What on earth happened?

Democracy in South Africa is still in its infancy.
It is only 21 years since the first democratic elections.

Compare that with the USA - their first elections were held in 1788, although women and slaves were not entitled to vote..
Or the United Kingdom, where voting took place from as early as 1688, although only some men were allowed to vote. True democratic elections only took place after women were given the vote.
Or Australia - their first elections for the Federal Parliament were in 1901.
Or New Zealand. Although not everyone was allowed to vote until about 50 years later (New Zealand was the first country to give women the vote), they held their first elections in 1853.

But even in the short time we have been a democracy, a lot has happened - here in South Africa, and in the world.

And we are part of that History.

Share some of the things that have happened in your country in the years from 1990 to 2011.
You could use these headings to help you:

• POLITICS
• SPORT
• MUSIC and MOVIES
• NATURAL DISASTERS
• ECONOMICS

Please remember to add your name and country to the comment.

How many ways can you write 21?

St Nicholas Grade 3s are playing a game of writing 21 in as many ways as they can - sharing their ideas with learners from other schools.

So far, they have come up with 20+1

But there are other ways of writing 21 - what about √462 ? or other mathematical equations

Or you could even write it in another language - vingt un is 21 in French.

Please comment on this post with your Name and Grade or School.

You can even play if you are a teacher, parent or past pupil.

The St Nicholas Story with Grade 7

Former Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu is hosting a TV programme called the South African Story.

It is a series of episodes where he visits different parts of South Africa – it contains some facts, some opinions from people he interviews, and some of his own opinions.

This is what SABC 3 says about the programme:

The South African Story with Archbishop Desmond Tutu launches on Tuesday, 1st February, at 20:00 on SABC3. In this series viewers will be taken on a journey with The Arch across all the nine provinces – from Mpumalanga’s dizzying heights of God’s Window to the banks of the Limpopo River in the North East. This nine part doccie will also reflect on the nation’s struggles and celebrate our emergence as Africa’s gateway – covering South Africa’s beautiful history, culture, destinations and politics. http://sabarometerblog.wordpress.com/2011/02/01/the-south-african-story-with-archbishop-desmond-tutu/

In this blog, Grade Sevens are going to do some research about their school, and then add pictures, interviews, facts and opinions about St Nicholas, to tell the St Nicholas Story.

How much do you know about your school?

St Nicholas is celebrating a special birthday.

Grade 5s are learning about different aspects of the school's history.
But we aren't the only school out there!
We'd really like to know what other learners know about their schools so we can compare what is the same and what is different.

So please comment on this post - just remember to say which school you are from.

Here are some headings to guide you:

• Age of your school
• Location of your school
• Your school buildings
• The people in your school
• Your School Badge, Motto, School Song, School Houses and other Symbols
• Interesting facts about your school