Back To School

As August winds down, the children are returning to school. We see the school buses driving around figuring out their routes, along with parents and children grabbing all those must-have school supplies.

Each year Summer seems to fly by faster and faster, and just last night, my husband remarked that it is getting darker earlier each evening.

Sometimes I want to stop the clock. My grandchildren are growing up so fast. Three them will be in school all day. Thankfully we still have our little Elizabeth, who, at almost nine months old, will be around during the day.

The other day I got to thinking about science fair projects for some reason. They typically are held in the Winter, but there is always time to come up with ideas. Growing up at Behnke Nurseries, I never had a lack of great ideas right at my fingertips! Of course, there was the old celery in the colored water project, but after the first two times I did it, my mother told me I had to come up with other ideas.

I recall my brother doing something with different types of music and plants. The plants did the best with Classical. As the years went on, we experimented with different kinds of soil and how seeds grew or did not grow in my case (sometimes it helps to water them).

My best science fair project was on pollution. I took pictures of trash in the nearby stream, debris on the side of US 1, and smoke stacks from a factory in Washington, DC. But what I loved was my photo of the local Drive-In theater. MIND POLLUTION.

Anyone that grew up as I did in the 60s probably got to go to the drive-in and see all sorts of great family movies! My Mom would put us in our PJs, and off we would go. Then for some reason, they stopped showing films for kids, and it turned into an X-rated drive-in. Ugh! I photographed the marquee with the X-rated show and called it MIND POLLUTION!

I am trying to remember my grade on that science fair project, but I was very proud. The Drive-In was initially owned by Sydney Lust and opened in 1947. Later it was sold and renamed The Beltsville Drive-In in 1976 till it closed in 1987—the National Archives The Unwritten Record , an excellent article about this drive-in.

Now parents and children have it easier with the internet and being able to search for ideas. I found a site called Science Bob you should check out.

And remember, go see some of your local independent garden centers to stock up on the supplies you might need for whatever project your child thinks they will enjoy doing. Spring Bulbs will be in stock soon; you can do many different things with them. Here is an article from Larry Hurley about different ideas for projects!

I would love to hear about some of your science fair projects!