SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY FAIR WORKSHOPS 2024
Date:
Time:
Location: Western Spring Community Hall – 956 Great North Road, Western Springs, Auckland 1022
A hands-on fun workshop designed to help your child work through the steps involved to tackle a Science Fair project. Don’t miss out on this wonderful opportunity to help your child engage in worthwhile learning.
This year we hope to run 2 workshops, one in Term 1 and another in Term 2. We hope that this format would allow extra time and support for the Science Fair in Term 3.
The workshops will be led by Sandy McGivern-Butler who’s a trained science teacher. Who has been leading our Science & Technology Workshops & Fairs, for a few year now.
Find out what makes a great Science Fair project and support your child’s learning. Designed for children 7 years and up.
Based on current CPF orange settings, we will have no limit in participation numbers. Face mask are not required by are encouraged.
Cost: $10 per child (or $20 non-member)
Any queries contact science@ahe.org.nz or events@ahe.org.nz
The AHE Science & Technology Fair has been one of the key annual events on the AHE calendar for over 10 years. Don’t miss out on this great learning opportunity for your children, and remember older children have a chance to participate in the Regional NIWA competition!
Date: TBC
Time: TBC
Location: TBC
We look forward to you participating in our Science & Technology Fair this year!!
In the meantime, we will be running our Science Fair Workshops in Term 1 & Term 2. Click here for more information.
See below for more details about the AHE Science & Technology Fair…
What is a Science and Technology Fair?
Thousands of students around New Zealand enter Science Fairs and find it a great way to learn how to do science and to communicate and present it others. Students bring along pre-prepared Science and Technology projects for display and discussion with others. It is also an opportunity to recognise students who are good at science. Home-educators needn’t miss out!
How does the AHE Science and Technology Fair work?
Since 2006 AHE has been running a Science and Technology Fair for home-schooled children. We try and run our fair like the regional fairs for schools. However, being home-schoolers, we encourage children of all ages – little ones to teenagers – to enter. Any child is encouraged to have fun with science and show us what they’ve discovered!
Children enter a project of their choosing, usually using a display board (found at Stationery Stores). They submit their project and talk with judges about their work. Judges read their board. The next day all the projects are on display for the community to see and experience. Winners are announced and all entrants receive a Participation Certificate, and prizes are given out.
How long does it take to do a Science Fair project?
Usually students spend some or all of Term 1 working on their project, setting up experiments and researching, ready to present results and their findings for the Fair which is held at the end of Term 1. Depending on your topic you may need a few weeks to a few months, especially if you are doing an experimental type project.
What kind of projects can students enter?
Being home-schoolers there is flexibility to run with a variety of ideas that reflect children’s interest and ideas.
Experimental Project
Do an experiment to prove or disprove an idea.
For example – What Conditions Cause Iron To Rust?
Do experiments with iron objects under different conditions and measure the amount of rust on each object.
For guidance on how to do an EXPERIMENTAL PROJECT, click here…
Technology Project
Invent something new that solves a problem.
For example – Hamish Andrews (15 at the time) did a project showing a product designed to allow a person, including elderly people, to turn the shower water flow on and off from the shower head, which is useful when the tap is hard to turn or out of easy reach. He did this by designing a very simple on-off valve that is operated with a single push.
General Science Project
This is a broad category that may include a variety of science topics:
- NATURE STUDY
Observe something in nature and analyse it. Write about your observations and research. For example – the migration of birds.
You might do a display with pictures of different species of birds and maps of the world with migration pathways and you might go to Miranda and photograph some of the birds and write about your experiences. That is not an experiment – it is a project on a science topic. - DEMONSTRATION or EXPLANATION
Show us how something works – lift a book with a balloon, use levers & pulleys, explode something (outside). Explain how something works – why is wool warm? How does Google Maps give directions…? Or show us something groovy with numbers! - RESEARCH PROJECT
Learn all you can about an area of interest to you – dinosaurs, dolphins or daisies! Or a famous person or event in science. Research your topic and present your finding to us. - SCIENCE PHOTOGRAPHY PROJECT
Create a portfolio of photographs that show a scientific process.
Unsure about a topic?
We can help! Click here for some guidance….
Can I talk to anyone to ask questions or get advice?
Yes! Come along to the Science Fair Workshop for guidance on how to do a project. The Workshop focuses on the Experimental Project (which is what the NIWA Science Fair is mainly about). Or email questions to science@ahe.org.nz.
Can home-schoolers enter regional competitions?
Yes! Experimental projects or technology projects by students in Years 7-13 may be selected to represent AHE at the NIWA Auckland City Science & Technology Fair. This event celebrates excellence in scientific and technological investigation carried out by students in Auckland. It’s usually held in late August/early September. We’re proud of the many prize winners who’ve represented AHE at the NIWA Science & Technology Fair… there are a lot of schools out there and competition is tough!
Please note: as with all AHE events, parents are responsible for the the safety and care of their own children. Please ensure you actively supervise the children in your care.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY FAIR 2023
We hope that this year we will again hold the AHE Science Fair in person. If there are Covid-19 restrictions, it will be converted to an online event.
So keep doing that science, keep taking notes and preparing your display.
Remember as part of your fair you will have 5 to 10 minutes to show us your project and explain it to us. Then we will ask you some easy questions. Judges will confer and award prizes!
Cost:
$10 per child (member), max $25 per family (members only)
$20 per child for non-members
If you haven’t already, please read through the information on this page so you understand the different types of projects that can be entered. Feel free to be in contact if you need any help or guidance!
SCIENCE FAIR ENTRY INSTRUCTIONS/GUIDELINES FOR 2022:
Science Fair presentations are in usually in 2 parts, written and spoken – both aspects are how we present science in the real world and are important.
Written display
You should use a display board which can get from your local stationery shop. It will have 3 segments, and usually comes with a banner piece that you can fit on top. It’s great if you can include some key photos which help show what you have done or how things were progressing during your project. If you had more photos and don’t want to print them all, you can show us these on a device like a tablet or a laptop. If you want us to see how big your crystal has grown now – have it on display as part of your project.
As a rough guideline, children under 10 years old should write up to 4 pages or 600 words maximum.
Children 10 years and over should write up to 5 pages 1000 words maximum.
These are to be printed out and arranged – in a logical way –
For an Experimental project this will be,
Introduction, What I did, my results, my conclusions and discussion. For a science project we want to see an Introduction and then what you have found.
Bibliography – Reference books you have referred to or reference online material.
Spoken presentation
Please prepare a presentation about your display – expect to talk for 5 to 10 minutes showing the judges what you did and explaining your written poster. You are really going to tell us a story and show us the important things. Show us the items and the photos.
Then we will ask a few questions for you to answer.
Mum or Dad can be there but you must do the talking.
I might have 2 judges but probably only 1 to keep things simple.
You will be judged on how well you present your project, your scientific understanding, originality, the thoroughness.
Depending on the number of entries, judging of experimental projects for the older children will likely be done in the evening the day before the main fair. This will be confirmed closer to the time.
If you have any queries please contact science@ahe.org.nz or admin@ahe.org.nz