As promised, here's a bit more about our science mini-camp, Camp STAR. The camp went really well. We didn't end up with as many students as we had originally planned on, but still had a fairly large number of 41 students.
Most of the students arrived on Sunday afternoon. We let them get settled and chat with their new friends and then they had to take a pre-camp quiz which we used as part of our evaluation of the camp. After dinner, we met all of the students and had a video show where we watched Planet Blue! They absolutely loved it and it was so much fun to watch with them.
The next morning we had an assembly during which we divided the students into their smaller groups for the rest of the week. There were five groups of about 8-9 students so that each class could be very small in number in order to allow for more hands on lessons. As I said before, the students took courses in a variety of biology and physical science topics.
For my part, I taught a biology lab class in which I reviewed a variety of topics that are normally found on the biology lab practical portion of the MSCE. We went over biological drawings, magnification and dichotmous keys. We also spent some time reviewing plants, photosynthesis and leaf structure and the students were able to make their own sections of leaves to view with the microscope. At the end of class we also talked about microorganisms and looked at some of the moulds and bacteria I had grown on culture plates for them earlier in the week. I'm sure my my biology professor Dr. Dey is happy to know that all of the plant and fungal lab techniques he taught me have now been shared with students on the other side of the world!
Most of the students arrived on Sunday afternoon. We let them get settled and chat with their new friends and then they had to take a pre-camp quiz which we used as part of our evaluation of the camp. After dinner, we met all of the students and had a video show where we watched Planet Blue! They absolutely loved it and it was so much fun to watch with them.
The next morning we had an assembly during which we divided the students into their smaller groups for the rest of the week. There were five groups of about 8-9 students so that each class could be very small in number in order to allow for more hands on lessons. As I said before, the students took courses in a variety of biology and physical science topics.
For my part, I taught a biology lab class in which I reviewed a variety of topics that are normally found on the biology lab practical portion of the MSCE. We went over biological drawings, magnification and dichotmous keys. We also spent some time reviewing plants, photosynthesis and leaf structure and the students were able to make their own sections of leaves to view with the microscope. At the end of class we also talked about microorganisms and looked at some of the moulds and bacteria I had grown on culture plates for them earlier in the week. I'm sure my my biology professor Dr. Dey is happy to know that all of the plant and fungal lab techniques he taught me have now been shared with students on the other side of the world!
Each day we also had some kind of additional activity planned as well. On Monday, we had a quiz bowl competition for the kids to test their science knowledge. One day we had a career talk in which professionals in the fields of teaching, community development and medicine addressed the students to motivate them and inform them about potential careers. The highlight of this activity was our female speaker, a nutritionist from a local NGO. She was awesome! She really motivated our girls! We also had an additional speaker who taught the students about forestry and careers in conservation and agriculture which also included a hands on tree planting demonstration. 
Of course, we had to end the week with a disco and variety show. We encouraged the students to come up with acts that in some way or another focused on what they had learned at camp. We witnessed songs about physics, skits about careers in sciences and a wide array of other performances as well. The students had a great time and followed the show with a disco at which we all, students and teachers, had a great time dancing!On the final day, we had to say goodbye to our students and teachers but not without a morning of filling out evaluations and the post-camp quiz, as well as a science fair at which the students had to present their findings on the scientific investigations they were given to work on throughout the duration of the week.
All in all it was a great experience for everyone involved. Thankfully we did not have any major problems or conflicts and everything went as planned.
The camp has also gotten members of my group, myself included really excited for our larger camp come November, Camp STAR. This camp will host 100 students from all over the country together in the capital city. In addition to taking MSCE prep classes the students will hear from lots of guest speakers and get to attend really fun field trips. We're in the planning stages nd working on fundraising for this camp from our friends and families back home. If you'd like to help, you can click on the link below to make a tax -deductible donation on the Friends of Malawi website by clicking on Summer School 2009.
Here’s a link to some pictures and information from last year’s camp :)
A dollar goes a long way in Malawi, so anything you could give would be a great help!
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