STEM - A - Fair : Expectations from parents
Special note to parents :
As this is a group project, the students will be interacting a lot with each other. Many times, this leads to a lot of arguments. You can be the referee, but don’t jump in and become a participant. That changes it from a fight between kids to one between adults!
Children are expected to form groups on their own. However, if your child wishes to participate but cannot get into a group, do let us know and we will accommodate the child in some group.
Please refrain from creating the whole project for your children (we can easily identify which projects have been created by parents only!) You are most welcome to guide and assist the children, but don't create the whole project for them.
Please make sure it is the students who are doing most of the work in the project. Even cutting a plastic bottle or cutting off the insulation layer off a wire are tasks that need practice. If they start doing it now, maybe they have a chance to become as good as you, when they grow older.
The whole idea is that students must learn. They learn from their failures and mistakes too. So, let them be the stars of this project and you can be their gentle assistants and philosophers!
If you need to buy things for the project, make sure your children come along with you. They will get to know the variety of materials available at the hardware or electrical stores. They will be able to see the variety in things that they choose, the different specifications, qualities and even prices. Remember, this is all a part of the experience of being a scientist. And every step of the way, you will be creating nice memories!