lewelma Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 I don't usually post here, but I thought that some of you might like to see what a scientific investigation looks like. My older son is working on a 12-week long science-fair project studying how wind speed and direction and the orientation of the bay affect longshore transport of sand. I started writing about this project from its inception and really before the idea was even clear in his head, and I have been writing about the development of the question and the design of the experiment. We are currently collecting data intensively so he will have time to really mull over what he has found and write it up. If you have never seen an investigation in action, hopefully this will walk you through the steps and inspire you to try your own. :001_smile: http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=361740 Ruth in NZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheHomeScientist Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 Very nice. You're obviously giving your kids an excellent grounding in real science, and making it interesting instead of dry and boring. Your background is in science, is it not? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 This is great! Where were you about 5 years ago when I needed this info? : ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 I don't usually post here, but I thought that some of you might like to see what a scientific investigation looks like. My older son is working on a 12-week long science-fair project studying how wind speed and direction and the orientation of the bay affect longshore transport of sand. I started writing about this project from its inception and really before the idea was even clear in his head, and I have been writing about the development of the question and the design of the experiment. We are currently collecting data intensively so he will have time to really mull over what he has found and write it up. If you have never seen an investigation in action, hopefully this will walk you through the steps and inspire you to try your own. :001_smile: http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=361740 Ruth in NZ I was thinking of you and Regentrude this morning. I've been collecting onion skins for months in order to do some natural dying (a la colonial craftways and the book The Endless Steppe). My youngest and I ended up turning it into an experiment. We cooked the onion skins for 30, 60, and 90 minutes and then let sit for another 30 minutes. At each 30 minute mark, we dipped two strips of napkin into the solution for 30 and 60 seconds respectively. We're letting the strips dry. Our intention is to compare the intensity of color with the different conditions. We realized that we have some conditions that aren't totally constant. For example, the temperature was constantly rising during the first 30 minutes, but constant from 30-90 as the solution boiled. On the other hand, there had to have been some evaporation as we went along too. But just seeing these changes helped him to see what we would have needed to go back and control better. I think the "mistake" taught him more through experience than my telling him would have. I think when we're done, we'll keep the solution and try a series of different fabrics and splitting the dye into three solutions with vinegar and lemon juice added to two of the samples. And we're keeping a lab notebook too. Yeah. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 Seriously you and/or Regentrude need to write something about how to teach scientific experimentation and thinking and record keeping. I really think the emphasis on getting the right results with an "experiment" or filling out tables in a data sheet miss the point of the question asking and thinking through how to set up and measure and then analyze. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allearia Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 Seriously you and/or Regentrude need to write something about how to teach scientific experimentation and thinking and record keeping. I really think the emphasis on getting the right results with an "experiment" or filling out tables in a data sheet miss the point of the question asking and thinking through how to set up and measure and then analyze. :iagree: please! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JanetC Posted April 30, 2012 Share Posted April 30, 2012 I wish I had kept a diary of my 6th grade DD's science fair project. She started out by typing "Mons" in the search box on Google Mars and making lists of volcanoes. We eventually (with help from a NASA Educational Outreach person) ended up with a science fair project on "Dust Abundance on Martian Volcanoes" (using public domain Mars orbiter data from NASA to measure the dust). It was quite the journey! --Janet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kroe1 Posted April 30, 2012 Share Posted April 30, 2012 Kuddos to your son. He's doing a great job. We're a very heavy science family also. We've required a daily science lab since first grade. I just got my van de Graaff generator and a cathode on the way. Our lab is now shaping up for high school and looking good. The island we live on has an ongoing beach erosion plan. About as soon as there is some erosion, the big sand blowers pump the sand back in. Hopefully, your son has seen that big set up done all because of experiments like his. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewelma Posted May 6, 2012 Author Share Posted May 6, 2012 For anyone interested, I have updated the progress of our project. It is on the logic board. http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=361740&page=4 Your background is in science, is it not? Yes. I studied population dynamics using nonlinear statistical modelling. Kind of interdisciplinary. This is great! Where were you about 5 years ago when I needed this info? : ) Well, I am hoping to help a few people. I hear a lot of "I wouldn't even know where to start." By showing the process week by week, I hope to help people see that there will always be difficulties to overcome. And to never be surprised or upset by them. We realized that we have some conditions that aren't totally constant. For example, the temperature was constantly rising during the first 30 minutes, but constant from 30-90 as the solution boiled. On the other hand, there had to have been some evaporation as we went along too. This sounds so interesting. Try to control all you can, but when there are variables that you can't control, you can increase your sample size to overcome that variability. I wish I had kept a diary of my 6th grade DD's science fair project. We eventually (with help from a NASA Educational Outreach person) ended up with a science fair project on "Dust Abundance on Martian Volcanoes" Awesome project. I am glad I am keeping a diary of this process. It helps me to realize how much they learn through the process. The island we live on has an ongoing beach erosion plan. About as soon as there is some erosion, the big sand blowers pump the sand back in. Hopefully, your son has seen that big set up done all because of experiments like his. There is a beach that has been "enriched" near us. They actually could not get sand to do it. So they went to a quarry and ground up rock to stick on the beach. :001_huh: This is the "sand" that ds is using to dump on the natural beach to evaluate longshore transport. The "sand" is a different color because it is ground up rock! Ruth in NZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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