Hope must have changed her mind a dozen times about what she wanted her experiment to be about. Finally, after seeing some worms while we were out pulling weeds, she decided she'd like to study how earthworms dig. She and Daddy brainstormed about how they'd go about testing her hypothesis (that worms dig by wiggling their bodies). They decided to build a worm farm and observe them for a week.
Every day during the week, Hope checked on her worms and recorded observations. It got pretty exciting when they started making visible tunnels and when we could see that they'd pulled bits of the colored paper she fed them down into the tunnels.
Hope and her lovely assistant, Daddy, also did some research to fill in the gaps on the things they couldn't see. Eventually, their research and observations showed them that the hypothesis was wrong: worms don't just wiggle to dig tunnels, they're actually covered with tiny hairs that they use to propel themselves through the dirt. Ew.
The day before the fair, Hope and Daddy made a worm model out of a pool noodle and put all their information up on the display board. It was hard work, but Daddy did a fantastic job of making sure that it was HER project. He was just there to type up the pages and help with layout.
During the school day, the students got to go through and see all the science projects. Hope was delighted when her class came through, and since she was the only one in her class who did a science fair project, she got all their kudos. The judges went through during the day also, and left their comments for us to read. Among the comments was, "Hope was very enthusiastic about what she learned and about sharing her results. Her heart was SO into it! Great project! So original! Awesome presentation skills! Great job all around!" Glowing reports!
I was not a bit surprised when, that evening at the Science Fair program, Hope WON! They gave out awards for the most outstanding projects in each grade, and she was the very first name called. I can't explain how thrilled she was. She wanted to win a trophy so badly, but was prepared that maybe she wouldn't. So when they called her name and she went on stage to collect her trophy and certificate, she was practically floating! When she came back to her seat she just giggled and stared at her award!
I'm so, so proud of my super smart scientist. She is having the BEST time in kindergarten, and I couldn't be happier!
2 comments:
That's amazing!! What a great project especially for a gal in kindergarten! Tell Hope congratulations and we are proud of her!
If love and pride could make a heart burst - I'd be a dead duck!
And my heart would have given out before Hope was even born! ;)
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