The Science of Kids
Category: Local...
Posted Tuesday, November 15, 2005 at 02:47 PM [GMT-6]

I spent four hours this morning at a local elementary school judging science projects. My pal Jeff McDonald called a week or so ago and asked if I would do it (Jeff's sons attend the school) and I agreed, albeit somewhat reluctantly. I wasn't hesitant because of the task itself -- I've judged in science fairs before and it's fun -- but I've grown accustomed to not having to deal with the public at such an early hour. But, I figured it was for a good cause.

There were at least forty judges, including a contingent from the Midland Fire Department, a group of Midland College students working for extra credit, and an early-morning TV show meteorologist (at least he was already up and dressed). Teams of three judges were assigned categories and school grades (I landed the plum assignment of 6th grade "Life Sciences") and given about ten projects to assess. After acquainting ourselves with the project material on display, the students were summoned and they proceeded to educate us on their work.

Now, I don't know about you, but I'm pretty sure that when I was in the sixth grade I was not competent to stand in front of three adult strangers and rattle off the details of a science project, and then field questions about it. And I'm equally sure that my project would have been something like "what stretches more...a rubber band or a piece of barbed wire?"

But, these kids were sharp. They were enthusiastic, they knew their material and not one of them was noticeably nervous. Of course, the variety of projects was wide, and some were more complicated than others. Being "Life Science"-related, we had lots of experiments involving spiders (ick), ants (yay), crickets (chirp) and mold (ohmmmm). Two experiments involved the sense of smell; another was a very involved study of memory (or something; I forget the details ;-). Some of the students obviously had more help from home, and more resources to work with, but we tried to factor those things into our evaluations.

The main thing I walked away with was a renewed feeling that the world wasn't really going to hell in a handbasket in every regard. As long as we have kids that get excited about the scientific process of discovery...even if it involves only a potato and a black light...there's assurance of good things on the horizon.

So, my advice is simple. If the global headlines ever get too depressing, go judge a science fair (or referee a soccer game or teach a Sunday School class or take your kids birdwatching). You'll be glad you did, and so will the kids.