Sci-Bono Discovery Centre

Adheres to Covid protocols.

Sci-Bono Discovery Centre vision

Sci-Bono envisions a society with the capacity to compete in the global world of science and technology, and a society that is equipped with the skills, attitudes and values needed to improve the quality of life of all South Africans.

Wold class interactive science museum

What we aim to achieve:
• Improved teaching and learning in maths, science and technology (MST);
• Career education and counselling for school learners and youth:
• Improved public interest and engagement in science, engineering and technology

What Sci-Bono offers

Sci-Bono is an amazing day trip destination for kids and adults, school excursions and tech boffins offering science and technology programmes.
1.

Interactive exhibits collection

Sci-Bono has a collection of about 350 interactive science and technology exhibits, exhibitions and displays which offer visitors opportunities to engage with science and technology in a hands-on experiential way. There are daily visits by groups of primary and secondary school learners to the centre.

2.

Centre-based programmes

Sci-Bono runs over 30 science and technology programmes, projects, activities, and events for learners, educators and the general public. Some examples of Sci-Bono’s many activities include:

Abaholi Programme provides maths, science, ICT, English and career education for high potential learners in Grades 10 to 12 from disadvantaged schools.

National Science Week draws about 20 000 learners annually and provides a diverse programme of events and activities involving a broad range of organisations and scientists.

Programmes & Courses for learners and youth such as Rocketry courses, Robotics tournaments, the F1 CadCam Challenge, Electronics club, Amateur Radio project, Mental Maths competition, the Apprentice Doctor medical education and about 25 other programmes that are offered during the year.

Industry Focus Weeks raise awareness of different industry sectors such as Aviation, Energy, Engineering, Information & Communication Technology, Finance & Financial Services, Construction, Health, Maritime industry, etc.

Primary School Astronomy Quiz started by Sci-Bono in 2005 and now an annual national competition.
Speak-to-a-Scientist: A programme of regular public lectures and conversations on SET issues in the news, delivered by local and international scientists.

3.

School support programmes

Sci-Bono manages various supplementary tuition programmes on behalf of the GDE. These include:

Secondary School Improvement Programme (SSIP): In 2015, there are 250 000 learners from 450 priority high schools participating in the programme of supplementary tuition.

Blended Learning Tuition Programmes: Sci-Bono offers free daily walk-in afternoon classes in gateway subjects, such as maths and science, to Grade 12 learners.

MST Materials Development: Sci-Bono produces MST resources for use in schools. This includes lesson plans for maths and science subjects that are distributed to teachers in all public schools.

The Emasondosondo Project which provides physics and chemistry teaching in 25 high schools by a team of specialised science teachers, using a mobile science laboratory.
Primary School Maths Project through which a team of specialist teachers visits 25 primary schools in Gauteng to help improve classroom teaching and learning in this key area.

4.

South32 career centre @ Sci-Bono (formerly the BHP billiton career centre @Sci-Bono)

The centre provides career counselling, guidance, advisory services, psychometric testing, teaching resources and training in all aspects of career and life skills education. The Centre offers workshops and support at Sci-Bono and through its outreach programme to schools and communities.

5.

Teacher development and ICT training

Sci-Bono manages the training and support of MST teachers on behalf of the GDE and provides a range of formal and non-formal development opportunities for teachers in Gauteng. The teacher development department offers the following:

In-Service Training for MST and technical teachers through short courses, workshops and other events to support and motivate teachers, to assist with new and challenging areas of the curriculum and to build professional teaching skills.

ICT Training: The DELL ICT Training Centre @ Sci-Bono is an MICT SETA accredited training centre, a Microsoft IT Academy and a Cisco Network Academy. The centre trains teachers, learners and unemployed youth. It currently also trains ICT technicians for the city of Johannesburg.

The ICT clubhouse - after-school for inner city kids

The Clubhouse is an after-school programme for inner-city children aged 9-18 years. It trains youth in the following creative skills: visual art, music, video editing, graphic design, animation, 2D and 3D modelling, coding and programming, fashion design and robotics.

Indoor climbing

We now have indoor wall climbing. Indoor climbing is a recreational sport that is one of the world’s fastest growing mainstream sporting activity. Once thought of as a sport only for adrenaline junkies, with good instruction and modern safety equipment, it is safe and enjoyable for anyone of any age to climb at their own comfort and ability level.

New exhibitions in 2021!

4IR exhibition

The 4IR exhibition currently hosts the Humanoids (two small ones and the big one called Pepper), Virtual reality Station, Augmented Reality and the interactive displays integrated with of a number of TV screens.

Children are provided with the opportunity to play games to train their analytical ability, improve their ability to solve puzzles and challenges. They are also challenged to explore more traditional content style, such as exploration of subjects including how Artificial Intelligence works, Machine Learning, how data transfers over networks etc.

Mirror maze exhibit

The mirror maze itself is a pattern, combining several characteristics of geometric patterns: repetition, symmetry and tessellation using repeated equilateral triangles. These triangles fit together without any gaps or overlaps, creating a tessellation. Mirrored surfaces all around reflect the pattern so that it repeats and appears infinite.

Drones pilots at the clubhouse

Did you know that the Clubhouse has three certified drone pilots?
They also have 10 DJI Tell drones that they will used for their drone course. They are currently putting together content for the said course. In addition, the Clubhouse offers programmes such as Teach Fundamentals of drones, real-life applications of drones: namely surveillance using object identification and tracking to videography for commercials and other media use. This includes python programming that covers drone automation.

How Sci-Bono works

To ensure that it focuses on current science and technology and that it is able to close the gap between education and industry, Sci-Bono has partnership agreements with private sector companies, government and public sector institutions, universities, foreign embassies and other organisations.

Science themed party venue

Contact us if you're looking for a cool party venue where kids get to see science experiments and have loads of fun!