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 Penny's
SAHM Journal
Februrary 20, 2005
Science
Fair
Penny and Caleb (and three
large bugs) participate in a
homeschool Science Fair!
On Friday (2/18/05), we participated
in our first homeschool Science
Fair. It was a not a competition
but simply a science display.
Topics which families covered
included volcanoes, electricity,
birds' beaks, plants, life cycle
of the frog, hurricanes, planets,
large cats, the water cycle,
hover craft, the effects of
violent video games and television
shows, and more. Caleb and I
presented information on the
Madagascar Hissing Cockroach,
native of the Island of Madagascar
along the coast of Africa. We
even had three of these live
and large creatures to display
with our poster board. As gross
as they may sound, they're a
hit with many kids (and some
adults, too)! Because they're
easy to care for, several elementary
school teachers are using them
for science purposes in the
classroom.
In preparation for the Science
fair, we decided to keep our
board fairly simple. So, Caleb
wrote 12 facts about the Madagascar
Hissing Cockroach. We also included
pictures on our board and a
copy of the letter written to
Caleb from a friend introducing
the Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches,
and Caleb's thank-you reply
since he included what we've
been feeding them and how he
enjoys hearing them hiss. We
also included a cut-out of Africa
highlighting where Madagascar
(the fourth largest Island in
the world) is located, and a
few other odds and ends.
As a group, the people attending
the fair rotated from booth
to booth to hear about the individual
topics. If the child was comfortable
enough to speak about his/her
project, he could do so. If
not, the parent would be the
"presenter." Caleb
and I opted to share our talk
time although I talked more
(since I am such a talker).:-)
Caleb read, aloud, the letter
sent to him introducing the
Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches
and I read, aloud, his reply.
He then spoke briefly about
what he likes best about these
insects -- that there are at
least five different modes of
hissing used by Madagascar Hissing
Cockroaches and how it is interesting
to observe them when they eat.
After our "presentation,"
several adults and children
came over to our booth to get
a closer look at the bugs. Some
folks were even brave enough
to touch them and/or pick them
up!
During our drive home, I told
Caleb how wonderful it felt
to be able to work on and present
that project together -- as
a team! The feeling was priceless
and reminded me that I'm a student
right along with my child.:-)
Penny 2/20/05
Momtoaboy@aol.com
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