Science experiments

A few years ago I approached science fair with JM with excitement. I loved science fairs as a child, and I was eager to share that with JM. We discussed various experiments, and came up with doing one I was sure I knew what the outcome would be. The experiment was to take 2 plants and tear all but 1 leaf off of one plant and leave the other alone. Take care of them and observe them for 2 weeks, then report on what you saw. After 2 weeks both were still thriving. After 4 weeks the one with all it's leaves was starting to droop and look a little sick. At 6 weeks I finally had to admit that the one with all it's leaves still attached was dead while the one with just 1 leaf was thriving. I still maintain that the results we found are not what what we were supposed to find.

Today Dh and JM are measuring how far JM can hear a clock ticking. First of all, we have 1 clock that actually ticks. I knew it was quite loud, but it's something we all tune out easily. JM could hardly hear it with hands over his ears on the other side of the room. Listening to it to measure distance with ear uncovered did not go so well. JM could still hear it outside the back door. You could hear it across the room with the TV on. Dh finally got that part figured out with turning the TV on to a certain volume, redid the version with the hands over the ears, and went on to the final "test" which was to listen for the ticks with a paper "funnel" to the ear. That went over well. He could still hear it outdoors with the TV on, so I told Dh to call that done as JM understood what the funnel to the ear did!

To think that Dh wonders why I do not want to do the experiments with JM?! LOL Give me the projects where JM has to write a haiku poem anyday! I do love and enjoy science, but science experiments for elementary kids just never seem to work out how I expect them to.