Science, Technology, Engineering and Art with JEFA at Summerhill School

From the Desk of Mrs Janessa Rajeev Vice Principal Prep and Event Co-ordinator

In line with Summerhill’s vision, we continue to offer our students opportunities to grow and develop. We have embarked on several initiatives during the year affording optimum learning opportunities for our students to engage meaningfully with the curriculum. During the month of July we focused on teaching the students how to think critically, problem solve and use their creativity to innovate. Students were treated to a focus week on engineering and technology by the JEFA (Junior Engineers for Africa) invasion. JEFA is an at-school event which takes place over a few days. Each grade is challenged with exciting and interactive workshops covering a broad range of aspects in Science, Technology, Engineering and Art. This STEAM programme proves to be the most fun and takes learning to a new level.

JEFA (Junior Engineers For Africa) once again delivered a purposefully engaging programme to our Summerhill students.

The JEFA Invasion formed part of the Grade One students’ learning on Monday, 1st August 2022, and provided a wonderful opportunity for them to apply their skills in critical thinking. Their engineering adventure began with the creation of their own mansions. Using blocks and axles, the students were able to solve problems and think critically and built some incredible triple and quadruple story houses with delightful play areas. The most entertaining part of the day was building the racing cars. Students created crinkle cutters and designed head bands, sunglasses and bracelets.

Grade Two students were introduced to the basic engineering principles through story telling sessions. They had to help the characters in the stories build different objects that were required. Students built a car, a moving robot with eyes (almost like WALL-E) and constructed LEGO flowers and made rainbow lines with markers using a Worm gear. Grade Two students now have a good idea of how gears and pulleys operate in everyday life.

It was with great excitement that the Grade Three students started their JEFA invasion day. The concepts of ramps and cranes were eagerly explored. The students especially enjoyed creating the dinosaurs, ramps and drums. A great day of innovation, creation and fun was had by all.

Grade Four students enjoyed a fun-filled day with their energetic, learned facilitators taking them through some very exciting concepts. They had meaningful learning experiences on the topics of strategy and tactics, levers and motors, and had the most fun with tangrams. The highlight of the day was definitely building the tallest tower. Students were vocal about their enjoyment of the day and are definitely looking forward to their next JEFA incursion.

Grade Five students had the chance to learn about struts for the purpose of strengthening structures using Lego bricks. Lego featured again in memory games as students had to memorise different combinations of blocks and then replicated it. Wheels and axles was another practical activity that required students to design their own lego car and run it down a ramp to see who could get it further. JEFA invasion is educational fun done in a practical way for the enjoyment for our students.

Grade Six students had a chance to learn about inclines, screws, wheels, wedges, levers, pulleys and small machines using Lego blocks. Students designed their own merry-go-rounds and cranes. To round off the day, IQ Builders took over. Totally stimulating and got their creative juices and competitive spirits going. A fabulous day filled with innovation, curiosity and fun!

In Grade Seven, the facilitators and students discussed different types of bridges such as the Deck Bridge, Suspension Bridge, Beam Bridge and Cable-stayed bridge as well as the different forces affecting bridges. They then had an opportunity to construct a Deck Bridge which was then powered to open and close. They explored the types of energy such as Potential energy which includes Gravitational, Nuclear, Elastic and Chemical; and Kinetic energy which includes Sound, Thermal, Electrical and Magnetic. Students then built a windmill which was powered to operate using an electric motor. Finally, the students learned how to play Quado chess, which helped them develop their critical thinking.