Cora came up with her Science Fair project back in the fall and began taking her measurements as soon as we got back from Florida at the start of January. She had come inside one weekend morning complaining to Jay that he needed to raise up her swing because it had "stretched out". He informed her that the swing strap had not stretched, but that it was simply early in the day and the tree was still waking up. Cora was like "What?" So he explained to her that trees sleep at night and their limbs drop lower when they're not reaching up for the sunshine. This was news to her (and the rest of us), so we did some research to corroborate his story, and thus her project idea was born. She decided to measure the height of her swing (from the ground directly below to the center of the bottom of the swing) every morning and afternoon/evening until her Science Fair board was due. She kept detailed notes (date, time of day, and general weather) and only missed one measurement. Jay and I helped her type everything up, run some simple statistics to get a graph, print it all out, and paste it to her board, which she decorated with a drawing of her swing tree and some pictures we had taken. She rehearsed her spiel and was ready to impress the day of her school's Science Fair. She ended up winning both her category (Botany) and taking Best in Show (for the 1st-3rd graders). A couple weeks later she went to the District Fair and again won her category and took Best in Show. She was beyond thrilled and we were extremely proud of her!
Bowmar 1st-3rd Grade Category Winners:
Bowmar Best In Show Winners (4th-6th and 1st-3rd Grades):
District Science Fair for 1st-3rd Grades:
District Botany Category Winners:
District Best In Show Winners:
She screamed SO LOUDLY when her name was called for Botany, but was speechless when they called Best in Show. By the time she came back to her seat her face was flushed and she was out of breath with excitement! Her friends congratulated her and make her feel extra special (and MANY of them won awards in their categories too - Bowmar really stole the show, dominating most categories and taking all 3 spots in Best In Show).
She was SO EXCITED to move on to the Regional Science Fair, but our school ended up not attending (and parents and teachers weren't made aware of the decision, so we missed the opportunity to take her ourselves). Missing the Regional Science Fair both saddened and angered Cora, but it doesn't take away the happiness she had at the Bowmar and District Science Fairs or the hard work she put into her project. She says she's going to try again in 5th Grade. Or maybe even next year...
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