Saturday, October 22, 2011

Expociencias



Could be that the elementary education curriculum in the United States is so stressed about math and reading there is no longer room for much science.

Could be that because Lydia skipped a grade coming here, so developmentally she just jumped right into a more advanced level of science.

Could be that we chose a school that incorporates the natural world into so much, and is located on a farm on the edge of the city with much more access to wildlife.

Could be that the science teachers have been some of Lydia's favorites.




Whatever the reason, we have been really thrilled with the amount and level of science our children are getting these three years at Liceo Boston.



This last week (seven complete days, 10 hours each day) Lydia was asked to be one of six students representing their school in the Colombian National Science Fair here in Bogota. They began their project last year, collecting a variety of bugs and insects on the grassy hills of their school. They preserved these bugs, identified them, hypothesized and theorized, and then developed a way to present what they had found.




She gave hundreds of presentations in Spanish as people walked by their booth asking about their project.




Today we went to check it all out. I was so impressed, with the extent of material that was presented in this giant expo-center. Granted, it was my first science fair, but I was very inspired by the work that was displayed!

And we are so very proud of our girl, who has taken tremendous social and academic risks to do this work well, and proven to all of us that her inquisitive mind and creative spirit are stronger than ever.

(Some examples of other projects at the fair... I could have taken pictures all day long).