Science Fair Part 2

Since we got first place in the school science fair, we got to go to the district science fair.  So last night we went as a family.  The first half we just looked around at the different displays, and the second half there was an awards ceremony.  Everyone who makes it to the district level gets an award - Third, Second, First, or Sweepstakes.  

There are a few hundred entries, from kindergarten all the way up to high school.  There are lots of people entering in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades, but not as many in middle school, and hardly any in high school (although the high school ones were really good).  

The truth is that I didn''t really want my kids to come to district.  I only wanted them to do a science fair project so they could see how it was done.  And after experiencing it, next year do almost all of it them selves.  This year I really walked them through it.  We talked about how important the question is, and how it has to be a the right question that you can answer  with the tools available, etc.  Then we brainstormed questions, and Christyne came up with the question.  I went to the library and found some books that were helpful, and looked up articles online.  Then we read them out loud together and discussed what was important information for the research and the journal.  We also talked about how experiments need to have only one variable.  And that ment they needed to use the exact same amount of water, and the exact same pot and the exact same burner and the pot had to be cool each time we used it, etc.  Also that we needed at least 3 trials of each experiment.  When we did the experiment, they had to be in there doing it, but I had to do the fire part.  So they were measuring and timing.  When we wrote up the journal, I had them write it by hand.  So, as a group we would talk about what would be said, then I would type it in really big font, and they would copy it into their journal.  At first I had them each write a journal, then I was going to take the neatest pages and staple them together for one journal.  But half way through, they got really tired of all the writing, so I had them take turns writing (I thought we only needed on journal).  Then I would save the typing for the board, and print it in smaller letters.  They helped me glue the things onto the board.  Of course I typed up the things for the board, and they helped me glue it.  When it came to the graphs, I just typed numbers, and this beautiful graph popped up in one of my programs.  So next year they will do that.  They worked really hard on it and spend hours and hours working on it.    

So we go the the district science fair, and low and behold, I look at the other 3rd grade projects, and some are way more complex than ours.  (I tried to make our project something they would understand, and the whole time we were doing it, we talked about the science behind it, and they had to explain it to me and know it.)  And I knew there was no way a 3rd grader could have done those projects alone.  So then I didn't feel so bad.  I also talked to Andi's teacher who is in charge of the science fair for our school, and she said it was fine.  

Well, we sit down for the awards, and I was hoping for a 3rd place.  So they would be getting an award, but because of my guilt for doing so much, not get too much of an award.  Well all the 3rd place ribbons were passed out, and my kids didn't get any.  Then they passed out the second place ribbons, and still my kids didn't get one.  Then they passed out the first place ribbons, and my daughters were still sitting there.  Then they started calling the sweepstakes winners.  Sure enough they called up Andreya and Christyne.  They were so excited.  They each got a trophy. 

 This is their first real trophy for anything, and I am so glad that they got it for something academic.  Sports is great, but I want my kids to feel really good about accomplishing something with their brains.  Especially Andreya.  She is very smart, and has the IQ test to prove it, but she has some sort of reading and writing learning problems, so it is hard.  She struggles in school.  She works hard, and yet she struggles.  She also gets frustrated because she is smart and knows she should be able to do much better than she is, but there is a hurdle that makes it hard.  I am so glad that she won a trophy for academics, because I want her to know that she is smart, and if she works hard and doesn't give up, she can do well.  Also, they both just love science.  Andreya is always quoting science facts about animals that she learned years ago in school.  Christyne always asks for science kits for christmas or her birthday.  I am really glad they won.  

Our plan for next year is to have the girls do almost all the work.  This summer they are going to work on their typing, so they can type it themselves.  And from now until summer we will be thinking of questions to ask.  Then this summer we will work on it, so we can take a long, long time and they won't get too overwhelmed.  I am going to have them do almost all of it, I will be the mentor or technical advisor.  And in January we will just do the things like glue stuff to the board, etc.  Also, once you get to 4th grade, you can go to the county science fair.  So next year they will be doing it almost all on their own. 

It was a very fun night.  Someone had set up powerful telescopes out side and we could see the moon up close, and saturn.  Also, we ran into people we knew but had not seen in a while, like people I used to teach with, or people from our old ward, and people from MOMS Club.  Poor Ayden, he was miserable.  He was bored, but well behaved.  I was really proud of all my kids last night.