Japanese scientist teaches South Africans how to build toys from trash

As part of the Science Centre Capacity Building programme that SAASTA manages on behalf of the Department of Science and Technology, 35 science centre staff members attended an educational toy building workshop at the Johannesburg Observatory.

Hideo Nakano, Science Specialist and JICA Senior Volunteer at Osizweni Education and Development Centre (right), explains to the workshop participants how to build a rubber band propelled straw kite.		Science centre staff members hard at work building straw kites. They are, from left: Themba Maseko and Lawrence Tafereyi from Penreach Shalamuka Science Centre, Bafedile Kgwadi from SAASTA, Simphiwe Mtiyane from Unizul Science Centre and Irene Schoeman from Scienza.
Thato Majele (left) demonstrates his newly constructed model of Heron's Fountain to his colleague, Lesego Metswamere, both from Mafikeng Science Centre.		Alfred Tsipa from Osizweni Science Centre and workshop presenter Hideo Nakano launch a rocket while the workshop participants watch their every move.

The presenter, Hideo Nakano is a Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) volunteer at the Osizweni Science Centre in Secunda, Mpumalanga. Nakano has been seconded to Osizweni by the Japanese Government for a period of two years to assist and transfer knowledge for scientific inventions and is a very popular presenter of this type of workshop.

The training on the design and manufacturing of educational toys received excellent feedback from participants. Nakano uses readily available items to make low-cost educational toys and taught science centre staff members how to handle and use these tools safely and effectively when interacting with their audiences.

Some comments from attendees of the workshop:

"The workshop was very important, especially since the materials that we used are easily accessible."

"The workshop was excellent and very informative. I will now be able to share this knowledge with my colleagues and will implement this with learners who visit my centre."

"Going home with toys … I felt like Father Christmas! My two boys loved the blade helicopter, toy propellers and the wind car. Maybe organise this type of workshop for science educators - they can really benefit from it."

By Ina Roos and Shadrack Mkansi, SAASTA