State Your Rationale: Why Should Your School Have A Science Fair?
The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) position statement advocates for educational reform involving the inclusion of science into the everyday curriculum for young students. They stress "the importance of early experiences in science so that students develop problem-solving skills that empower them to participate in an increasingly scientific and technological world." Children are naturally inquisitive, so why not let them explore and create in a meaningful way? Inquiry and involvement in project based learning can lead to important outcomes inside and outside of the classroom. They'll actively participate in their own education by observing, collecting data, analyzing results, and communicating information. These skills can and will be called upon in the future, both at school and at work.
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What Do KIDS Want To Know About Science?If you are planning a science fair, make sure projects are chosen by the kids themselves. They'll learn more and have much more fun if they are able to direct their own learning!
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Set Important Goals: What Do You Want Kids To Be Able To Do?
Whatever goals you decide on for your science fair is up to you, the school administration, and the group of kids that year. No matter what, though, all students should do each step of the scientific method. Scholastic has provided some great posters explaining the scientific method in kid- friendly language. Click the thumbnails below in order to view all the different steps. Whether you're on the planning committee for the science fair, or a teacher guiding the project process, you should make sure to set mastery of the scientific method as a goal for every student!
Outline Logistics: Attempt To Think Of Everything!
1. Create a ProposalInclude rationale, goals, costs, and a plan.
Edit, revise, re-write: Details! 4. Plan When and WhereSet the date, time, and location.
You'll need at least 2 months to get ready! 7. Find VolunteersThe PTO is a great resource for this.
Ask parents, teachers, and staff! |
2. Get the Okay!Administration must sign off on your plan.
Involve them in your fair as well! 5. Market in the CommunityBe creative and thoughtful in your choices.
Partner with your public library, too. 8. Seek Out JudgesFind local science experts; Way cool!
Request help at least a month before. |
3. Promote in the SchoolStrive to get every single kid involved!
(Posters, letters, announcements, etc.) 6. Make a SchedulePlan out each hour of the fair.
Be specific so all volunteers are aware! 9. Gather AwardsCertificates and ribbons work best.
Judge each grade level separately. |
Stimulate Interest: You Can't Have a Science Fair Without The Kids!
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If You're Planning the Fair...
Reach out to everybody in the school and within the larger community. Invite scientists to come and demonstrate fun experiments at assemblies. Ask the local high school science club to come present to the students during lunch. Ask teachers and parents to encourage their young students to participate. Get local businesses involved: Ask if they'll donate prizes if you'll advertise their business in the science fair program. Maybe some fabulous prizes will get children involved who wouldn't have participated otherwise? And, then maybe they'll catch the science bug? Ask students who are already committed to help you create cool posters to hang around the school and advertise during morning announcements.
Involve Staff: They're Your Best Resources!
Teachers & PrincipalsYou'll need teachers to help promote the science fair to the kids, assist children with projects, and to contact families to invite them to the fair. Children look up to their teachers, so if they encourage students to do science, science will be done! The principal can yea or nay the science fair from the beginning. Make sure you approach him or her with a fabulous proposal. While the science fair shouldn't be very costly, you may end up needing some funds if donations are lacking. You must have the principal on your side for this to happen. The principal may also want to be a special guest judge: The kids will be even more excited to share their science fair projects!
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CustodiansJanitors will be some of the most important people to involve! They can help you find tables for projects and assist in set-up and take-down. They may be able to provide extension cords, tape, and any other last-minute fixes for children's projects. Always ask custodians about an idea if you're unsure: They'll know about safety policies that other staff may not be as aware of. If they do help before and after the fair, make sure to show them how appreciative you are with a hand-written note or a gift.
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Librarians/Media SpecialistsLibrarians and media specialists are incredible resources when planning a science fair. They can help you research what other schools have done well in the past so that your planning process is nearly seamless. Additionally, students can reference librarians for books on their chosen science fair project topics. Media specialists can also provide internet and multi-media support to children during the research process. They may be willing to assist in setting up special media during the science fair itself. Since librarians and media specialists have a wealth of background knowledge in multiple subjects, they may serve as wonderful judges as well.
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Recruit Volunteers and Judges: You Can't Do It Alone!
VolunteersVolunteer tasks can be doubled-up so that you will need about 4-8 volunteers, depending upon the size of the fair. Great volunteers may be the PTO and other parents, teachers, and school staff. Make sure to call upon people that have been extremely reliable in past projects. Volunteers should be able to attend any and all planning meetings that you organize. However, if availability is limited, people may limit volunteer time to before or after the fair, as listed below. If you have a particularly large number of science fair projects, volunteer coverage for the fair itself may be divided into shifts. Communication is key!
Leading up to the fair... *Recruiting donations *Creating programs *Baking refreshments *Setting up the room During and after the fair... *Registering students *Checking safety *Distributing programs *Directing visitors *Selling refreshments *Breaking down the room |
JudgesJudges could be a number of different people from within and outside of the school community. Try and find judges from different backgrounds and always include at least one science expert!
Good judging volunteers might be the school principal or librarian, a science professor and his or her graduate assistants, a culinary instructor or other professionals in a science field. Always have back-up judges! You'll most likely need at least 4 judges for the fair. They may circulate the room in teams of 2, but again, the process is up to you. Every judge should visit every project and it is important that they all follow the same, pre-planned judging rubric. Judges should be asked to attend one orientation session with the planning committee so that they understand your particular judging process. If it's difficult to get all judges in one place for your orientation meeting, Skype is a great resource for virtual communication. Judging can be time consuming, so it will be important to limit the amount of time at each project, and to plan collective judgement time according to how many projects are at the fair. On average, about 2 hours of judging will be enough time. About a half hour of tabulation time should be set aside, as well as 10-15 minutes for presentation of awards. Hopefully, judges will be involved in tabulation and celebration. |
Create Paperwork: Utilize Other Successful Schools And Free Resources!
Paperwork You Might Need:*Parent letters
*Registration forms *Project proposal forms *Rules and project guidelines *Scientific method explainations *Request for donations letters *Sign-in sheets *A fair map and program *Judging rubrics Utilize examples from other successful schools to create personalized paperwork for your school. Also, research pre-made templates online and within your word processing software. You can easily alter these to fit your needs! Be smart! With all of the free education resources out there, forms don't need to be made totally from scratch! |
Don't forget the awards...Depending upon your budget (or lack thereof), you may want to purchase awards or create your own.
Visit these links for free award templates: 123 Certificates Certificate Street Or these links if you've got a bigger budget: Jones School Supply Company Inc. Crown Awards These are just a couple of the resources that are out there for awards and certificates. Do research on your own as well: There are hundreds more online. Your school may have a resource that they order from, so check with office staff before you make any decisions! |
While conducting my research for this project, I found the ultimate science fair website: Science Buddies!
This award winning organization and website is an amazing resource for students, parents, and teachers. The site boasts:
-1000+ project ideas from 30 different science fields
-A topic selection wizard which helps find projects that fit interests
-A project and research guide for students
-Forums with real-life scientists answering your questions
-Career information for future scientists
-Special summer programs run by science graduates
-and most importantly, Amazing Teacher Resources!!!
This site should be forwarded to ALL students, parents, and teachers. Encourage teachers to use it for their own classrooms as well! Using the resources on sciencebuddies.org will help guarantee that all students will participate in the science fair and be engaged in their learning!
This award winning organization and website is an amazing resource for students, parents, and teachers. The site boasts:
-1000+ project ideas from 30 different science fields
-A topic selection wizard which helps find projects that fit interests
-A project and research guide for students
-Forums with real-life scientists answering your questions
-Career information for future scientists
-Special summer programs run by science graduates
-and most importantly, Amazing Teacher Resources!!!
This site should be forwarded to ALL students, parents, and teachers. Encourage teachers to use it for their own classrooms as well! Using the resources on sciencebuddies.org will help guarantee that all students will participate in the science fair and be engaged in their learning!