Science Fair

Last Thursday evening was the Homeschool Science Fair. Since it is our first year homeschooling, it is our first year to participate. Not only that, but Princess E has never participated in a Science Fair during her years in private school. So, this was really her first time creating a project and having to present it.

There were many hours of frustration for all of us. The project itself, measuring the conductivity of various substances, was not incredibly difficult. The painful part of the process was trying to help her understand the importance of doing her research and checking her spelling. The munchkin would much rather make up her own definitions and couldn’t care less about spelling words properly. In any case, her work was not perfect, but it was truly hers. Our involvement was limited to ensuring safety and I helped her format her printouts. (This is her first year of really learning about technology and we have chosen to focus on keyboarding rather than formatting. I’d rather she be able to type a letter before she starts using different fonts and designs.)

My favorite project was this one that tested the germ fighting capabilities of dog spit. It was most certainly original! Another I really liked was a test of ketchup packets from several fast food chains. The budding scientist provided samples! (In case you are wondering, yes, we did test to see if a French fry will conduct electricity. No, it won’t.)

Each child was recognized for his/her work. One of the pleasant surprises for me was that it appeared most of the work was done by the children. I remember growing up and participating in events like these and being frustrated because the “best” presentations were ones that were clearly the work of the parent. With this group, that didn’t seem to be the case.

She was recognized for the project with the “Best Wow Factor”. Kids and parents alike seemed to enjoy checking out her demonstration.

She is already brainstorming ideas for next year. I’d consider that a success!