13 Apr 2023
pMy daughter came home from school last month with paint in her hair, glue on her sleeve, and the biggest smile I'd seen in weeks./p
p"Mom, guess what? My volcano actually erupted! Like, REALLY erupted. It went everywhere and Ms. Johnson said it was the best chemical reaction she'd seen all day!"/p
pThis was the same kid who, three weeks earlier, had been in tears over her science fair project. The same kid who'd declared that science was "boring" and "too hard" and she "definitely wasn't good at it."/p
pWhat changed?/p
pThe school science fair. Not just the day of—the whole experience. The planning, the experimenting, the inevitable failures (her first volcano barely fizzed), the late-night troubleshooting sessions at our kitchen table, and finally, the triumphant eruption in front of judges, classmates, and parents./p
pThat's when I realized something: academic festivals aren't just nice events schools throw together to make parents happy. They're transformative. They're where textbook learning becomes hands-on excitement, where "I can't" transforms into "I did it," and where kids discover that maybe—just maybe—they ARE good at science. Or art. Or math. Or all of it./p
What Even Are Academic Festivals? (And Why Should You Care?)
pLet me back up for those of you who are picturing county fairs with livestock./p
pAcademic festivals are organized events where students showcase their work in STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) or arts disciplines. Think science fairs, math olympiads, art exhibitions, drama festivals, music competitions, or increasingly popular STEAM (that's STEM + Arts) celebrations that blend everything together./p
pThese aren't your typical classroom assignments. Students choose topics they're genuinely curious about, work on projects over weeks or months, and present their findings or creations to audiences beyond just their teacher./p
pRoughly 10 million students participate in science fairs annually in the United States alone. That's not counting art festivals, drama competitions, or math tournaments. We're talking about a MASSIVE part of the educational landscape that's happening in schools everywhere./p
pAnd yet, when I ask friends about their kids' science fair experiences, I get very... mixed reactions./p
p"Oh god, you mean the project that I ended up doing at 11 PM the night before?"/p
p"My son loved it! He's now a chemical engineer."/p
p"Complete waste of time."/p
p"Changed my daughter's life."/p
pSo which is it? Are academic festivals educational goldmines or glorified stress factories? After watching my daughter's transformation—and digging into what makes these festivals work (or not work)—I think I finally understand./p
The Science Fair That Almost Broke Us (A Cautionary Tale)
pLet me be honest: the first week of my daughter's volcano project was a disaster./p
pShe picked "volcanic eruptions" because she thought it sounded cool. Fair enough. But when I asked what her actual question was, she looked at me blankly./p
p"Um... why do volcanoes erupt?"/p
p"Okay, but what specifically do you want to test?"/p
pBlank stare./p
pShe had no hypothesis. No variables. No real plan beyond "make volcano, add stuff, hope for explosion." Her first attempt involved dish soap, food coloring, and baking soda with no vinegar. Spoiler alert: nothing happened./p
pShe burst into tears. "This is stupid. I hate science. Can't I just draw a poster?"/p
pHere's what I learned about science fairs in that moment: they're only transformative when students actually CHOOSE to participate and get the right support. When kids are forced into it without guidance? When the emphasis is on competition instead of learning? When parents take over? That's when things go sideways./p
pAccording to research, about 60% of students say participating in science fair increased their interest in science or engineering. But—and this is crucial—requiring students to participate actually DECREASES that positive impact. In the worst cases, about 10% of students who were forced to participate and weren't interested in STEM careers ended up engaging in research misconduct (copying projects or making up data) just to get it over with./p
pThat's... not great./p
pSo we backed up. I asked her: "What do YOU actually want to know about volcanoes?"/p
pAfter some thought: "Why do some erupt more than others?"/p
pNow we were getting somewhere./p
When Academic Festivals Actually Work (The Magic Formula)
pHere's what I've figured out: academic festivals are incredibly powerful learning tools, but only under certain conditions./p
pThe Student Has to Care/p
pMy daughter's project turned around the moment it became HER question, not just an assignment. Science and engineering fairs are believed to increase students' engagement and learning when students choose topics of genuine interest./p
pThis is why the best teachers I've seen don't assign topics—they help students discover what they're curious about. They ask questions like:/p
ul
liWhat's something you've always wondered about?/li
liWhat problem would you like to solve?/li
liWhat makes you angry about the world?/li
liWhat do you find beautiful?/li
/ul
pWhen students pick their own topics, engagement skyrockets. It's not about grades anymore; it's about finding answers./p
pThere's Support, Not Takeover/p
pI'll admit it: I was tempted to fix my daughter's volcano for her. To explain the chemistry, to set up the experiment, to make sure it was "good enough."/p
pBut here's what research shows: science fairs help students develop important research skills which will continue to benefit them no matter what career they end up pursuing. The key word? STUDENTS develop the skills. Not parents./p
pMy job wasn't to build a volcano. It was to:/p
ul
liAsk guiding questions ("What do you think will happen if...?")/li
liHelp her find resources (but let her read them)/li
liEncourage her through failures (there were SO many)/li
liCelebrate small wins ("Look! You got a little fizz that time!")/li
liStay up late with her (but let her do the work)/li
/ul
pThe teachers I spoke with said this is the hardest part—stopping parents from taking over. Because here's the thing: a "perfect" project made by parents teaches kids absolutely nothing except "I'm not capable of doing this myself."/p
pThe Focus Is on Learning, Not Just Winning/p
pWhen my daughter's volcano erupted spectacularly on science fair day, she didn't win first place. She got an honorable mention./p
pAnd she didn't care./p
pYou know what she DID care about? The judge who spent ten minutes asking her questions about her process. The fact that she could explain, in her own words, why mixing an acid (vinegar) with a base (baking soda) creates carbon dioxide gas. The moment she realized she'd accidentally created a better hypothesis through her failed experiments than her original one./p
pThe National Science Teaching Association is clear: student participation in science fairs should be voluntary with emphasis placed on the learning experience rather than on the competition./p
pWhen schools get this right—when they celebrate the scientific process instead of just the winner—magic happens. When they get it wrong? You get stressed parents, crying kids, and projects assembled at midnight./p