Smart Sindara and Brave Buchi Build a Parachute

Smart Sindara and Brave Buchi Build a Parachute

The science fair was just two weeks away, and Smart Sindara was stuck.

She sat on the floor of her room, surrounded by torn paper, string, fabric scraps, and a mango with a dent in it.

“Everything keeps crashing,” she sighed.

Her idea was bold: build a working parachute for an egg or fruit. But so far? Every test had ended in a splat.

Just then, her mum’s phone buzzed. It was a video call from Buchi.

“Hey Sindara,” said Brave Buchi, smiling through the screen. “I just saw your test video. That mango never had a chance.”

Sindara laughed. “At least it smelled nice.”

“I think I can help,” he said. “Wanna team up?”

The next morning, Buchi showed up with a backpack full of surprises: a small sewing kit, fishing line, leftover Ankara fabric, and an old umbrella frame.

“Where did you get all this?” Sindara asked.

“My mum said if I was going to break things, I had to build something better first.”

They got to work in the backyard.

Sindara handled the math and design. “We need a canopy wide enough to catch air, strings that balance the weight evenly, and something lightweight for the load.”

Buchi handled the building. He unstitched the old umbrella, ironed the Ankara fabric flat, and cut it into a perfect circle.

“Why Ankara?” Sindara asked.

“Why not?” Buchi replied. “If we’re flying, we might as well fly in style.”

 Day after day, they tested their parachute.

First with a lemon. It fell too fast.

Then a foam ball. It drifted but spun out of control.

Finally, they attached a raw egg in a tiny padded pouch.

Buchi climbed the mango tree in the backyard — halfway up. “Ready?”

Sindara stood below with a notepad and camera. “Go for it!”

He let go.

The parachute opened with a whip — fluttering like a butterfly.

The egg floated down slowly, gently — and landed with a soft thump.

They held their breath.

Buchi opened the pouch.

Not a crack.

“IT WORKED!” Sindara shouted, jumping in the air.

They high-fived so hard their palms stung.

At the science fair, their display read:

“From Fabric to Flight: Our Parachute Project”

By Smart Sindara & Brave Buchi

Their parachute hung above their table like a floating kite. It was colorful, clever, and covered in sketches, notes, and diagrams.

Kids came from every table to test their own objects in the demo chute — cotton balls, pencil cases, even a small jollof rice container.

Sindara explained the science.
Buchi showed the build.
And both told the story of how failure became flight.

One judge leaned in and asked, “Why did you use Ankara fabric?”

Sindara smiled. “Because science can be stylish.”

Buchi added, “And culture can carry ideas — even in the air.”

They didn’t just win a prize.
They won a crowd.

Their story was shared in the school bulletin, then the community newsletter, and then — to their total surprise — featured on a popular kids’ science blog called Brains & Roots.

Later that week, their principal pulled them aside.

“Next term, I’d like you two to lead a workshop for younger kids. Teach them how to build and test.”

Sindara looked at Buchi. Buchi grinned.

“From the ground up?” he asked.

“Or the sky down,” she replied.

And so, Smart Sindara and Brave Buchi became more than classmates. They were co-creators.
Co-experimenters.
And partners in lift-off.

Did you enjoy today’s adventure? What did you learn?

Don’t forget you can also watch many adventures of Smart Sindara on Smart Sindara and friends you tube.