In an attempt to get kids active and excited about school during the mundane months of winter, parents and staff at E.T. Hamilton Elementary devised a plan.
Seven years ago, parent Bob Marshall brought the idea of a winter science fair to the Parent Teacher Association. After the first science fair garnered much success, the school has continued the tradition of overcoming winter blues with an annual science experiments fair.
This year, the fair was held on Tuesday, Feb. 25. Due to its popularity, the fair was held at two different times, during the day from 1:30 to 3 p.m., and at night from 6 to 7 p.m.
“The children have a natural curiosity about science,” fifth-grade teacher Judy D’Antonio said.
While D’Antonio mentioned the solidarity among Hamilton parents, teachers and administration as important in making the science fair happen year after year, she explained how rewarding it has been, and still is, to see the kids participate.
“The fair highlights most of the curriculum for one grade or another … it’s really exciting to see the kids generate their own ideas,” D’Antonio said.
After 24 years of teaching science, D’Antonio noted positive changes in students who have participated in the fair.
“Over that span of time, you really see the level of children’s projects and abilities increasing,” D’Antonio said.
D’Antonio also recognized how much of the technology used in the classroom is based on science. The fair was a rare opportunity for the children to get hands-on experience with actual scientific processes.
“It promotes creativity too,” science fair organizer and parent Michele Ferguson said.
Ferguson’s son Benji made a hovercraft for the fair, using a leaf blower, plywood and a shower curtain.
“It wasn’t too expensive to make,” Benji said.
One especially creative and popular demonstration at this year’s fair was the “Fantastic Foamy Fountain.” Group members Logan Cudeyro, Isabella Giampetro, Brian Baker and Matt Donnelly went the extra mile, by incorporating a special group dance into their experiments. To make foam, materials including dish soap, hydrogen peroxide, yeast and hot water were combined to make explosions and fountains using water bottles.
“We went on the Internet and looked up cool science experiments,” Donnelly said.
“They all came over and looked up science experiments … they wanted one that did something special,” parent of group member Brian Baker, Jill, said.
Baker described the highly positive impact the fair has had on all three of her sons, including her oldest son in 10th grade. Now a middle schooler, Baker recalled her son Kevin’s project at his favorite science fair as a, “Tornado in a Box.”
“Families have been through it … it is remembered throughout the generations, and it is a tradition that inspires,” Baker said.
Another popular exhibit at this year’s fair was “Milk to Plastic.” Using milk, apple cider vinegar and dyes, students Garren Frankel and Bryce Dershan converted milk to pure plastic. Though the process of taking out curd from the milk mixture and setting it took two days, Frankel put on quite an exciting show.
“Acetone Versus Styrofoam” was a display at the fair that lead to fast and furious experiments, which many students enjoyed watching. Group members Chloe Spence, Jake Younger and Michael Innamorato dazzled onlookers with their ability to dissolve Styrofoam pieces in acetone and water, within seconds.
“I went to a birthday party where there were science experiments … that’s where I got the idea,” Spence said.
Of the percentage of acetone to water mixture used in the experiments, “We’re showing that 4 percent of something can make a huge difference,” Younger said.
One of the most unique displays at the fair included Aron Yichye’s take on “Aerodynamics.”
Using a custom-built wooden model, “Winglets are not on every single airplane, but flats and spoilers are on every aircraft,” Yichye explained.
There are other lessons to extract from the experimentation and processes students go through leading up to the fair that are not only a part of science but also other avenues of life, such as resilience.
“One lesson is that experiments don’t always have to work,” Ferguson said.
A group of parents agreed with Ferguson, that time management was one of the major lesson learned by students who participated in the fair. Students had to budget time, as they had to complete research and experiments while staying on top of their regular work associated with school and extracurricular activities.
Next year’s co-chair to organizing the fair, Que-Chi Wong, will spearhead the planning movement for parents. For more information about the fair, please visit http://www.voorhees.k12.nj.us.
