It’s that time of year at Grace Lutheran…Science Fair season. I may have just struck fear, or maybe excitement, into your heart. The Science Fair is a wonderful opportunity for students to develop and practice scientific skills. Today’s blog will share some of the details with you about the Science Fair which will be held on March 30.

As we did last year, grades K through 4th will do a project in their classroom. K-2nd will be a whole class experiment while 3rd and 4th will use small groups. Any elementary (K-4th) student may also do an individual project. We have already had a handful of students express an interest in this option. Information/participation forms will be going home the end of this week. Project packets will then be provided to those who are interested in participating - to guide students and parents through the process.

Since one of our goals for the Science Fair is to encourage a love of science, elementary students will have the option of choosing an Experiment Project or a Demonstration/Research Project. Experiment Projects test a comparison – will A work better than B? Demonstration/Research Projects provide information about topics students cannot experiment on – things like volcanos, rainforests, dinosaurs, and the solar

system. Experimentation and research are both components of real world science.

5th-8th graders are required to do an experimentation project. They have already received the information about their project with an explanation of the components and their due dates. The Science Fair is an elephant of a project that is best completed bite by bite. Each section will be taught to the students during the month of January, leaving February for project experimentation and the writing of their research paper. March is designated for finalizing the project.

The classroom teachers and I are available to help guide your children through this process. I hope that we have a large showing of elementary projects at our Science Fair on March 30. Please contact me if you have any questions.

God’s Blessings,

Delaine Schiestel