Our homeschool coop sponsored a science fair last night. Those older than third grade could compete in a judged portion and actually win cash prizes. There was also an exhibition section for the younger kids and those that wanted to display something that wasn't an actual "experiment."
Little Weed #4 and Sweet One worked together to create a display about what we learned about during our great chicken hatch. (More on that when I actually catch up...) Sweet One did most of the work on the board and wasn't shy about letting those who visited her station know that little tidbit. To balance things out, I feel I should mention that during the actual project, #4 was the one who was more interested, involved, and learning all he could about chick development. So, #4 is about the hands on portion, Sweet One is about the pretty finished product. :)
I was never able to get the two of them together for a photo, so you'll have to simply accept separate shots.
Dr. Jiggles also entered an exhibition display. He has been very interested in architecture (and Legos!) this year and has accumulated a number of Lego Architecture kits. His first was the White House, a gift from his grandma. Since that time, his only gift request for both birthday and Christmas has been Lego kits. He also visited Legoland with his dad this fall, and was treated to the purchase of the Robie House. He was completely enamored with Frank Lloyd Wright and saved up his money to be able to recently purchase FLW's Fallingwaters kit. He is in savings mode again to be able to purchase the last available FLW-designed kit they offer. He presented what he's learned with each kit nicely.
Dr. Jiggles also worked with his Bud to enter the judged portion of the contest. They wanted to test whether name brand products outperformed equivalent generic products. They tested several household products and presented their results. They worked hard, cooperated well together, and made all the decisions about expressing and displaying their results while their two type-A mothers bit their tongues and cringed at off-center papers, less than perfect word choice, and "entertaining" photo selections. This was really and truly "their" project. And they won first place in their age group. Way to go, boys!
Not to be left out, Ziggity and his partner threw together a project for submission as well. They had worked hard on a vehicle powered by the triggering of a mousetrap for months and months. They competed that vehicle in the Science Olympiad tournament this past weekend (more on that in the catch-up entries), so all they needed to do was compile the results of what they had learned while testing that vehicle to make it as fast and accurate as possible. They compared speed and distance measurements with and without lubricant on the axles. And while they had worked long and hard on the vehicle itself and knew the results and conclusions inside and out, they only threw the board together in a single afternoon - the same day as the competition. Still, they were eloquent enough in their interviews with the judges to pull out a first place finish as well. They were surprised and thrilled. It was a really nice balance to the disappointment that accompanied their run at the Olympiad just 48 hours before (again, more on that with the catch-up posts... I promise.)
Congrats to all my kids and their science buddies. You worked hard and learned a bunch in the process. I'm proud of all of you.
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