A few weeks ago, I was asked to be a judge at a local middle school’s 8th grade science fair. I was so excited to volunteer to take on title of Science Fair Judge for the first time.
I had no idea what to really expect or how to perform my judging duties as I drove to the school that morning.
This science fair consisted of honor science students’ projects. The two science teachers picked the top 20 projects out of their classes for the judges to interview, but the gym was full of project boards.
Before we began, I really enjoyed wandering around and looking at all of the projects. There were so many creative and unique ideas and all of the kids did a great job. I was glad we didn’t have to narrow the field based on the boards. That was a tough decision.
Judges were given sample questions, a few instructions and were then broken into groups of three to interview students
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Sometimes the hardest part of the entire science fair is figuring out what you want to do for your project. I know from personal experience with my own sons that it is easy to fall into the trap of thinking you have to do something amazing in order to make the project worthwhile. My sons’ best projects have revolved around their interests and were really quite basic, but used the scientific method to answer a question. A few years back, my older son (a competitive golfer) wanted to know if a warm or a cold golf ball traveled farther so he ran some tests to find an answer. My younger son created the Helmet Crash-The Melon Test experiment as a response to a lot of information on the news about ski accidents and people not wearing helmets. These were not complicated questions, but they were ideas that interested my kids.
In trying to come up with your own idea, ask yourself a basic question: What are you interested in? Brainstorm a list of topics in
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It’s January and it’s Science Fair season. The keywords, “science fair projects,” “easy science fair ideas,” and “science fair help” are some of the top searched terms on Google in the month of January as students and their parents get online to look for help on their science fair projects.
Participating in the school science fair is a fantastic opportunity to learn about the scientific method, ask new questions, discover new science facts, conduct experiments and gain a new understanding of how science works. It also builds self confidence and public speaking skills.
My favorite part of the science fair is the bright smiles and prideful faces of the students who participate. In my daughter’s school, participating in the science fair is strictly extra-curricular. I am always so proud of each and every student who dedicates the time and
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By Blog Editor Susan Wells
Judges were given sample questions, a few instructions and were then broken into groups of three to interview students
