Science Fair Overload!

When Rix came home a couple months ago and said he had to do a science project, I may or may not have groaned. I am not a science person (hence the English degree) but he was excited and had already decided he wanted to do an experiment with mealworms. His class had just finished a unit on mealworms, and he thought they were pretty cool (I beg to differ - they are not cool and boring. And gross). We took the science project seriously because it was a homework assignment, but never did I think that this project was going to last for months!

When I was in school we didn't do science projects or have science fairs. The school district has only been doing it for six years now, and it's getting bigger every year. Even kindergartners do science projects now! Rix won his class's science fair. In first grade, the major portion of judging is based on the presentation - like how well Rix can explain his project and his findings. If you know Rix, he likes to tell people what he knows, and therefore this is right up his know-it-all alley!

Anyway, because he won his class's fair, he got to go to the district science fair at the high school.

In his class, when he found out he won (and totally cheesed it)

At the district science fair, showing one of the judges his project.

We didn't find out the results of the district science fair right away, and the next week was Spring Break, so we didn't find out then either! The next science fair was the Pacific Lutheran University Science Fair, where students from the South Sound region could come and show their projects. It was early on a Saturday morning, but we were troopers and showed up anyway. Carissa and Kelli came too with Hayden and Olivia and ther projects, and it was fun to have them all there. Rix ended up winning third place at the Regional Science Fair for his grade level. I was so proud and impressed! He is a natural at doing this, and loves it.

At the PLU Regional Science Fair.

So the other day I was at the school in the afternoon helping with the PTA popcorn sale, and heard the principal get on the PA system and announce (finally) the winners of the district science fair. And Rix won third place at the district science fair! Tonight we went to a reception held by the district to award the winners. He got to show off his project one more time and then all the winners got called up to receive a medal. He was sooooo excited for the medal. It's really cool looking too! I"m so glad this whole science fair thing is now over (for a year at least), but it was fun while it lasted. Rix placed in every competition, and I couldn't be more proud of him. He loves science and has the brains for it. Writing and art and stuff are things he hates to do, but science and math? Loves them! Now we need to come up with a fun experiment for next year, and hopefully it's bug free.

Rix with his certificate from the Regional Science Fair and his medal from the District science fair.

Rix's cool medal :)