INDIANAPOLIS — Science was on display this week at Perry Township's Homecroft Elementary. Students in second through fifth grade participated in the Science Fair and Invention Convention.
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"I think that science is all around me," said fifth grader Deja'nique.
In fact, she drew her science fair project from everyday experiences.
"My cup would always make my hot cocoa go cold, so I thought, 'What's a good way to figure out what cup would be best for me to drink hot cocoa in?'" Deja'nique continued.
She presented her results and findings to a panel of judges on Thursday.
"It was actually a styrofoam cup that kept my water warmest," she shared while showing off her posterboard.
Down the hallway at the Invention Convention, another student named Liam showed off his 'Pet Feeder 3000.'
Using some simple household objects, Liam assembled a machine where a pet places its paw on a lever, then food pours into the bowl.
"So the reason I made this is when pets don't have food, they have anxiety and they become aggressive," Liam shared with his judges.
"So really, you could use this with any pet," said one judge.
"I don't know about a fish, though," said Liam as the judges laughed.
The second graders participate in a STEM challenge. They are presented with an animal in a place it would not normally live (like a shark in a desert, for example), and they have to design adaptations for their animal.
Charles, one of the second graders in the competition, showed off his monkey in a Savannah.
"I put more brown fur, for it to hide in the trees," Charles said while showing off his stuffed monkey, which had brown felt taped over its body as one adaptation.
The monkey also had red pieces of paper taped to its hands.
"I give it claws, so it can eat the prey. I just thought of it like a lion," Charles said.
Each of the competitions allowed students to show off the science they've been learning.
Glenn Brower has been judging the science fair for at least 17 years now.
"It's fun to see the energy in the kids, and to encourage them to be inquisitive and curious," Brower shared.
It's possible that an event like a science fair may spark an interest in science. How can you encourage your kids to follow this interest?
"I have a couple pieces of advice there, because I'm a mother of nine and 12-year-old boys," said Dr. Robin Tanamachi.
Dr. Tanamachi is a professor in Purdue University's Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, so she knows all about the passion for science.
"The biggest piece of advice I can offer is: let the kid lead the project. Let it be something that they are interested in," Dr. Tanamachi said.
This could be anything from a bird in the backyard to the types of clouds in the sky.
"If it's something that they are genuinely interested in, rather than something that's being imposed on them from outside, then that's going to motivate them intrinsically to want to learn more about it," Dr. Tanamachi continued.
This could inspire conducting research by reading books or watching videos about the topic, or taking observations in a journal.
"As a parent, it is okay to not know all the answers. It is okay to say to a kid, 'I do not know why that cloud looks that way and that cloud looks that way. Let's go look this up,'" Dr. Tanamachi encouraged. "If you're their partner in learning about it, then they're more likely to also keep interest in it, and then you can make a family activity out of it."
Dr. Tanamachi went on to say that curiosity and awareness of the natural world are skills that are needed in science. If your child doesn't already have these traits, Dr. Tanamachi says you can cultivate these skills at any age, especially when taking breaks away from computers and other screens.
Back at Homecroft Elementary, the winner of the Science Fair was Josie Goddard for her 'Cool Attraction' project. The Invention Convention winner was Alex Alonso Torres and 'The Chicken Feeder.'
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