Do you notice that there is no picture of the tired/frazzled parent who has helped create this project? Only the smiling child because it is done?Author disclaimer....I hate science fairs and school projects. I will try not to let that TOTALLY influence the following writing. :) I will TRY......
When it is time for your child (and it will be coming believe me!) to do their science fair project....pick an easy one. Unless your kiddo is totally immersed in a science subject ....google "easy science fair projects". It will make your lives soooo less stressful.
Here's what we did: Magnets!!!
With 200 one inch paper clips on a paper plate we gathered several different magnets (rectangle, horseshoe shape, small bar....two of each) Our hypothesis was "If we double the magnets do we double the amount of paper clips it will pick up?"
Place your one magnet in the middle of the paper plate with paper clips (let them attach) and place it on an empty plate. Count the number of clips....do this five times. You will then have some numbers to average.
Repeat this process with each magnet and then double your magnets and repeat the process.
You can graph your results and we also took pictures of the magnets with the paper clips attached (for the display board).
I am sure there are many other things you could do with magnets, but remember to keep them away from your computers and electronic devices!
Science Fair was one of the things we added to our daughter's IEP...we asked that she be one of the first ones judged and be allowed to leave as soon as the judging was over.
We added this after our 7th grade science fair when our daughter wasn't on the list of displays (with some other kiddos) had no table to set up her display (eventually one was found) and was one of the last ones to be judged....a two hour process.
I know this because I was there as a "helper" to her and brought some snacks and helped keep her calm. I think she would have handled it okay had I not be available, but it helped the situation not to spin out of control.
This is in NO way a bad reflection on our teachers/school. Whenever you work with a huge group of folks, sometimes things don't always go as planned. We used this as an example to our daughter of how you need to be prepared for things to go awry and plan on who and how to ask for help....again a valuable "life lesson".
See, I did TRY and not be completely snarky about science fair/school projects...keep hope alive! :)
As my fabulous mentor taught me, add into your kiddo's IEP for PLENTY of prep time for projects. If other students get one week to do a project, your IEP can state that your child get a "1 week head-start." If your kiddo is like mine, trying to brainstorm is a several-day adventure. You may spend hours or days just trying to get ideas out of your child!!
ReplyDeleteAs April says, just try to be prepared for the unexpected. Stay calm and collected. Your child will "feed" off of your emotions. Most importantly, have fun!! This is our chance to live our childhood again! :)
I love the IEP tip! We do have to start "early" in the project process as well!
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