Science Fair

Grace insisted on doing a Science Fair project this year. She insisted last year too, but I insisted that she not and my insistence was much stronger. I'm bigger, older and meaner, so my insistence usually wins. But this year she REALLY wanted to do it, so I said ok.

She decided to do something with her catapult and a science fair project was born. She worked so hard. The experiment was fun - nothing better than shooting fishing weights across the downstairs family room. I thought what would come after would be very hard, but she was very committed. We learned about averages and she did all the math to calculate the averages and tally her results. And it was a lot of math.

She made a graph to show her results - on real live graph paper.

We read articles about the difference between mass and weight and how gravity affects weight. We read them several times and she looked back at me with glassy eyes, as if to say huh?? Apparently mass is a totally new concept to a 4th grader. So I showed her a picture of the Earth and the moon. And suddenly the idea just clicked - the Earth is really big and the moon is really small. The Earth has a lot of mass, therefore a lot of gravity, therefore things weigh more. The moon has less mass, therefore less gravity, therefore less weight.

"Mom, is that why on the moon astronauts are weightless?!?"

We have liftoff!!!

She wanted to type her own report. I set up my laptop at the table and sat next to her. We started with the research. "Ok type in this title and then we can write what you learned." So she started typing...

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And I realized, uh oh, Grace types about 1 words every 5 minutes. At this rate she'll be in 9th grade before we get the report typed. So after she typed that first title I suggested we switch places. She dictated and I typed. I resisted every urge I had to write it for her and just typed what she told me to. Weird grammar and all.

I asked her question after question to help her practice for her interview. Chad had her walk through the whole board and explain to him her experiment, results, conclusion. We tried to help her learn to say the work Hypothesis, with very little success. We built the display board, which according to Grace is the best part of the project.

One night I found myself at the kitchen table up to my elbows in graph paper and science books and I started to panic a little. So much work. We'll never get it done. Just as I was about to slam my head on the tabletop in agony she put her hand on my shoulder and said "Boy mom, it has been so much fun working on this project with you."

With everything finally done we were ready for the Science Fair. Then she woke up in the middle of the night feverish and deliriousness and by morning the fever was gone, but she felt like crap. And she cried and cried. She wanted to go, worked so hard and now she wouldn't get to do it. So we bundled her up and Chad carried her into the school. We set up her project and I found the teacher and said "how hard would it be to interview her right now?"

So he did and Chad and I walked away so we didn't put any extra pressure on her. Back in the car, we asked her about the interview. "Fine she said. I just told him about my experiment and my hyperologist (hypothesis). He asked me some questions, but he didn't ask me about mass or averages or anything."

We went home and put her to bed and she slept all day.

At 3 o'clock we headed back over the school to pick up the project and when we walked in a blue ribbon was hanging off her board. She earned a first place ribbon! I'm so proud of her I could burst. She graciously received the congratulations of a few friends. She posed for a picture or two.

She carried that blue ribbon home like it was the most prized possession in the world. Last night I asked her why things are weightless on the moon and you know what she said? "Because the moon doesn't have very much mass."

The Science Fair as officially a success for everyone.