Notice for Mentors and Experimentors

[dreamerofeternity]

Okay, I need somewhere to post this so everyone could see it. There are a few points I think I should address to mentors and anyone doing a science fair project.

First of all, give yourself a lot of time to do the project. (I mean weeks to do decide the topic, do the research, write the research paper (with bibliography and at least 5 GOOD sources), plan out the procedures (with a little experimentation), perform the experiment, add additional research to back up your conclusion, the board...etc. Do you get what I mean now?)Very, VERY few projects could be done in a day, not to mention all the other things. Also, very few mentors could reply in one day.

Second of all, I believe mentors should not be giving anyone everything he/she needs for a project. He/she should do the research and when stumbling upon something, ask for help. The work should still be done by the experimenters, but the mentors should be there to guide things through and make things easier, NOT giving the whole steps out to them.

Hopefully this thread could be moved to somewhere more useful. And hopefully, it is useful. Disagree/agree with me, anyone.

[Caboose38924]

I agree with dreamofeternity. DONT, I repeat, DONT hold science fair projects off to the last minute. You will find yourself running around like crazy trying to find a project to do and getting all of the materials needed to do the project, writing the paper, making sloppy mistakes, and just doing a poor job on the project. You should give yourself two to three weeks to get everything ready for your project. Then you wont ever feel rushed with your projects. I acutally think this is what you should do with all projects. : _up: Time management is a very important skill in life.

[Living_Chemistry]

I have to agree, also.

I do indeed have a question, though. What happens if somebody left it to the last minute. And what if it wasn't their fault? Isn't this site supposed to help them? With that said, mentors and fellow experimentors should be there to help them.I'm not saying that people should give the entire project away. It is always a great idea to give people ideas so that they can think for themselves. Just try to be good debaters for a second and hear me out. An old quote says that "there is always an exception to the rule." Also, no two people are the same. Therefore, Some people need more than others.

I think a good thing to do, would be to reply to the thread with a topic idea. This allows the individual to think for themselves. If they have any problems, concerns, or questions with the idea, they can post again, and the person who gave the topic can give the thread-starter a little more to work with.

That's my platform. Thanks for listening!

Yours truly,