What about Science Fair?

By: Lorena Baquerizo, Guayaquil-Ecuador
In our local schools´ annual planning we will always find a day or two for the special science fair which will be held in the school´s patio and which decoration should be outstanding so it looks attractive for our visitors from other schools. Its content is 100% scientist and is explained by the students, some of them in Spanish and some others in English, among the subjects involved we usually have: chemistry, anatomy, math, social studies, statistics, physical education, and others.
Planning and making it real a science fair takes all the stakeholders we can imagine: media, sponsors, institution authorities, coordinators, secretaries, teachers, students, parents, sponsors, and janitors. The whole school community gets involved into this macro activity. My question is: Why do we have science fair? What do we want our students to learn or be able to do that day? What do we want our parents to see?
This is how a traditional science fair may look like: Stands with cardboards full of letters written with markers, hanging on the walls, small tables full of souvenirs ready to deliver to the listeners. Kids, most of the time with costumes, give a text known my heart, looking at the poster to help him remember the next word in his speech. Does this sound familiar?
And this is I consider a science fair should look like: Kids in different places with no more than tools, materials and instruments to do their experiment, nothing too prepared but just students own work in class based on a specific subject, not repeating a text but explaining it and able to answer a questions if a person in the public asks.
I know traditions make culture, but we need to be sure first that whatever we do, even if it has a long trajectory, needs to have clear objective and clear goals to reach. So our school events are productive and worthy of all praise.