Excessive parental involvement and store bought kits are not downgrades at our school science fair. This year, there were no student oral presentations and the projects were judged by select parents. Surveys and consumer reports have fared quite well in past years, but were banned by the science teachers this year. Well decorated boards are always a hit. As best I can tell, a pretty and straight forward demonstration of the scientific method is the objective.
DS built a water turbine and a generator from scratch. He measured the level of electricity produced at three points of the different shaped channels he created by fastening siding to a gigantic sheet of wood in various configurations. He did earn a first, so he gets to compete in the next level science fair, which again, has no student presentation.
Last year, DD bred Brine shrimp in different concentrations of salt water over the course of four weeks, while taking very detailed notes each day. This year, she adjusted her effort to meet the task. She tested whether students do better or worse on a complicated maze after consuming caffeine. She earned a respectable second, out of the proportionate first-fourth place awards and the additional dreaded category of �honorable mention�.
