The Kids Science Challenge (KSC) aims to empower 3rd through 6th graders to discover the fun of STEM subjects, to overcome any cynicism they may have about them, and to envision themselves as bold innovators – all before becoming teenagers. Through its national online competition, KSC allows kids the opportunity to experience inquiry-based learning and engage in 3 annual science fields. Recognizing that there are certain populations who are not afforded the same exposure to online education at school or at home, KSC aims to bring this hands-on opportunity to this underrepresented demographic through after-school program partnerships as well.

Problem

8-11 year olds hold the seeds of the future. Their enthusiasm for life needs to be protected and supported. They need to discover their inherent capacity to look at what is in front of them and respond with something new. They need to know they matter and have the capacity to make a difference in the world. They need role models showing them that scientists are remarkable people with skills that are really important and useful to have. They need an atmosphere around them where possibilities abound, where it’s fun, where there is encouragement to innovate, and where every new idea is needed. These children will be tomorrow’s leaders. They will have the confidence to create a new world. That’s what the Kids’ Science Challenge is all about.

Solution

KSC demystifies science and scientists & makes science relevant. KSC specializes in grades 3-6, engaging kids who don’t think of themselves as science types who express minimal interest in science, 2/3 of whom have never experience a science contest, club or camp. KSC website offers interactive games & activities pulling kids in as they learn about the scientific topics and methods relevant to the featured challenges. Only the KSC COPPA compliant site contains interactive games & activities designed to help kids brainstorm ideas and put their entries together. Overall the KSC site appears to be the most kid-friendly site among those reviewed by evaluators, Knight Williams. Furthermore, KSC encourages the kids to make the intellectual leap to come up with their own idea, and to think of science creatively and not to simply regurgitate information. One parent wrote: Since participating in KSC, my son’s mind becomes active with possibilities. He dreams about ways he can use his creative scientific ideas in the future. For example, he voiced a strong desire to eradicate the world of invasive funguses before they begin to mutate & attack more vertebrates, as last year at school, his class studied the fungus that is causing certain species of frogs globally to become extinct. He began to consider applying models found in nature to other fields, just as he'd done in KSC by using the model of the spider's web and applying it to the field of tree- and building- climbing safety gear .I believe it opened his mind to how science relates to many different aspects of the world.

Example

KSC selects 3 science topics yearly & for each, a team of expert scientists. Kids, parents & teachers can learn more about these topics at www.kidsciencechallenge.com via online tools that catalyze creative thinking: videos, hands-on activities, games, & curricula. Kids learn that scientists are regular folks, just like them & their parents. They learn that science deals with real stuff from real life & that science can help to solve problems that are part of their future. Year 3 of KSC included: Magical Microbes, Super Stuff for Sports, & Sensational Sounds. This year, our topics include: Meals on Mars: Come up with new ways to preserve, cook, deliver or sustainably produce food in flight or on Mars; Animal Smarts: Design a toy, game/experiment that enhances the life of a pet or zoo animal & demonstrates its intelligence; and Zero Waste: Invent a package that never has to see a landfill. Students are presented a question and tasked to come up with a solution for one of the teams of scientists they’ve studied. Their submissions, a short essay and optional drawing, convey their unique idea and are judged by a panel of educators/scientists. Prizes are given to winning students for each topic. Grand prize winners travel to collaborate with scientists to see their idea come alive. This work is filmed for all the KSC virtual community to see. There are additional cool prizes for the winners & runners-up as well as Kids’ Choice prizes. Free hands-on activity kits with experiments mirroring the work of KSC scientists are sent to the first 1,000 entrants yearly.

Marketplace

There are a few other contests that are for elementary school children. Most focus on middle school and high school students. The KSC allows kids to enter the contest who have never before participated in science fairs or other science activities. All they need to do to enter is explain their idea and tell how they came up with it. They do NOT need to complete the experiment. They can, if they wish, submit an illustration of their idea. This enables the KSC to reach kids other competitions fair to reach, those with little or no confidence in the STEM subjects.