Science Fair News
Redmond Elementary PTSA encourages all students to participate in the annual Science Fair.
The Science Fair offers students the opportunity to create science projects for
fun and recognition.
The 2008 Science Fair was held on Thursday, February 28, 2008. We had a great time seeing the science creations that our students brought to the fair. We had an amazing science fair with quite the array of projects. With 46 participants on 35 projects and also Mrs. Gross’ entire third grade class, students came out in force to show off science with their own interest and flair! Students got to make and play with slime, were entertained by the amazing Lego robots, used pulleys to lift large weights, played with Hex Bugs in the maze, and learned science from high school volunteers who paid us a visit.
Thank You!
A heart-felt 'thank you' goes out to the countless helpers and their tireless behind the scenes work on so many details of the science fair, but especially to Steve, VP Curriculum Enrichment, who was the mastermind behind it all. And a special thanks to Kirby Z. and her student volunteers from Redmond High School, Redmond Junior High, and Redmond Elementary. Also thanks to the Pacific Science Center for donating passes as science fair prizes. And, last but not least, thanks to our parents for supporting our students as they put together these amazing projects.
Congratulations
Congratulations to our award winning projects:
 |
K-2 | “Ferocious Flyers” by Conor F. | ||
| “Rocket Parachutes” by Robert H. | ||||
| “Do Liquids Mix with Water?” by Madison O. and Duncan G. | ||||
| 3-6 | “Underwater Volcano” by Mahre C. | |||
| “Sinking in Quicksand” by Julia R. | ||||
| “Electricity” by Marty L. and Oscar G. | ||||
| “Electricity” by Daniel N., David N., and Sue C. |
Congratulations also to budding engineers, first grader James O., and fifth grader Ben H. for building 43-inch and 81-inch towers from drinking straws and masking tape.
Washington State Science Fair News
Did you know that four students from Redmond Elementary attended the Washington State Science and Engineering Fair (WSSEF) on April 4 and 5, 2008 in Bremerton? And it gets even better: Robert H. earned a 1st place trophy with his project 'Rocket Parachutes' for 2nd grade! James O. earned a 3rd place ribbon for 1st grade, and Madison O. and Duncan G. entered and presented their team project 'Do Liquids Mix with Water' in the Grade 1-3 team division and earned a ribbon for participation. Great job everybody!
Feedback
We want the next Science Fair to be better than this one. We would love to hear what you liked or didn’t like about the fair. Please send your comments to enrichment@redmondelptsa.org.
Science Fair Resources
On this page you will find helpful information and resources which will help ensure a positive Science Fair experience for all participants.
Count Down to the Science Fair
| 10 | Select your topic. | |
| 9 | Do your homework. | |
| 8 | Plan. | |
| 7 | Prepare. | |
| 6 | Do the experiment. | |
| 5 | Figure out what happened. | |
| 4 | Write your report. | |
| 3 | Make your display. | |
| 2 | Rehearse your presentation. | |
| 1 | Science Fair |
Select Your Topic
Hey, it's a simple fact of human nature. People like to do things that interest them, and they hate to spend time slogging away on things they hate. Don’t get stuck doing a project that your teacher or parent thinks "should" interest you. There's no quicker way to make someone hate science! Get help from them with ideas, but you need to make the decision of what you want to do. Fortunately, since science encompasses absolutely everything in the Universe, it shouldn't be hard to find a topic you like! The Science Fair is about you exploring the world around you and having fun with science
Start by asking yourself what you enjoy doing.
Resources for Project Help
Select Your Topic
There are a number of fabulous internet resources out there to help you find a topic for your project.
- My favorite site is one that includes a “Topic Selection Wizard.” Please visit: http://www.sciencebuddies.org/mentoring/project_ideas.shtml. Once you have selected a topic, this site actually shows you how to set up an experiment within that topic. Use their ideas or adjust them to match best with your own interests!
- Browse this site to find completed projects and displays by other students: http://www.juliantrubin.com/sciencefairprojectsaz.html
- This site offers lots of good topics with more information available for sale: http://www.all-science-fair-projects.com
- This site has lots of good science project questions you can find answers for. http://school.discoveryeducation.com/sciencefaircentral/scifairstudio/ideas.html
- If you are really stuck finding a project idea, email Steve at enrichment@redmondelptsa.org.
Do Your Homework
Once you have your project selected, the best thing to do is to look for books about your subject. You may find that someone thinks they have the answer to the question you want to prove in your experiment. There is no harm in doing an experiment that proves that the answer you found in a book is right or wrong. This is a great way to spend some of those rainy weekend days, particularly during winter break. If you are really stuck looking for books or internet resources, email Steve at enrichment@redmondelptsa.org.