SCIENCE OLYMPIAD!

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2003 Team Challenges	2003 Individual Events
2003 Pictures	2004 Pictures
2002 Pictures	Roosevelt's Home Page
2001 Pictures

WHAT IS THE SCIENCE OLYMPIAD?

Science Olympiad Inc., is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of science in the elementary years. Our Roosevelt program is an adaptation of a sample program provided in the Olympiad training manual. The Science Olympiad began on the east coast, and has rapidly moved westward.

Science Olympiad Inc., has been recognized at the White House, and by the National Science Foundation

The Science Olympiad is devoted to improving the quality of science education, increasing student interest in science and providing recognition for outstanding achievement in science by our students. Science Olympiad tournaments are academic, interscholastic competitions which consist of a series of individual and team events. Students are encouraged to prepare for events.

Some of the events require individual participation while others are team competitions. It must be noted that although the rules will be followed as closely as possible, some modifications may be made prior to and during the events, depending on circumstances (including the age and effort displayed by the child). There are no "freebies", but assistance will be offered if a child reaches a frustration level.

The Science Olympiad is competitive and creates a homeroom "team spirit". We hope to see excitement and effort. Like sporting events, everyone is expected to show gracious acceptance of their scores. As a rule, the better prepared the students, the better their classroom scores. (All scores are averaged to compensate for varied class sizes.)

Two trophies will be awarded and engraved ... One to the highest scoring K, 1, 2 class, and One to the highest scoring 3, 4, 5 classroom. If money permits, we will also offer medals to winning teams and individuals. Everyone will receive a certificate of participation.

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2003 TEAM CHALLENGES

 

Challenges are done by classroom teams. Each classroom will select four to five teams to compete in Special Challenges. Each team is given their own specific challenge to master.

CHALLENGES ARE LIMITED TO 20 MINUTES EACH.

Click on Blue Words for pictures or further information

Challenge - Memory Lane - (Whole Classroom Challenge) - The class, when blindfolded, will follow a course by holding a rope. About every two feet, students will feel attached objects and make guesses, in their mind, as to what it is. They then move on to the next object. At the end of the course, they return to their homeroom and try, as a class, to remember as many objects as they can. In the event of a tie, the class that remembers the most objects in the correct order from the first object, wins.

Challenge - Orienteering to Treasure - Upper Grade Teams will follow a set of directions using their orienteering skills ... pacing and using a magnetic compass to find the treasure (first place). Lower grades will be asked to pace off a certain distance from the starting point (example, 10 meters)

Challenge - Clay Boats - Each class team will be broken into two sub-teams. They will build a boat from clay, launch it, and fill it with the greatest number of 'washers' before it sinks. Team points are added together for total classroom points.

Challenge - Super Straw Structures (New! for 2003) - Each team will build the tallest, free standing tower possible using only straws, 2" pieces of tape, pins, and paper clips.

Challenge - Aerodynamics - Younger children will have the option of using pre-made paper airplanes... Older children will build their own at the challenge. Points are earned for flying the airplane through a hoop. Greater distances bring higher points.

Challenge - Copy Cats (New! for 2003) - Grades K-2 will simply copy a prebuilt structure made out of K-nex. If they finish that structure correctly, they may start building the next structure, continuing on through 3 possible structures.

Grades 3 - 5 will be divided into "tellers" and "builders". Teams decide which level of three that they want to start on. Event leaders will "unveil" the chosen structure to "tellers" behind privacy boards. "Tellers" then talk the builders through the building process, without gestures, until the structure is built. If they finish early, they may start on a second, or even third structure.

INDIVIDUAL EVENTS

Students will be limited to 45 minutes, completing as many of the following events as they can. Each event will be worth a specified number of points for their classroom.

• Barge Building - Students will construct a barge from a sheet of aluminum foil measuring about 6" X 6". The barge is floated in a bin filled with water, and pennies are added until the barge sinks. Pennies equal points.
• Where In The World Is Teddy Roosevelt Bear? (New! for 2003) - A Super Sensory experience, where children are challenged to sniff, feel, hear, and taste their way through solving a mystery.
• Cups-a-Weigh - Students will organize a set of five, different sized cups by weight-- from lightest to heaviest.
• Sink or Float? (New! for 2003) - Students predict and test their knowledge of objects, determining whether they sink or float.
• Mystery Boxes - Students will be asked to identify the contents of various boxes through observational skills (shaking, weighing, listening, etc. to the contents).
• Circuit Wizardry - Students will try to light a bulb, using a battery, wire, and bulb. They will also take a test showing various circuit possibilities and choose the ones that work. They may test their guesses at the station, using batteries, bulbs, and wires before turning in their test.
• No Bones About It - Students are given a study sheet prior the event. During the Olympiad, they write down names of designated bones that they can remember on a test. A choice of bone names will be provided for them on a poster at the event.
• Grab-a-Gram (New! for 2003) - Students will balance a simple scale ... speed wins our Olympians more points!
• Coins (New! for 2003) - Students are first given time to observe details of common coins. When ready, they will try to recall specific details asked on a test.
• Graphing - Students will be asked to locate points on a graph when given coordinates. When all the points have been located and labeled, the student will connect the dots in sequence to get a picture. Younger children will be given a dot to dot to alphabetize.
• Music to My Ears - Students will organize by pitch, four, various sized, water filled glasses / bottles.
• The Nose Knows - Given two, identical, unmarked sets of five- gauze covered film canisters... students will try to match-up smells, and then identify them by name.
• Memory - Each child will be shown a pattern card for about 3 seconds. They are to repeat the pattern using pattern blocks.
• Mirror Me This - Students will be given 1/2 of a "pattern block" mosaic that they need to "make whole". They will use pattern blocks placed in an exact mirror image of the challenge mosaic. A simpler puzzle will be available for K-2 students.
• Prehistoric Beasties - Students are given a study sheet in advance. Olympians try to identify as many prehistoric creatures on the test sheet that they can. Only scientific names will be accepted (no - "T Rex", yes - "Tyrannosaurus Rex"). They receive extra points if they can figure out the meaning of the name, given clues.
• Rock Hunt - Students will be presented with 5 rocks that are similar, yet different. After holding each one and using their best observational skills, students will be blindfolded and asked to find the predetermined marked one. Rocks with more definable differences will be used with the younger children.
• Microscopes - This challenge is in three parts. 1) Students identify basic parts of the microscope on a test paper. 2) They then demonstrate their ability to adjust or focus a microscope on a prepared slide, and 3) if they wish, they may try to identify four prepared slides under a microscope. If they wish, they may stop, or pass on a particular section.
• Jelly Beans - A favorite! Estimate correctly the number of Jelly Beans in the jar, along with what you think the jar weighs. Winner wins jar of Jelly Beans for their class to enjoy.