English Landing Science Fair: A MINION Reasons to Love Science
Register to participate.
All young scientists must register in advance. Registration will take place at school with the assistance of classroom teachers, however if you want to enter an ADDITIONAL project that you completed at home, you will need to register that project on your own through this online form. We strongly encourage early registration in order to reserve your space. Final registration deadline is March 3.
Projects should be student driven.
Project ideas should come from the students, and the project should be driven by them. Parents should use their best judgment in deciding when to get involved, such as when there is a potential safety issue. For especially young kids completing optional projects at home, parents may need to provide some guidance, but it is important that the kids be able to call the project their own.
Working with someone else.
You may work on your project independently, or you may, with teacher permission, work with a partner who is also a student at English Landing Elementary, for example, a classmate, a friend, or a sibling. You can also do a project involving your whole class!
Need help choosing a topic?
When it comes to choosing a topic, the possibilities are limitless! What have you wondered about? The best topics come from your own genuine curiosity about how something works, or why something is the way that it is. But if you have trouble thinking of something on your own, the internet, your classroom teacher, and the EL Media Center are full of resources to help you choose a topic. Remember, shoot for the stars!
Judging and awards.
Our science fair is non-competitive at the K, 1st, and 2nd grade levels, as our goal in these early years is simply to encourage scientific exploration, to learn the basic steps in the scientific method, and to promote a passion for science. Our 3rd and 4th grade levels proudly display their projects, and their impressive mastery of the scientific method, to a panel of judges. NEW this year, our 5th grade level will create a project about inventors or an invention to submit for judges and will be judged in their own category. 5th graders are encouraged to submit an ADDITIONAL and OPTIONAL science project that follows the scientific method to be judged with the 3rd and 4th grade projects.
Each participant, K-5th, will receive a ribbon. Our judges will identify approximately ten extraordinary third, fourth, and fifth grade projects to display in the front of the school. The scientists of these projects will receive a PRIZE!
Submit your photos!
During the course of the science fair, we will be displaying a slide show of photos taken by you! So parents and teachers -- while your young scientists are busy conducting experiments, sneak out your digital camera and capture some shots. Then upload them here by April 1, so we can include them in the slide show. Note: All submissions may not be included in the show.
Volunteers needed!
A big event like the science fair wouldn't be possible without the help of numerous volunteers. We have all kinds of different jobs to be done, so if you think you can spare an hour or two on the day of the fair, we would love your help. Please contact Shawna Mazeitis and Jeanne Goodin at avocadonose@hotmail.com and sign up now!
Important Dates
There are many dates leading up to and including the big day! Check out our important dates page to get specifics!
Helpful Hints
We will have volunteer judges looking at your projects. They may be someone's grandma or a college student or a local business leader or a high school student or an engineer! The judges come with their own ideas and backgrounds and although they will all have the same scorecard with which to judge, they will not judge the same! Just keep that in mind and take pride in a job well done! Here's a list of helpful hints that might make your project stand out to a judge.
Resources
A reference table will be available in the English Landing Media Center. Can't wait for Mrs. Schneider to set it up? Check out these sites to get an early start!
Want your own free science fair website just like this one?