SOUTH HARRISON TWP. — Fifth-grader Trevor Mitchell got an idea when he saw how rusted one of his old bicycles was and for Jacob Willetts, his idea came while practicing the guitar. Both South Harrison Elementary students used these ideas to form science projects which were among those presented at the schools Science fair Tuesday.
Fourth, fifth and sixth graders completed science projects for the fair and the displays ranged from buoyancy and string tension theories to measuring grease on potato chips and the amount of carbonation in soda.
When Trevor saw his old bike, he wondered what could make it rust up so much, so he soaked iron rods in different liquids — tap water, salt water, lemon juice, and a combination of vinegar and baking soda — to determine which has the biggest affect on the metal.
When asked why he thought it was a good idea to practice coming up with and carrying out experiments, he said that the projects, while fun, will be able to help him in the future.
“I guess it will get us ready for high school and college,” he said. “I think I did a pretty good job.”
The fourth-graders worked in groups to complete their projects, the fifth-graders in pairs and the sixth-graders individually, creating a progression from each year they have participated.
“It kind of ties in everything we learned in science,” said Beverly Donofrio, a fourth-grade teacher at the school.
“We try to incorporate everything we’ve done in science as well as math,” added Don Dunner, the fifth-grade science teacher. “And it really helps them to work together in a group.”
The fourth-grade groups were tasked with coming up with projects based on the idea that the earth was an unlivable planet. They had to work together to come up with ways of food production, supplying water and building homes if they were on Mars or the moon.
“They have to kind of figure it out on their own,” Donofrio said.
The older students had their choice of projects and the ideas ranged from traditional science fair experiments to creative ideas stemming from personal hobbies.
“It really brings more to the table,” said Michele LaMalfa, the sixth-grade science teacher. “With the stuff they love, it is a little bit of learning on their own.”
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