#544 Elementary school science fairs

Neil Pasricha

It all starts with poster board.

Getting mom to drive to the drug store to load up on the thick flimsy is a great start to a great project. Grab a sheet of white, a sheet of neon pink, and if you’re lucky one of those thick cardboard three-folds. Come on, we both know that cardboard added some scientific integrity to your research — the seventh grade equivalent of getting your work published in The New England Journal of Awesome.

Now, it doesn’t end there. Next you’re grabbing markers, spray paint, baking soda, and Styrofoam. Once you’ve got everything together you’re rushing home and getting down to science, people. The carpeted corner of the unfinished basement becomes your lab and it’s time to spend hours putting on lab coats, staring into microscopes, and pour bubbling green liquids into beakers. Also, taping.

Come on and let’s count down some classics:

6. The solar system. Jabbing those spray-painted Styrofoam balls with a straightened out coat hanger is a truly great feeling. As is painting a splotchy brown Australia on Earth and a big eye on Jupiter. If you want to go the To Scale route, remember to leave Pluto at home.

5. Volcano. There are two types of eruptions. First, there’s the Underwhelming Fizz — where you stare deep into the mouth of the fiery beast only to witness some rock-hard hunks of baking soda floating in a pool of strong-smelling vinegar. It’s disappointing, but you can always try again and hope for a Superblow — where everyone stares with wide-eyes as red ooze bubbles and slides down your carefully painted volcano onto the GI Joe townspeople below.

4. The one the kid’s parents obviously did. Also known as robbing your child of the thrill of scientific discovery in exchange for a B+.

3. Growing something. Whether it was lima beans or patches of fresh grass, it was a a classic move to study Sunlight vs. Shadows, Music vs. No Music, or Watering Plants vs. Pouring Coke On Them.

2. Coke is bad. Speaking of Coke, did you have that kid who left a tooth or some nails sitting in it for a month? The groundbreaking research typically concluded with a harsh indictment of the entire soda industry. And maybe a business card for the kid’s dad who was a dentist.

1. The one that didn’t work. Every science fair had a few of these gems. They were sad and beautiful at the same time. Because that down-faced ten year old standing in front of a dim lightbulb was learning how to deal with lost efforts and how to get back their drive after a fall. Keep that chin up, tiger. You’ll get ’em next time.

Yes, beautiful science fair moments were always a perfect close to months of hallway passion, energetic teachers, and long lonely nights cutting construction paper letters with pinking shears. Letting kids learn, letting kids dream, letting kids try and try and try — well, there’s just so much good that comes of that.

As they bottle insects, jab battery wires into lemons, and rub magnets together, you can see the whirring gears spinning with delight. Yes, all that learning just sponges, soaks in, and sticks there forever as the next generation of curiosity seekers tease their buzzing minds forward and forward and forward…

AWESOME!

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1,234 thoughts to “#544 Elementary school science fairs”

  1. Getting the next book in the series. Nothing was more exciting to me as a kid than reading the newest Harry Potter or Series of Unfortunate Events books. I especially loved series like Lord of the Rings or Nancy Drew because I didn’t have to wait for the release of the next book!

    1. I once drove around to a whole bunch of libraries looking for #5 in the Guardians of Ga’ Hoole series for my daughter. (Yes, I AM a good mom!)

      1. I agree, when Harrry Potter was coming out it was always torture waiting for the next one to come available and then I wou ld read it in a ocuple of days and have to wait so long until the next one. Same things with A series of unfortunate events.

  2. High School. I only have 30 days of school left, and although I am thrilled to leave, I finally realized how awesome it really is. You literally have four years to do whatever you want, with people you’ve grown up with since you were five. It’s weird to think you’ll never see them again once you graduate, but it’s also the best feeling to think about everything that has happened throughout the four glorious years. Now I have made a terse list of why high school has been so awesome..
    ( feel free to add on)
    1. The [multiple] times school was underwater because of rain
    2. The 4 bomb threat days
    3. The one time the football team won
    4. Singing Irish Folk songs with substitutes
    5. Doing the Can-Can on top of the chemistry teachers desk
    6. Barely Passing[but still passing] Chemistry
    7. Skipping 4th hour to go McDonalds
    8. Realizing who your best friends are
    9. Starting a Congo Line at lunch
    10. Living every day to the fullest

    1. 11. Days when the teacher doesn’t assign anything (or there’s a substitute) and you can do whatever you want (read a book, do homework for other classes, etc.)
      12. Lunch time. Although at my school, there were three separate lunch times…
      13. Hearing the teacher cuss (or other students cuss in front of the teacher). Believe me. This isn’t as funny in college as it is in high school.
      14. That one substitute you always took advantage of.

      But college is cool because:
      1. You choose when you go to class.
      2. No substitutes. If the teacher ain’t there, class is cancelled. (with a few exceptions, of course)
      3. Some professors award extra credit like the plague.

      1. Another reason college is awesome: when you realize you have enough points to get an A that you can skip the final.

      2. I’m graduating High School this year too and I agree it’s one of the most awesome things!
        15. Skipping school and going to the beach (this is what we usually do in our last year!)
        16. Spending as much time as possible with your friends because you are afraid you wont be seeing them as often.
        17. When the teacher couldn’t make it, we usually take out a couple of beach balls make a net with the desks and play volleyball in the classroom. (The only sanction is that they are not going to fix the desks if they are broken, so we have like five people with unscrewed chairs).
        18. Getting the whole grade expelled from school because you all jumped into the pool!

        Basically, I think I’m writing traditions from my school and my class, but I guess these are what have made these five years (yes, it’s five here where I live) some of the best of my life.

        1. 19. Highschool fights.
          I look back to them now and think, “Its horrible how we acted like animals” but back then, nothing was more gossip worthy than a quick fight during passing period.

          20. Being so trendy. Another thing that I look back with a touch of shame but loads of admiration.

          21.Senior Year! Ahh every body has a car so everyone is skipping those unnecessary classes. We even stopped bringing our backpacks to school because we were just that AWESOME. This year comes with reminissing with friends, pranks, and crazy rallies. Class of 08 will always have a special place in my heart. :)

    1. This IS awesome. Especially because they massage it in too, and you absolutely cannot repeat this yourself.

      1. This is my favorite part about getting my hair cut. I wish I could install one of those sinks at my house and have someone shampoo my hair and massage my scalp. It’s so relaxing!

  4. Finding a mysterious unlabeled CD and popping it into your car only to find it’s some mix your friend made for you years ago.

    All the memories come rushing back, all the emotions you felt during that time… it’s like a time machine! Looking back, seeing how much you’ve grown, thinking about past relationships. Things back then that seemed soooo important don’t trouble you at all now. And you can see that the trouble, the drama, and the heartache didn’t really matter much at all because everything worked itself out.

    AWESOME!

    1. Even when it’s not a mystery CD, I love finding old mix tapes (even when they’re on CD, I still call them mix tapes – mix CD just doesn’t have the same ring).

      When I moved, my friend made me 4 mix CDs for the 500 mile drive. Needless to say, 500 miles > 4 CDs so I listened to them all more than once. Then I continued to listen to them nonstop for the first month or so that I lived here.

      A few weeks ago, I found them again with their funny labels (South Park picture, no track listing). Listening to them again brought me back to exactly how I felt when I moved here.

      And even though I hadn’t listened to those CDs in years, I still knew exactly which songs were next. So awesome.

  5. That one song you don’t realize how much you like.

    For me it’s “Closing Time” by Semisonic.

    These songs usually have a cool beginning and a recognizable chorus.

    1. “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” by Deep Blue Something is the one that does it for me

  6. Using a nail file for the first time.

    I realize not ALL people file their nails, but for girls, this is something special. Your tattered old blue emery board has finally given it’s last performance, and more of your sanded down nail just won’t fit anywhere anymore. Now it’s time to break out the new tool and watch in awe at just how marvelous it sculpts.

  8. Cleaning out your drawer of junk mail/random papers and finding things that bring back awesome memories.

  9. Pretending to smoosh people between your fingers by closing one eye.

    Lemme explain:

    You know when you aren’t supposed to talk, and you see your friend across the room. You make eye contact. Then you close one eye, and use your pointer and thumb and pretend to crush them between the two fingers. Bonus points if they play along, and pretend to die, tongue sticking out and all.
    You can even do this with people you don’t like, though discretion is needed : )

    2. I have had this experience before. It’s awesome because it really sounded like a cat.

    3. my roommates and i do this all the time because we wish we could have a cat! it is the universal sound effect.

  13. Laughing at the silly sasusage things in 1000awesomethings.com after a day of crapiness and agreeing with lots of it. :)

    awesome!

      1. The teacher telling the class that your test was the highest grade in class. It really is awesome.

  16. Stepping into the air-conditioned library (or place of choice) after a super-hot day in summer.

  18. When you actually recognize all the little awesome things that happen during the day…

    Just last week, I woke up (not happily) at 6am. When my alarm stopped going off, I heard birds chirping! A sure sign of spring! THEN I put on my scrubs and found $5 in my pocket! I just knew it was going to be an AWESOME day :)

  19. The feeling of the wind in your hair when you’re driving with the window open.
    It’s like you’re free….running fast like a horse. All you can hear is the wind. And all you can feel is the wind.

    Awesome :)

    1. especially when your blasting your favorite song!

      Last week I nailed a job interview and on my way home, I let down my hair, rolled down the windows and blasted Be Somebody- Kings of Leon on the freeway.
      One of those moments !

  20. – Leaving all of your homework ’til the last minute, working through the night to finish it, watching the sun come up and going to school the next day with everything finished and actually not feeling tired.

    – Figuring out how to spell out naughty words on the calculator.

    – Driving on the motorway when it’s deserted.

    1. Spelling naughty words on the calculator IS awesome. Too bad the buzzkills at Texas Instrument included a full alphabet on their calculators. I like my Casio calculator with the letters A-F, X, Y, and a bunch of functions. Then, I actually have to think about what I’m doing.

  21. If at first you don’t succeed…!

    Meteor Showers

    Lying out in the shadiest part of your house, you get ready to watch a show of epic proportions. Sure, you may have had to interrupt your sleep schedule, but once those rocks start scraping across Earth’s atmosphere, you know you’re in for an action-packed and every slightly romantic treat.

    BLOSSOM! (Wait a minute…)

  22. On a chilly night, pulling pajamas out of the dryer and feeling warm and snuggly!

    What a great feeling! I love pulling clothes out of the dryer, but especially on these chilly Spring nights! It’s an awesome feeling to put on those warm bottoms and instantly get warm without a bulky blanket!

  23. Visiting an elderly relative and having them more alert than you expect. We drove the 4 hours back to Maine this weekend to visit my 86 year old mother, who has an ever-growing degree of mental impairment. This time, however, there was no doubt that she not only knew us, but for the first time in a long time remembered that we lived in Vermont. Our usual 20 minute, painfully repetitive visit turned out to last over an hour and was quite enjoyable.

    Moms are awesome!

  24. Most closely counting the number of things in a jar.

    Jellybeans? 2,068! Gumballs? Clearly 631. Pennies? 6,503!

    Sure, you could take a mathematical approach to it, but it’s more satisfying when an essentially random guess wins you a prize!

    Saucesome!

    1. Ha! Possum, Blossom.. Saucesome??

      Making up new words for the end of a 1000awesomethings comment?

      CROSSUM!

          1. Finding an older beater of a car that you can actually afford as a teenager:

            DATSUN!

                    1. This guy just walked into my 60’s style diner, and fixed the jukebox by punching it and saying “Eyyyyy!!” and snapping his fingers. Later on, he jumped over a shark on water skis… It was totally…

                      FONZ-SOME!!

  25. Going back to something, anything, that you loved as a child and finding it actually IS as good as you remember. Can be applied to food, films, books, places, whatever. But for me it tends to be video games.

    Part of you is desperate to revisit it but part of you is terrified that it’ll have aged terribly and that your memories of the game will be tarnished.

    Sometimes that’ll put you off, but when you do take the plunge and the game is still great…. awesome.

    1. I love doing this too. I love the feeling of beating a game or getting past a really hard part that I couldn’t get past when I was a kid.

      The original Legend of Zelda is a game that I love to go back to. That last dungeon is still hard after all these years.

  26. Blinkers

    The extended blinker: when the person in front of you on the highway has their blinker on but they don’t move to the next lane, you realize, “They definitely forgot that their blinker is on.” This supplies a little moment where you can chuckle to yourself or laugh at it with people in the car with you.

    The extended blinker (part 2): when you’re driving a car where the blinker automatically turns off after you’ve completed a turn (most cars nowadays, I suspect), but your turn takes you onto an extended curve, prolonging the time your blinker is turned on. Puts a smile on my face.

    Blinker synchronization: when your blinker synchronizes with either the car in front of you at a light or the beat to the music.

    Blinker etiquette: when you’re waiting to turn out onto a busy street, and there’s not enough space to turn out, but the next car coming is turning onto your street, and the driver uses his blinker (’cause we’ve all “been there, done that” when someone frustratingly does NOT use their blinker)! You realize you’ve got just enough time to enter the stream of traffic that you would have missed had that person not used their turn signal. You make your way out into the group of cars, each with their own individual stories and destinations. But for you, at least one of those individuals made life a little easier, calming the hectic force that traffic can be and helping you on your way!

    Blinker etiquette (part 2): when someone wants to move into your lane, they turn on their signal and it allows you to let them. Be it when two lanes merge into one, or just a busy traffic day, and someone is trying to get over so as to not miss their exit. The blinker is the anonymous driver’s way of saying, “Hey, I don’t know you, but this is one small way you could help me out.” And, it’s such an easy way of giving a random act of kindness. Blinkers allow us to do a good turn, simple as it may be.

    AWESOME!

  27. When you’re driving scooter and you don’t have to do anyting physical and you’re still going forward!

    Aaaaahh awesome!

  28. FREE SHIPPING! Especially when you have painstakingly searched the internet for that free shipping coupon. Free shipping is a reward for lazyness – there is so much pride in knowing that you didn’t have to get in the car, drive to the store, and deal with all the people. Even better…. free returns.

    2. Free shipping is definitely…

      AWESOME!

      Especially when you live in another country and you don’t have to pay for shipping

  29. When someone tells you how much you mean to them.

    No matter if it’s your boyfriend or girlfriend, mom or dad, grandpa or grandma, brother or sister, daughter or son, your friend or someone else. For me, it is always one of the most awesome things that can happen and it always makes me very happy.

    No matter if they tell you they love you or if they hug you or if they make some grand – or little – gesture to show you.

    Just yesterday, my best friend, who isn’t usually that out-spoken about her feeling and who, on top of that, lives 310 miles away from me, send me a link to Reamonn’s “Million Miles” and it really brought tears to my eyes. To know that you are loved and that you are needed is just the greatest thing and completely…

    AWESOME! :)

  30. When the person who used the dressing room before you at a clothing store is the same size as you, and you end up finding something awesome that you never would have picked out yourself.

    1. This has never happened to me before, but I wish it did! It’s like fate that you entered into that particular dressing room :)

  31. When you parallel park perfectly on the first try, nice and smooth – awesome! Even better when you weren’t sure if your car would fit in that spot.

  32. That first scratchy feeling when you exfoliate for the first time in ages and you can practically hear the dead skin being scraped off. It’s like scratching an all over body itch that you didn’t know you had!

  33. Heading off to bed at the end of a bad day and knowing that tomorrow is going to be a much better day.

  34. Coming home with good grades.

    there is nothing more awesome than bust your ass in school and the return with good grades!!!

  35. Realizing that the person in the car behind you is listening to the same radio station – you are rocking out to a song and you can’t help but smile when you see that they are singing too!

  36. Picking the morning sleep gunk out of your eyes.

    There is no better feeling. Picking the gunk out is equivalent to shouting out your window, “Good morning world! Bring it.”

    AWESOME!

  39. Arriving at the airport, knowing you’re going on vacation some place awesome — or maybe not totally awesome, but you’re still getting away from work/school/whatever for awhile…and that’s pretty cool.

  40. Movie friends. Those characters in movies that, if they were real, you know you’d be the best of friends. So whenever you’re down or lonely you can pop in that dvd and it makes your day a little brighter.

  41. Having a friend introduce you to something new, or doing the same for them. My friends have introduced me to new music, TV shows (especially British ones), games, stand-up comedians, and more fun stuff. Every time I watch Doctor Who or the IT Crowd, watch or listen to Eddie Izzard or Mitch Hedberg’s stand-up, or listen to any ska band, I’m reminded of the friends who first introduced me to those things, even if we haven’t seen each other since high school or college. Exposure to something cool and new plus a reminder of old friends equals…

    AWESOME!

    2. It is such a relief when this happens! Especially when the water’s been in your ears for hours or even days *phew*

  43. Hilarious Meandering conversations.
    Its so much fun when you are talking to friends or family and someone mentions something interesting or funny, and then somhow, 10, 20, 45 minites later the conversation is still going strong, with lots of laughterm but about something completely different. Thats when someone asks, laughing, “how did we get to THIS topic?” Thats when you get to play detective and backtrack thorugh the conversation till you figure out what came first. Its like a little bit of reminiscing with old or new friends about the good time you just had.
    Also great is when someone quickly reminds everyone of the first topic as the conversation is ending. This way everyone remembers how they started this. And maybe it will start all over again and meander somewhere else.
    Awesome!

    1. I snort when I’m having a really good laugh, then it just makes me laugh even more…and snort even more…its a vicious cycle

  45. Having a last name that people recognize but do not associate as a last name is AWESOME. It’s such an easy way to start conversations when you meet someone. And its such a funny last name that the person you are meeting can’t help but smile making it that much easier to get to know someone positively right from the start.

  46. going for a Midnight Snack and finding your favorite junk/snack food

    Yeah so your lying in bed and you can’t sleep. So you decide to go downstairs and try to scrounge around and get some leftover meatloaf or something of the sort to try to fill up your complaining stomach. You open up the pantry (amid sounds of a chorus holding a note and a golden glow coming from somewhere inside) and right there is your Favourite kind of Pop-tarts just waiting for you to eat them!!!

    AWESOME

  47. Getting just what you wanted for a birthday or Christmas. This also works in reverse too, Giving the perfect gift!!!

    AWESOME

  48. When you feel absolutely gross, and you’re stomach’s all in knots, and the smell of food makes you gag, but then you finally throw up, and once you brush your teeth, you feel normal again (although maybe a bit tired).

    It’s like your body decided that you were actually healthy after all.

    AWESOME

  49. Getting just what you wanted for a birthday or Christmas. This also works in reverse too, finding the perfect for someone!

    AWESOME

    1. whoops!! same post… my mistake

      Another awesome thing! Making a huge mistake then acting as if you meant to do that the entire time!

  50. counting down to something is awesome. Whether its a holiday, graduation, or the school field trip, its exciting to countdown. Checking the clock or crossing days off the calander instills a sense of excitment and anticipation that is never replicated. Everyone has that one friend who is countdown king/queen. That person who is always reminding you that theres only 10 minutes till midnight, 52 days till graduation or 2 weeks till their birthday. Countdowns are a reminder to look ahead to the good stuff coming if life is getting you down, and a reminder to hold on to what you have now because soon it will be gone. They always start off fun times, new adventures and great memories.
    Awesome

    1. or even better when you have a friend who reminds you that there are 243 days left to Christmas or 847 days until the start of the next winter olympics!!

      AWESOME

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