Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Miércoles, 27 de marzo de 2024

5:00 – 6:30 p.m. Mistral MUR

¡Por favor, complete los formularios de inscripción en papel o en línea antes del jueves 7 de marzo de 2024!

Please complete paper or online registration forms by Thursday, March 7, 2024!

Para leer esta información en español, haga clic en la bandera mexicana en la esquina superior izquierda.

The Science Fair is a PTA sponsored enrichment event open to K-5 students. Students work on a science or engineering project of their choice and make a poster about it. On Science Fair Night, students share their projects with the school community. A scientist-parent visits each poster and talks with the students about it. Every student receives a participation ribbon (no judged prizes). It’s a fun, confidence-building event!

Get Excited

Science fair isn’t just for those kids who already love science classes. Participating in the science fair can help all kids be confident about their ability to do and understand science. It will also help those kids grow into adults who can make good decisions about their health, the environment, energy use and other issues having to do with science.

Register

You can register by returning the paper form to your teacher or by completing the online registration form. Links to the registration form are at the top of this page. We ask you to register for the Science Fair so that:

1. We can help to organize teams. Our goal is for all students who want to participate to have the opportunity to join a team.
2. We know how many projects to expect. This allows us to (a) provide the right number of poster boards and (b) plan the space and volunteers for displaying projects on Science Fair Night.

Information forms will be sent home via backpack and through Konstella approximately one week before they are due. Please indicate on your registration form if your child needs to find a team to work with. We also need parents to volunteer to lead teams after school. (See the Science Fair FAQ  below for what lead parents do.) If you plan to participate in the Science Fair (even if someone else listed you on their team), please fill out a registration form. 

If you miss the registration deadline, you can still do a project for the Science Fair – either individually or with a team that you organize yourself. Even if you are late, please submit a registration form.

Meet With Your Team

If you are working on a team, you will need to find a time and place where all of you can meet. If you asked for help in forming a team when you registered, we will suggest a day of the week when all team members are available. Meeting outside at the picnic tables after school is often convenient for many teams. Please note that teachers will not be responsible for supervision after school. A parent must be present to supervise the team’s work.

Ask a Question

Next, it’s time to think up a question about the world around us. There is no limit to what kind of question your team may ask. The important thing is that the kids are interested in it. At the bottom of this page is a list of possible project ideas from past Science Fairs. Projects don’t have to be complicated; in past years, some students have repeated an experiment from class, but using different materials.

Then, to explore their topic or question, the team should do a hands-on investigation. Here are some types of investigations that they might do:

• make a collection (Ex: what kinds of wildflowers grow in Mountain View?)
• survey the distribution of an item or characteristic (Ex: who has the fastest heartbeat in your family?)
• observe/document a natural process (Ex: caterpillar to butterfly metamorphosis)
• demonstrate a science principle (Ex: how are rainbows formed?)
• do an experiment (Ex: what types of liquids cause a penny to turn blue?)
• take something apart to learn about it (Ex: dissect a squid from the supermarket)
• build a model (Ex: build a dinosaur skeleton kit)
• design/engineer something (Ex: what paper airplane design flies farthest?)

Here are some useful links to more science project ideas and other information:

• http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_ideas.shtml
• http://www.education.com/science-fair/
• http://school.discoveryeducation.com/sciencefaircentral/
• http://www.exploratorium.edu/snacks
• http://www.stevespanglerscience.com
• http://www.berkeyfilters.com/articles/science-experiments-with-water-/
• https://www.titleproloans.com/articles/car-science-experiments/ (credit to Lizzie for the suggestion)
• https://educationonline.ku.edu/articles/online-learning-resources-for-science-classes.html (credit to Brooke for the suggestion)

Explore, Experiment, Design!

Now for the fun part: doing your project! Your team gets to be scientists and/or engineers. As you explore, experiment, and/or design to address your topic or question, try to use one or more of the science and engineering practices listed below:

• Observing (such as making drawings, taking photos, and writing notes)
• Comparing different items or conditions (including “controls” where you don’t change anything)
• Coming up with a “test” that you will use to get your results (an experimental procedure)
• Counting or measuring (collecting numbers that show your results–such as counting “how many?”, measuring length/distance, temperature, time, weight or volume–and making a table or graph)
• Collecting enough results to make a conclusion that is accurate and meaningful
• Making predictions (and testing them)

Your science fair project is an opportunity to be a creative thinker and put your math skills into action. You will also practice your language arts, communication, and visual arts skills as you do your project and make your poster.

Make a Poster

After (or better yet, while) doing the project, teams put together a poster or “project board” showing the question they asked, what they did, and the results. FREE tri-fold project boards are available thanks to the PTA and a grant from Synopsys. Boards can be picked up from the office any time starting approximately 3 weeks before the Science Fair. *Please write all team members’ names and grade levels on the back of your poster.*

This science fair blog has great resources for making your poster: http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/blog/science-fair-secrets/science-fair-911-display-boards/

Come to the Fair

On the afternoon of the Science Fair, kids should bring their completed posters to the MUR. 

The entire Mistral community is invited to attend the Science Fair. Starting at 5:00, the event will feature:

• Community viewing of science fair projects
• An engineering activity for all students

Starting at 5:00, scientist volunteers will be talking to all participants about their projects, both in Spanish and in English, and handing out ribbons to those kids who are present. Kids should stand by their posters by grade level according to the schedule below. Check posted signs for the location of your child’s project (MUR or nearby classroom):

• 5:00 – 5:30 K & 1st
• 5:30 – 6:00 2nd & 3rd
• 6:00 – 6:30 4th & 5th

We hope you will come to the Science Fair, whether or not you did a project. Come see what your classmates did and get excited for next year!

If you have questions or want to volunteer, email Sarah Heilshorn.

Science Fair FAQ

Q. Why do you encourage working on teams?
A. Our goal is for every student who wants to participate in the Science Fair to have the opportunity. We encourage working together on teams of 2-4 students, with one parent leading each project. This allows more kids to participate because not every parent needs to lead a project. Plus, you make friends and have fun! Individual projects are also welcome.

Q. How do parents help with Science Fair projects?
A. For each team, the lead parent usually assists as follows:

– scheduling team meetings (usually 2 or 3 weekly meetings of about one hour)
– helping the kids to decide on a topic or question
– helping to gather materials
– providing support as the kids do their project
– helping the kids to make their poster (FREE tri-fold boards available in the office!)

Q. How do we find or form a team?
A. If your child needs to find a team, or if you can accept more members for your child’s team, please indicate this on your registration form. The Science Fair organizers will assign teams within a two-grade range, giving preference within the grade and classroom if possible. (If you have already formed a team, great! Let us know on your registration form.)

Q. Where and when can our team work on our project?
A. Teams will be able to meet outside after school at the picnic tables. When your team is assigned, you will be notified of a day of the week when everyone is available. Lead parents are expected to be present to supervise the team’s work. Of course you may also work together at other times, at someone’s house, at the park, etc.

Q. What kind of experiment should we do?
A. There’s no limit on what makes for a good science fair project. To get started, you could ask the kids about what they’ve learned in science class. Maybe those lessons will spark ideas for a project.

Q. What is the project board you mentioned?
A. The project boards are white three panel poster boards with sides that fold in so that the projects stand up on their own. They are about 3 feet high and 4 feet wide. Boards are available to pick up for FREE in the office starting approximately 3 weeks before the Science Fair.

Q. What do we put on the project board?
A. The project boards should include: 0) the kids’ names and grade levels; 1) a description of the question the kids asked; 2) a description, drawing or photos of how the kids carried out the experiment; 3) a description, drawing or photos of the results; 4) a description of what the kids learned; and 5) anything else the kids want to add that is relevant to the experiment. The boards should be assembled by the kids.

Q. How are the presentations judged?
A. Mistral parents and community volunteers who work as scientists will be coming around to talk to all teams about their projects, both in Spanish and in English. Be sure kids are at their boards at the right time so they can talk to a judge and get a ribbon.

These projects from previous years might help kids get ideas for their own science fair projects.

Does food color change the taste of juice?
Does the kind of paper affect how a paper airplane flies?
What blades lift the most weight in a water turbine?
What bread molds fastest?
How much do my classmates know about sugar?
Which objects fall fastest?
Do bunnies like fruits or vegetables better?
Do different liquids mix?
What happens when I mix colors of paint?
What lego structures are strongest?
Which recipe of chocolate chip cookies tastes best?
Do you need to smell to taste?
What floats in different liquids?
What tin foil boat structure holds the most weight?