The anti-Tiger Mom

The Little Guy announced the other day that he's not doing the Science Fair this year. After I landed from my 9 feet high "Hallelujah" jump in the air, I asked him why. Apparently he wants to enjoy walking round all the other kids' exhibits instead of being stuck at his booth explaining something to parents who aren't really interested.  Good reason in my opinion.

For those not in the US, the Science Fair happens in every school in every state in America in the Spring (for the most part). It's where parents students choose a scientific topic to research and then either explain or demonstrate to their classmates, teachers and in many cases, visiting parents. You can literally choose anything, and points are given for visual presentation as well as knowledge of your subject. Our science fair is purely voluntary so no points are given for anything; it can still get pretty competitive though. With the parents, at least.

In my time as a lower/primary school parent (which is now into its second decade FYI) our family has "done" - how a violin works, what makes a rainbow (with demonstrations on water), made a table of who has what types of finger print (Swirls, hoops and something else), a complete run down on the human body (very high level of course), and last year, amphibians. I can recognise a Poison Dart Frog from a thousand feet.

In some schools, the science fair is mandatory and part of the curriculum. Academic careers can be ruined by a volcano that doesn't errupt or home made bubble mixture that doesn't perform on the day. As you can imagine it's big business here, with hundreds of web sites on the subject giving project ideas, templates and step-by-step instructions.

There are even web sites for parents, and despite the piece of advice below, many adults get far too involved in their kids' projects in my opinion:

How to Help as a Parent


It is up to the student to decide what to study. You can help by motivating your child and listening to his or her ideas. However, it is crucial to remember that it is up to your child to design and execute the entire project. Oh please. As if. Judges at a science fair take particular care to note that the work is the student’s and that the student understands the topic, the research, the experiments, the analysis of data, and the conclusion. The judges expect that the student has received some help from another person, such as a parent or teacher, and that such help will be credited in the display.

So I have to say I'm quite pleased to be off the hook able to see the other kids' exhibits this year.Definitely the anti-Tiger Mom. And proud of it!