here is our approach to science fair
do nothing
kids pick project, implement, and pretty much write the whole thing up
fine they have fun and get to "do" science
Tonight, we arrive at science fair
it is clear other parents have
1. helped pick "sexy" topic
2. "helped" with implementation
3. "helped" with write up (most hilarious eavesdrop NO WAY is that first grade handwriting)
kids compete in two grade groupings which means almost all the awards go to kid in higher grade of each bracket.
this year of the kids that won, I'd say at least half have parents who are k-12 teacher
WRONG WRONG WRONG. I'm all for encouraging kids to do science, but this hardly seems the most effective way to do it.
5 comments:
I think some parents find it hard to draw the line between helping and doing!
I anticipate struggling with this, too, when the time comes. I'm pretty adamant that kids' projects should be done by kids... but I'd also want to provide guidance, so I'll be walking a line. I hope I get it right. And having a daughter who tends to be a bit of a perfectionist will onyl make things harder!
My mom is a third grade teacher and agrees. They do the experiments in class in groups and write them up there. She wants the kids to get the experience, not the parents.
I hated science fair as a kid, though I was science-y in inclination. But I DREAD it as a parent. I know that I will want my kiddo to do all the work, and he will want ME to do all the work. It will be a power struggle. There will be tears and time outs. And no one, not one fucking person in this house, will gain an appreciation for, or understanding of, science as a result. Mother of god. I am now dreading this with all my soul. Bah...
My favorite ridiculously over-the-top parental involvement in a science fair project goes to the family whose child chose to do tissue culture experiments investigating the molecular mechanisms of cancer.
At a junior high.
I was a judge. And nearly got into a fight when I suggested that the irradiator used was not something that we should encourage. You know, it being a cobalt source and the kids not being trained in basic radiation safety....
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