| Oh dear, your days of peace and quiet are | | | | * DO make certain that your child allows |
| over. Your child will be creating a science | | | | enough time from start to finish. Six weeks |
| project for the school science fair. Your | | | | is a good idea. Some projects take much |
| kitchen will become a laboratory with messy | | | | longer. |
| chemicals and gooey liquids. Your living room | | | | |
| will become a staging area for display | | | | * DO make sure that your child follows the |
| boards, charts and graphs. Your computer area | | | | "scientific method". This will include such |
| will be covered with pages and pages of | | | | topics as research, problem, hypothesis, |
| research material. | | | | experiment and conclusion. |
| | | | |
| Is all this chaos really worth it? | | | | * DO listen to your child's "practice" |
| | | | presentations. |
| Yes! Even though scientists and engineers are | | | | |
| held in high esteem, America is suffering | | | | * DON'T do any of the work for your child, |
| from a lack of technically trained young | | | | but DO give him/her guidancewhenever needed. |
| people to enter the work force. Science fairs | | | | There are no yelling or short tempers when |
| give children an appreciation for the science | | | | doing science projects. There are only |
| and engineering fields and encourage them to | | | | opportunities for exciting discovery. |
| seek technical careers. Steering your child | | | | |
| into successful science fair participation | | | | * DO give encouragement, guidance and |
| and cheering their efforts is a good step | | | | support. |
| toward their future. | | | | |
| | | | * DON'T stress the award factor. The most |
| So, where do you begin? | | | | important aspect of the entire exercise is |
| | | | discovery, excitement and learning. |
| Here are some dos and don'ts to keep your | | | | |
| sanity, keep order in the house, and help | | | | * DO give your child the help they need in |
| your would-be scientists to create a great | | | | going to libraries, getting available |
| project, and perhaps even win an award. | | | | computer time, and making funds available for |
| | | | needed materials. |
| * DO help them select a project in a subject | | | | |
| that holds their interest. A topic they like | | | | * DON'T let your child do a project that uses |
| and choose will keep them interested and | | | | dangerous chemicals, or is otherwise unsafe. |
| focused on the tasks at hand. | | | | |
| | | | * DO instill a sense of pride and |
| * DON'T do the research for your student. | | | | accomplishment to your child for their |
| Research is part of the learning process. | | | | efforts, but DON'T be afraid to give your |
| | | | child constructive criticism. |