Science Schmience

My oldest son decided to participate in the elementary school science fair this year. After several ideas, we opted to dedicate March to the analysis of tooth decay. This is not an original experiment, so we tried to give it an original spin. We got three teeth from a local dentist and put each of them in a separate container filled with 1/4 cup of Coke during the day. At night we took the teeth out of the Coke and let them dry overnight (to simulate the approximate 12 hours of not eating). Each day, we brushed tooth #1 both morning and night. We brushed tooth #2 only at night. Tooth #3 we didn't brush at all. On day one, prior to any Coke immersion, we took pictures of all three teeth. Then on day five we took pictures and again on day 10. We then analyzed the decay/discoloration of each tooth. It was interesting to see the actual difference between teeth #1 and #2. I had anticipated that tooth #3 would resemble a decayed pebble, so it's demise did not surprise me. However, tooth #1 really was substantially cleaner than tooth #2. (What? Brushing really works? Nah...)

We posted all this information on our neat, three folded display board and proudly presented it for the science fair. I was excited to have had my son participate (voluntarily) in the scientific process. And, I was sure that this would be one of those special childhood learning experiences that he would always remember. I was right, partially.

He came home devastated. Apparently, the science fair had winners. There were three winners for each grade and not only had he not won in his grade, but in his estimation the winner had conducted shabby, unoriginal work. I was surprised by this development. First of all, why winners? Why not have a pizza party for all participants and allow them to walk around and view each other's work? And why would my son, whom I thought I had raised to understand the inherent value of simply learning something new, be so devastated by the fact that he didn't win a prize? Suddenly, all our brushing and labeling and photographing seemed pointless and wasted. I began to lose faith in the scientific process of elementary science fairs.

In the end, we were able to convince him that his project had merit in and of itself -- that learning, not just winning should be the ultimate goal. By that night, his funk had passed and he was already thinking about next year's project. "Mom, maybe we could do something about meteors or crystals or something and talk about where they come from and all that stuff..."

Whew! Maybe natural childhood curiosity can survive the discouraging nature of competition...

And, maybe next year I will be more actively involved in the PTA planning of our school science fair.