Updated: Declo Science Fair with newspaper article

Wow!!  Where do I start?  The 4th and 5th grade students did such a great job on their projects.  The projects were creative and relevant, and the kids all worked hard to follow the scientific method to answer their questions.   Teachers, Staff, and Parents were supportive and proud, and the PTO volunteers were absolutely critical to the success of the Science Fair.  We had 130 projects displayed, and 8 local judges visited over 2 days to read and score all the projects.  The overall winners in 4th and 5th grade won a trip to Science Camp, and the fee was paid for by a generous donation by a parent who contacted me out of the blue to see how they could help.

http://minicassiavoice.com/community/declo-elementary-holds-science-fair/
There were teachers' choice winners and Honorable Mentions.  There were winners in Plant Science, Physical Science, Earth Science, Health and Nutrition, Animals, and Scientific Method.  But there were so many great projects...I am grateful I didn't have to judge.  Way too hard!

I am so thankful for the support I received from all my friends and teachers to make this such a positive experience for the students.  Just imagine what we will see next year!

5th Grade Winner, Brinley, did a fabulous experiment with her dog.  The judges were impressed with her research and procedure.  She interviewed a dog trainer to make sure her methods would be effective.  Great job!!

This 5th grade student did his project on rockets and could not wait to launch his rocket for the class.  But the wind took it much farther than he expected...and we are still looking for it!  :(

Update: Rupert Elementary Science Fair and Family Night

I had a great time at the Family Science Night in Rupert.  The Science Moms, April, Amber, and Lori, organized a fun evening with volunteer presentations and hands-on activities about fiber optics, fossils, microscopes, evidence collection, and more.  More than 40 projects were displayed by the kids and they were excited to see their ribbons and prizes.  I was able to bring the microscope station and the squishy circuit station so kids could investigate and discover.  Thanks goes to INBRE for funding the microscope materials.

Three grand prize winners won a trip to the CSI Summer Camp in Burley June 18-21.  Congratulations to all the kids who chose to participate!  Go Science!

http://minicassiavoice.com/community/little-einsteins-at-the-rupert-elementary-science-fair/

Grand Prize winners learned about circuitry doing Squishy Circuits!

Mini-Cassia Science Fair Updates

Well, we are in the home stretch of science fair projects.  Next week, Rupert Elementary is sponsoring a Family Science Night and Fair on the 5th.  The Declo elementary projects are due on Monday, April 9th.  As I sit here with my son, I am reminded that projects are not to be hurried.  My advice is to do a few tasks at a time.  Develop the pictures, decide on how the display board will look, and help your student write out a few sections.  Remember all the steps are clearly explained in the packet that all the students received.  The projects at Declo will also be a grade, so don't wait until next weekend to start!!  You and your child will not be loving the experience!  Good luck!

Update: Paul Elementary School Science Fair

Here is the link to the newspaper article about the event...I loved how the Superintendent and School board members came to judge.  That has given me an idea!!

http://minicassiavoice.com/community/paul-elementary-students-participate-in-science-fair/

What a fun day in Paul!  I judged at least 100 great projects, and I saw some great ideas.  The kids did a good job of including all the important parts of a project, but most importantly, they were creative and excited to tell me about their experience.  Hard to pick a favorite, but there were some original projects about magnets, seeds, and even ammunition.  I liked how one student took the basic Diet Coke and Mentos experiment and decided to test the temperature of the soda to see which bottle shoots higher.  Warm, by the way, which disproved his hypothesis.  One girl wanted to know what liquids rust a penny, and learned the difference between rusting and corrosion.  So good job to all the 4th and 5th graders at Paul Elementary.  Now go submit your project THIS WEEKEND to the virtual science fair at Parenting.com.  Deadline is March 11, and the grand prize is $5000~Good luck!

Virtual Science Fair Contest...Magic Valley Parents Read this!!

OK...this is great! Since many families are already working on science fair projects at local schools, you can easily submit your child's project to this contest at Parenting.com by March 11, 2012. I know that is a little fast, but sometimes I don't find out about stuff as soon as I want! I am judging a fair on March 9 in Minidoka County, so those families could enter. And several TF schools are already done, so they could enter also. The prize is $5000, so let's get some of our great projects entered!!


Enter Parenting Magazine’s Virtual Science Fair and Win $5,000

Declo Science Fair Kick-Off

I had a fun time with the 4th and 5th grade classes yesterday.  Here are a few of the points we talked about:  the project guides and the display boards are free this year for all the students.  The teachers are passing those materials out to the students.  The teachers are in charge of grading the projects as class assignments.  The projects are due on April 9th and will be displayed at the Community Dinner on April 10th.  Check with your child's teacher about doing projects with a partner. 

Most importantly, have FUN with your project!  Choose a topic that interests you and check the websites that are in the packet or on this blog.  Start soon by choosing a topic this month, and starting your experiment by March.  Projects are not reports and are not models.  Students were reminded they had to test something...compare objects...do an experiment.  We are here to help so good luck and discover something new!

Updated: White House Science Fair Today

This looked like a great event at the White House this week.  Science Fair Projects give students the opportunity to investigate, work together, and find solutions to real problems.  Here are some links with information.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/10/18/robots-solar-cars-and-rockets-white-house-science-fair

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/02/07/how-you-can-join-white-house-science-fair-virtually

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/02/07/white-house-science-fair-recognizing-importance-scientists-engineers-and-inventors

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UPDATED: Cassia Science Fair Links

Science Fair season is here in the Mini-Cassia area.  I will publish a series of posts focused on helping students, parents, and teachers with the projects that are being assigned at a number of elementary schools.

OK...all you need is sciencebuddies.org to get some ideas.  There are places on that site for parents, teachers, and even students to explore.  For older students, you can "Ask an Expert" and get advice from practicing scientists.  Awesome!
http://www.sciencebuddies.org/

Another favorite site is coolscience.org, and when you go there, they have another great resource available.  More links!
http://www.rntobsn.net/resources/great-science-links-for-kids/

Another favorite...ZOOM on PBS kids  http://pbskids.org/zoom/activities/sci/

There are almost too many places to search for ideas, so my advice is to follow the packet that will be passed out to students, and choose a topic that they love.  Then look for ideas.  Remember the goal is to have fun learning something new by doing an experiment.  Science fair projects are NOT reports, but the more you know about your topic, the better your experiment will be.  Good luck!!

Science Fair article, new Science Kids website, and Fellowship opportunity

I love finding new websites, and this one does not disappoint.  Science News for Kids is geared to students and teachers, with current articles like this one about science fair projects.  Teachers, follow the link to learn about a great fellowship opportunity.  The deadline to apply is in February.

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/2011/12/science-fair-as-a-family-affair/

More National Science Fair Winners...

It is amazing what some of these students are able to accomplish with their Science Fair Projects.  Siemens just announced their international winners this week in Washington.

http://desne.ws/ryiqF4

Burley Junior High Science and Invention Fair

Last night BJHS showed their commitment to STEM by hosting a Science and Invention Fair, combined with CO2 racing cars built by students, and a friendly FLL Robitics Competition.  Thanks to Reda and Rick and all the science teachers at BJHS for your dedication to STEM and your students.  It was a great night!

Members from 3 FLL Robotics teams ready to compete

Michael making last minute modifications

The helium-filled remote controlled shark watches over the projects!

                                         Real life angry birds~too funny~

The egg cracking and cooking machine

My kids making Rocket Racers

CO2 Race Cars, designed and built by BJHS students

Members of the Rupert team make a plan

Go RoboSpuds!  Girl Power~

FLL Robotics teams from Declo, Minidoka, and BJHS

The Marshmallow Grinder...just for fun, the student said!