nature," said Lee. Enter the image to the right.

Seeing her long face he added - "I kept the newspaper article for you to read about it". Enter here to read the article.

Grandpa, who had been sitting reading his paper quietly in the corner, joined in and said "How about the one I took of Granny 'communicating' with the dolphin carcass?"

"I wasn't communicating with it, I was just comparing it with the skeleton of an ichthyosaurus" said Granny indignantly. "Yuk, I don't like that picture." said Margie.

"I like it," said Ann "and Granny knows the icthyosaurus is extinct, but I agree it did stink" she continued, defending Granny's interest in the 'ripe' carcass. (Enter the picture to the right.) Everyone laughed and they began placing the pictures on the wheel.

Terry and Ann wrote what the pictures were about on white sticky labels which they used to secure the pictures in place. When the wheel was full, they positioned little round coloured sticky labels at intervals on the edge of the cardboard and punched a hole through the center of each little label. "It looks like a drum now - are you going to thread leather through the holes Granny?" asked Vinny. "That's a nice idea, but I have something different in mind," replied Granny, producing a little cardboard cylinder with narrow black ribbon bound around it. "This is old computer printer ribbon which I washed and rinsed thoroughly. It's very strong, but I wouldn't suggest one uses it on clothes.

We'll cut pieces about 45 cm long and loop them through the holes." said Granny as she cut a sample from the reel. (Enter the picture above to see what Granny's wheel looked like and how you can make your own. If you make your own, e-mail Granny a picture and we will put some of them up on the site for others to see.)

"I'm going to make one for myself with pictures of the different snakes I know about," said Vinny as he stood and looked at their handiwork.

"Yes, I'm going to make one too" said Ann. "with all my post cards from my pen-pals around the world."

"Mine will be on sport, sports stars and keeping fit." said Lee nodding his head.

"I think I'll put my 'pop' stars cut out from magazines on mine," said Terry.

"Then will you help me to make mine please Terry?" asked Margie
"Of course I will, what are you going to use?" replied her big sister.
"Mine's going to be all my friends and family and I'm going to put it behind my bed, so I can wake up every morning and 'communicate' with everyone."

Poem Communication Wheel

Even if you can't read - you are free
To learn from every picture you see.
Even if you can't see - you can hear
There's so many ways that you can share
Even if you can't hear - you absorb
And know in your heart when you have to applaud.
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In whatever way you communicate
Be it a song or a chalk mark on a slate
The beat of a drum or a whispered poem
A smile on your face wherever you roam.
A picture tells more than a thousand words
As does music and the sound of the birds
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It's in communication that we find
The stories of the past of all Mankind
Of how they still work to integrate
For a future each will be proud to relate.
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The blind can 'see' with their ears and their hands
The deaf and dumb are 'heard' across many lands
Learn from others - share what you learn
Watch your 'wheel' grow with every turn.
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Jenny Marais Feb. 2003

Next Month...

Next month we will continue with our trip through Time and look at how the early inhabitants of Africa communicated their lifestyle and their beliefs in their Rock Art, giving us the privilege of understanding our history better.