Our 2022 calendar is completed, printed (5,000 copies) and almost completely distributed already. With some really helpful feedback on how to improve the calendar and now with riddles, quotes and a entry page for a creative competition for learners, we’re excited to see how it’s received. A huge thanks to the Sage Foundation for the funding of the creation, printing and postage of these materials. We’ve been lucky to find a variety of organisations that have distributed these to young people they work with or serve among them the Santa Shoebox Project, the Eskom Science Expo (see pic), and the schools, libraries and clinics we have given materials to.
We’ve made masks that kids and adults can colour in or just print out, use and imagine being a palaeoscientist. Inspired by Bones - Dr Keneiloe Molopyane - and Rocktor - Silindokuhle Mavuso - they are free to download and print along with all of our SuperScientists. Go to http://bit.ly/3fv1uzY
It’s been so fantastic to have SuperScientists picked up by local and international news recently and know that more and more people are learning about the scientists that we have profiled and our work to change how young people see science and scientists.
Below are a few of the different articles and interviews. As a scientist, we’re most proud of the article in the premier scientific journal Science but to reach young people and parents, mass media is where it’s at.
Science - international scientific journal
eNCA - South African national TV
Business Insider - international
Sunday Tribune - South African newspaper
eNORM - German magazine
Our activity book for younger learners is finished! It’s beautifully done and packed with activities to teach kids a thing or two about science while also getting the creative juices flowing.
We will be printing a few thousand copies of it and distributing to organisations and schools and hope to make a version that can be picked up at your local supermarket. You can download a big chunk of the book at our activities page
A huge thanks to Hero in My Hood for art and ideas, Curtis Bonhomme for the character art, and the SuperScientists who host all the activities Nitro, Astrana, and The Eradicator. This project was funded thanks to a grant from The Sage Foundation and ongoing funding provided to CodeMakers.
Very excited to see Kolisa Sinyanya aka Nitro, and Dr Keneiloe Molopyane on CNN Inside Africa this month - here’s their video. They are two scientists that really pushing the boundaries. Kolisa as an oceanography PhD student at the University of Cape Town studying carbon capture in the Agulhas Current. Keneiloe as a post-doctoral fellow and, recently named, National Geographic Explorer working on a variety of palaeoanthropology projects to help understand the origins of humans including the exciting Site 105 in the Cradle of Humankind.
They are definitely two scientists to keep your eye on.
Download activity pages for your kids to learn along with Kolisa
One of the inspiring marine scientists we’ve featured - Zoleka Filander - is part of the OceanXplorers team that will be coming to a BBC or NatGeo channel near you soon! Read all about it here, see Zoleka’s experience on a Instagram account she’s set up - Oceanxplorer_zoleka - as they film the project, or watch one of the videos they’ve already released. So cool! Really looking forward to watching!
A stellar organisation runs Novulakuvaliwe Library in rural Eastern Cape near Lusikisiki. They contacted us about our calendars and we sent through 300 of them that they distributed to local schools. The teachers they work thought they were great and would encourage learners to take science and maths courses. They asked for another 300 and with assistance from the Inspiring Fifty crowdfunding campaign we were able to deliver!
We’ve received some fabulous colour ins from our activity book pages and on Superhero day wanted to share the pages with everyone. Download them here and send back a pic of your character or colouring in of Nitro, and we’ll keep on adding new pages you can download for free.
