Help with Science Fair!!

[KarlaB]

I don't know why this seems so overwhelming to me. :rolleyes: Oldest ds has to have his stuff ready for Thursday. We have done the 'experiment' part of it, but I have no clue where to begin with putting it all together on the board. Well, I know the info he needs to include, but how "fancy" does this stuff need to be? kwim? Do people go all out? They say parents can help type, etc, but I really want this to be his project. I also realize there will be those that are over the top, but just don't know where the happy medium is. kwim? I want his to be well done, but age appropriate yet not too 'boring'. Am I making sense?? :crazyroll

Another question: He tested batteries to see which brand lasted the longest. Should he glue those batteries to the board? What about the flashlight? Is he supposed to have stuff to display other than the board of info?? ?(

So, who has experience with this stuff and is gonna help me out? LOL!

[angie r]

Could you do graphs to show the different data? Then a typed page about why he chose this experiment (to help mom and dad save money by using the longest lasting battery) Can you set the flashlight or batteries on the table in front of the poster board? Could you take pictures of him mid-experiment and place them on the board. Cut out the battery name off of the packaging? I'd go all the way with it, but I love this kind of thing.

Sorry, just kind of throwing thing out there... Good luck! It sounds like so much fun!

[Diane]

Great idea's Angie... :) When my kids did projects they always wanted them to make a big impression (to be a big "WOW") when people approached the project. I think I'd display as many things as I could to make it look more interesting. It sounds like it is an interesting science project. :) By the way... which battery lasts the longest? :)

Let us know how it turns out... :) Good luck...

_______________________________________
http://www1.caringbridge.org/mn/sarahcollins/

[Melody]

I think Angie has some great ideas. I was going to suggest gluing some of the advertisments from magazines or papers along a side or bottom.

[KarlaB]

Thanks gals!! I just didn't know how far to go with it. Love the ideas Angie! I need to see if I still have the packages the batteries came in. btw - Are you up for a trip to MN this week. ;)

Diane - Rayovac lasted the longest (11 hours 47 minutes), but he is re-testing Energizer today because that only lasted 7 hours and the other 2 were both over 10 hours. I have a feeling dh took an Energizer battery out of the drawer and it had been used before. :rolleyes: He doesn't believe me and I don't believe him so I am insisting on a re-test. LOL! I just can't believe they would be that far off from each other, but we'll see. :tinysmile

[angie r]

Thanks gals!! I just didn't know how far to go with it. Love the ideas Angie! I need to see if I still have the packages the batteries came in. btw - Are you up for a trip to MN this week. ;)

Diane - Rayovac lasted the longest (11 hours 47 minutes), but he is re-testing Energizer today because that only lasted 7 hours and the other 2 were both over 10 hours. I have a feeling dh took an Energizer battery out of the drawer and it had been used before. :rolleyes: He doesn't believe me and I don't believe him so I am insisting on a re-test. LOL! I just can't believe they would be that far off from each other, but we'll see. :tinysmile

Can we go to the mall and Ikea? (I've heard that the cheaper batteries lasted longer.)

[KarlaB]

Sure, it's only another hour and a half north of me. :D

I had heard that about batteries, too, and in this case it's true!! :)

[Diane]

Thanks gals!! I just didn't know how far to go with it. Love the ideas Angie! I need to see if I still have the packages the batteries came in. btw - Are you up for a trip to MN this week. ;)

Diane - Rayovac lasted the longest (11 hours 47 minutes), but he is re-testing Energizer today because that only lasted 7 hours and the other 2 were both over 10 hours. I have a feeling dh took an Energizer battery out of the drawer and it had been used before. :rolleyes: He doesn't believe me and I don't believe him so I am insisting on a re-test. LOL! I just can't believe they would be that far off from each other, but we'll see. :tinysmile

Let me know... I'm curious. :)

http://www1.caringbridge.org/mn/sarahcollins/

[KarlaB]

Let me know... I'm curious. :)

http://www1.caringbridge.org/mn/sarahcollins/

Okay - I should know tonight. :) I'm anxious to know, too.

[littlesista06]

Oooooh I have an idea.

Get a display board and hot glue cheap plastic (lightweight) flashlights
down the left hand side of the board (lay them horizontally).

Have ds use these as his graph. He can draw the beam of light extending the number of hours each battery (within the flashlight) lasted!

For instance:

FLASHLIGHT ---------- 11hrs. 47 mins
Rayovak (and hot glue the battery below the flashlight)
FLASHLIGHT --------------- hours minutes
Battery
FLASHLIGHT ------- hours minutes
Battery

And so on. Get where I'm going with this?? LOL Good luck!

[littlesista06]

OH EVEN BETTER! LOL

Mount the flashlights like I just mentioned BUT turn them on and insert a piece of dark poster board into the display board that will stop the beam of light from shining on across the board (get it?). Then where the actual beam of light stops, mark the hours the battery lasted.

[angie r]

Sista, you are BRILLIANT!!!!

[Melody]

Gotta agree with you Angie! :) I love that idea Sista. :thumb:

[KarlaB]

OMG! You are the BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :groupofgr

I love having smart creative pretend friends. :D

Thanks so much everyone!!! :yippee:

[Diane]

OH EVEN BETTER! LOL

Mount the flashlights like I just mentioned BUT turn them on and insert a piece of dark poster board into the display board that will stop the beam of light from shining on across the board (get it?). Then where the actual beam of light stops, mark the hours the battery lasted.

OMG... What a GREAT idea!!! I think that would look SO cool. It would definitely make me look at this and say... "W8oW"... cool project!!
I never would have thought of this... :)

_________________________________________
http://www1.caringbridge.org/mn/sarahcollins/

[littlesista06]

Glad you like the idea!! Let us know what he finally ends up doing and how it went and what grade WE got. LOL!!

BTW, how the heck to you figure out how long a battery lasts? If it's in a flashlight or something, don't you have to time it and be there when the thing burns out?

I was thinking about this on my way home from Hallmark tonight and I wouldn't have a clue how to measure something like that. :) Glad HE did!

[AnnW]

Just be sure that all the required data gets on the board. I know with our kids' projects, if the data wasn't there..including a very well written description of how the experiment worked, it didn't matter how great the poster looked.

[KarlaB]

Jenn - We used one flashlight and tested each battery in it. The first day ds sort of kept it by him and as it got dimmer he watched it more closely until it ran out. Once we got an idea of how long a battery would last in it we just started paying closer attention around that point. make sense? (Probably almost like taking care of a NintenDog for a day??? :newwink::lol: Sorry! Couldn't resist! :goofy: ) Anyway, some guy at WalMart was asking me about the supplies I was buying and why. When I told him Science Fair he asked for details and when I told him he told me to make it accurate we should have used the same flashlight to test the batteries and not 3 separate flashlights running at the same time even if they were the same. I was SO glad to be able to tell him we did use just one flashlight. :D LOL! He was so nice and informative I should have asked if he wanted to come over and help put the rest of the project together. ;)

[KarlaB]

Just be sure that all the required data gets on the board. I know with our kids' projects, if the data wasn't there..including a very well written description of how the experiment worked, it didn't matter how great the poster looked.

Thanks!! I just found out there is a handbook. :rolleyes: I emailed ds's teacher this morning to get it so we do this darn thing right. We have one example page of what to include, but I want to make sure he is thorough enough in his explanations. Of course Science Fair is TOMORROW so you know what we'll be finishing up tonight. :rolleyes:

[KarlaB]

Great idea's Angie... :) When my kids did projects they always wanted them to make a big impression (to be a big "WOW") when people approached the project. I think I'd display as many things as I could to make it look more interesting. It sounds like it is an interesting science project. :) By the way... which battery lasts the longest? :)

Let us know how it turns out... :) Good luck...

_______________________________________
http://www1.caringbridge.org/mn/sarahcollins/

I'm back with an update! :)

First and foremost - dh was WRONG about the Energizer battery he pulled out to test! Did ya'll get that - he was WRONG and I was right!!! :D :lol: He swore it was brand new and even after the original test he stood by that and I said no way would one battery be 3-4 hours short of the others and I was right!!! I love gloating to him, especially when he is determined that HE is right LOL....betcha can't tell. ;)

Energizer ended up being the 'winner' with a running time of 11 hours and 12 minutes. Rayovac was 10 hr 47 minutes and Duracell was 10 hours and 35 minutes.

[littlesista06]

Jenn .... Once we got an idea of how long a battery would last in it we just started paying closer attention around that point. make sense? (Probably almost like taking care of a NintenDog for a day??? :newwink::lol: Sorry! Couldn't resist! :goofy: )

:lol: Very funny.

See how I'm treated after sharing my - what was that word, oh yeah BRILLIANT ideas with you??? Hrumph!

:newwink:

[Diane]

I'm back with an update! :)

First and foremost - dh was WRONG about the Energizer battery he pulled out to test! Did ya'll get that - he was WRONG and I was right!!! :D :lol: He swore it was brand new and even after the original test he stood by that and I said no way would one battery be 3-4 hours short of the others and I was right!!! I love gloating to him, especially when he is determined that HE is right LOL....betcha can't tell. ;)

Energizer ended up being the 'winner' with a running time of 11 hours and 12 minutes. Rayovac was 10 hr 47 minutes and Duracell was 10 hours and 35 minutes.

:) I'll know what batteries to buy from now on. (we have so many battery operated toys around here... :rolleyes: ) They never seem to last long enough. LOL Thanks for the update.... (Oh yeah... I'm glad you were right... LOL)

_______________________________________
http://www1.caringbridge.org/mn/sarahcollins/

[Diane]

:lol: Very funny.

See how I'm treated after sharing my - what was that word, oh yeah BRILLIANT ideas with you??? Hrumph!

:newwink:

I think you're going to be hearing about this for quite a while. :biglaugh:

_______________________________________
http://www1.caringbridge.org/mn/sarahcollins/

[Diane]

I'm curious as to how his science project turned out? Hope everything went well with it. :)

Diane...

[KarlaB]

It turned out really good!!! He is advancing to the next level - think it's regionals? :) He was soooooo nervous about presenting to the judges today and was crying last night (this is my high anxiety child), but I told him he knew the info and to just tell them what he did and how it all turned out. :)

So, thanks again to my BRILLIANT pretend friend(s) for the ideas!! :D

[Diane]

It turned out really good!!! He is advancing to the next level - think it's regionals? :) He was soooooo nervous about presenting to the judges today and was crying last night (this is my high anxiety child), but I told him he knew the info and to just tell them what he did and how it all turned out. :)

So, thanks again to my BRILLIANT pretend friend(s) for the ideas!! :D

:) How exciting... I'm so glad to hear that it turned out so well!!! Good for him... :)

[Melody]

That's great! Good luck in the next round. :)

[KarlaB]

Thanks!!!!!!!!

[littlesista06]

Yay Karla's ds!!!!!!! :yippee: Way to go! and good luck in the next round!

[kat]

Did you use the flashlights to create your graph? I thought that was just the cutest idea.

Congrats to ds.

[KarlaB]

He wanted to show that he just used 1 flashlight to test all of the batteries (someone said that is more scientific rather than using multiples of the same one), so next to the graph he glued each battery, cut out a yellow 'ray of light' that showed how long each one lasted and then he glued the flashlight that he used above the graph. It was pointing down on the graph and he had it turned on. :) He also glued on the brand names of the batteries that he cut off of their packages. BRILLIANT ideas, huh? :D

[Diane]

It must have looked very impressive. :) Good luck to him in the next round... :)

[Leigh]

Conrats to your ds and Good luck in the upcoming round!

[KarlaB]

Thanks!! :)