Our daughter came home with a packet of instructions for the annual science fair at her school. She's in first grade, so it is still optional. The part of the instructions which really sank in was that it was to be HER work - not a parent's. HER work. She took this to heart.
We had just repainted our kitchen and the fan was in there blowing it dry. She and her brother were playing with a balloon and decided to see how long the balloon floated. Then, they tested a piece of paper. VIOLA! A science fair project was born. She carefully documented her experiment, hypothesis, methods and results.
She completely did this on her own, except for the mention of her research assistant, Austin (4). When she was transferring her notes to the obligatory cardboard display from Fred Meyer, I asked her about the materials she used. Specifically why she did not mention a clock with a second hand since she had to time it. Before answering, she looked at me as if I was from the moon. She sighed with an exasperated reply,
"Clock? We didn't use a clock.
Why would we use a clock when I know how to count Mississippi's AND spell "Mississippi"?
I really like spelling Mississippi.
I learned it from the 5th graders.
Who can argue with THAT? Her teacher found her methods fantastic and loved that she truly did this project without any help and very little guidance. She took the initiative and made her deadlines - her way. She's so much my daughter and I'm very proud of her.
Comments