- my iParenting
- quick clicks
- preteenagers today articles
- preteenagers today q&a
- teenagers today articles
- teenagers today q&a
- message boards
- research baby names
- prepare a birth plan
- content channels
- ip channel rss feeds
- read birth stories
- read parenting stories
- recommended books
- e-newsletters
- safety recalls
- ip diaries
- ip store
- mom of the month
- dad of the month
- editor's letter
- letters to the editor
 |
- e-newsletters
- Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters
- award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Keeping Science Fair Projects Fair
Help Your Child Without Exhausting Yourself
By Julia Rosien
Many schools have chosen not to hold science fairs because parental involvement got out of hand. Although schools insist the work be researched and constructed by the child, parents often take over, making it unfair for the other children involved in the fair.
"I've always tried to keep my girls honest," says Deborah Brown of Lafayette, La. "So when their cardboard, glued construction pales pitifully next to some neon-lighted, robotic nuclear thing, they just chin up to the games."
When parents become too involved, children miss out on the lesson and on the true victory of having developed their skills.
"A parent should in no way perform any of the work," Chudler says. "Construction of a project, data collection and data analysis can and should be supervised by a parent, but the student should be doing the work."
To help alleviate this problem, schools can provide a list of acceptable and unacceptable ways parents can help students. Chudler also suggests setting limits on the amount of money that can be spent on the project.
Instead of holding a science fair where children will be judged, some schools opt for a Learning Convention.
"We sent home a list of possible projects, and parents and kids chose one together. They brought them to school on a special day or evening and demonstrated them together," Hamill recalls from her Learning Convention experience. "No prize for best project eliminated competition and allowed everyone to relax and learn from each other."
Lorna Lowen, mother of two in Edmonton, Aberta, finds science fair projects very frustrating. "The teacher – who has the instructions, has seen this done many times and understands what concepts are supposed to be learned – sends home very brief and often confusing instructions," Lowen says. "The child, who really doesn't know what he or she is supposed to be learning, ends up disappointed and turned off."
