Science Fair Flop Read online

  by ABBY KLEIN

  illustrated by

  JOHN MCKINLEY

  To Anne—

  A gifted teacher who knew how to open

  children’s eyes to the world around them.

  You will always be in my heart!

  —A.K.

  I have a problem.

  A really, really big problem.

  Every year my school has a

  science fair. Last year, when I

  was in kindergarten, I could share a

  collection, so I showed my shark tooth

  collection. Now that I am in first

  grade, I have to do an experiment

  for the fair, but I can’t think of

  any good projects.

  Let me tell you about it.

  Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Epigraph

  Dear Reader

  Chapter 1: What Is a Hypothesis?

  Chapter 2: The Experiment

  Chapter 3: Mice, Worms, and Nail Polish

  Chapter 4: Nothing!

  Chapter 5: Fuzzy Green Stuff

  Chapter 6: Shhhhhh … Don’t Tell!

  Chapter 7: Gone!

  Chapter 8: And the Winner Is …

  Freddy’s Fun Pages

  Freddy’s Shark Journal

  TRY YOUR OWN EXPERIMENT!

  Experiment #1

  Experiment #2

  Experiment #3

  Freddy’s Other Adventures!

  About the Authors

  Ready, Freddy!

  Copyright

  DEAR READER,

  I am a kindergarten and first-grade teacher. Every year my school has a science fair. I love science, and it’s always exciting to see the amazing projects the students do.

  One year, a third-grade student did an experiment with mice, just like Robbie. She brought the mice to school the night of the science fair, and someone accidentally unlocked the cage. The mice jumped out and started running all over the cafeteria! People were screaming, and one teacher even jumped up onto a table because she was so afraid of mice. Finally, the girl caught her mice, but it was one of the craziest science fairs ever!

  I hope you have as much fun reading Science Fair Flop as I had writing it.

  HAPPY READING!

  CHAPTER 1

  What Is a Hypothesis?

  “Come to the rug, everybody,” said my teacher, Mrs. Wushy. “I want to show you an experiment.”

  “I love experiments!” said my best friend, Robbie.

  “If you love them so much, then maybe you should marry them,” Max said, laughing.

  “You can’t marry an experiment!” said Chloe.

  “Yes, you can,” Max said with a grin.

  “Oh, no, you can’t!”

  “Yes, you can.”

  “Max, Chloe, that is enough,” said Mrs. Wushy. “I need to have everybody’s eyes looking at me now.”

  Max and Chloe glared at each other and then turned to look at Mrs. Wushy.

  “When scientists do an experiment, they have a question they want to answer. With this question in mind, they make a hypothesis. Does anyone know what that means?” asked Mrs. Wushy.

  Robbie’s hand shot up. “I know! I know!” he said.

  When it comes to science, Robbie knows everything. He is a science genius.

  “Yes, Robbie,” said Mrs. Wushy. “Tell the class what a hypothesis is.”

  “When a scientist makes a hypothesis, he is predicting what he thinks is going to happen in the experiment.”

  “You’re such a brain,” said Max. “I don’t know what you just said.”

  “It’s like a guess,” said Robbie. “The scientist is guessing what he thinks is going to happen when he does the experiment.”

  “That’s right!” said Mrs. Wushy. “And today we are all going to be scientists. Each of you will get a chance to make a hypothesis.”

  “Cool,” said my friend Jessie. “Science is fun!”

  “What is the experiment going to be about?” asked Robbie.

  “We are going to do a float-and-sink experiment,” said Mrs. Wushy. “Can anyone think of something that floats?”

  “A rubber duckie!” Max shouted out.

  “I bet he plays with one of those when he takes a bath,” I whispered to Robbie.

  We both laughed.

  “Anything else?”

  “A plastic cup,” said Chloe. “I like to pretend I’m cooking when I take a bath, so I have lots of plastic cups and bowls in the tub, and they all float.”

  “What do you cook?” asked Max. “Fried worms?”

  “Eeeeewwwwww! That’s disgusting,” said Chloe, wrinkling up her nose. “I would never make fried worms. I’d make beautiful cherry pies, and cupcakes with pink frosting.”

  “Too bad they’re not real,” Jessie whispered to me. “That sounds yummy!”

  My stomach growled. “Did you hear that?” I whispered to Jessie. “My stomach is yelling, ‘CUPCAKE! CUPCAKE!’”

  “Those are great answers so far,” said Mrs. Wushy. “Anything else?”

  “Well, once I was trying to write something down while I was taking a bath,” said Robbie, “and my pencil fell in the tub. When I looked down, it was floating on top of the water.”

  “Only you would be writing in the bathtub!” I whispered.

  Robbie smiled.

  “Good,” said Mrs. Wushy. “Now let’s see if you can think of some things that sink.”

  “A rock!” Max shouted out.

  “Max, please remember to raise your hand if you have something to say,” said Mrs. Wushy. “It isn’t okay to shout out.”

  Jessie raised her hand.

  “Thank you for raising your hand, Jessie,” said Mrs. Wushy. “Do you have an idea?”

  “Yes,” said Jessie. “A penny. I know a penny sinks, because my mom throws them in the pool for me, and then I dive down and get them.”

  “Hey, I do that, too!” I said. “I love that game!”

  Lots of other kids said, “Me, too! Me, too!”

  “How about one more?” asked Mrs. Wushy. “Do you have an idea, Freddy?”

  “Ummm … ummm … a shoe. One time I was in a boat with my dad. We were fishing, and I was swinging my legs over the side of the boat. Then all of a sudden my shoe went flying off and fell in the water. It sank to the bottom of the lake, and I never saw it again.”

  “Ha-ha! That’s so funny,” said Max. “A flying shoe!”

  Mrs. Wushy reached over and lifted a bag. “I brought something in today that we are going to use for our experiment.”

  “What is it? What is it?” we all asked.

  “I’ll give you some clues,” said Mrs. Wushy. “It’s round.”

  “Is it a ball?”

  “No. Here’s the next clue. It grows.”

  “Is it a tomato?”

  “No. Next clue. It’s orange.”

  “Is it an orange?”

  “No. Here’s my last clue. You carve it on Halloween.”

  “A pumpkin! A pumpkin!” we all shouted.

  “You’re right!” said Mrs. Wushy as she lifted the pumpkin out of the bag. “This is the question for our experiment: Does a pumpkin sink or float?”

  “Duh,” said Max. “Of course it’s going to sink.”

  “I think it’s going to float,” said Robbie.

  “You’re crazy,” said Max. “Everyone knows that things that are big and heavy sink.” He ran to the pumpkin, picked it up, and held it over his head. “This thing is really big and heavy.”

  “Max, please put the pumpkin down and go back to your spot,” said Mrs. Wushy.

  Kids started shouting, “Sink! Sink! Sink!”

 
“Okay, everyone, quiet down,” said Mrs. Wushy. “You will all get to make a hypothesis. You will make your own guess about what will happen when we put the pumpkin in this bucket of water.”

  “I know I’m right,” Max said. “It’s going to sink for sure.”

  “Please write your name on this little piece of paper, and then stick it on this chart,” Mrs. Wushy said, passing out slips of paper. “Put it on the ‘float’ side if you think the pumpkin will float, or on the ‘sink’ side if you think it will sink.”

  I wrote my name on my piece of paper, but then I just sat there and stared at it.

  “Come on, Freddy,” said Jessie. “You have to put your paper up on the chart.”

  “I know,” I said. “I just don’t know what to do. I think it’s going to sink, but Robbie thinks it’s going to float, and he is always right.” I raised my hand.

  “Yes, Freddy,” said Mrs. Wushy.

  “What if our guess isn’t right?”

  “That’s okay,” said Mrs. Wushy. “Scientists do lots of experiments. Sometimes their hypothesis is right, and sometimes it is wrong.”

  I walked up to the chart and stuck my name on the “sink” side. Robbie was my best friend, but there was no way a pumpkin was going to float.

  CHAPTER 2

  The Experiment

  Mrs. Wushy looked at the chart. “It looks like everybody thinks the pumpkin will sink except for Robbie.”

  Max started pointing at Robbie and laughing. “Ha, ha, ha, ha! He thinks it’s going to float. Ha, ha, ha!”

  “Max, that is not okay,” said Mrs. Wushy. “We do not laugh at our friends like that. Do you want to be here for the experiment?”

  Max nodded.

  “Then you need to sit down and be quiet.”

  Max quickly sat down.

  “So far we have done two important things,” said Mrs. Wushy. “We’ve asked a question, and we’ve made a hypothesis. Next we have to make sure we have the materials we will need for this experiment.”

  “What kind of materials?” Chloe asked. “Velvet? Silk?”

  “No,” Mrs. Wushy said with a smile. “Not that kind of material, Chloe. I just meant the things we need to do the experiment. What do we need?”

  “A pumpkin!” I said.

  “A bucket and some water!” Jessie said.

  “Good,” said Mrs. Wushy. “I have all of those things, so I think we are ready to do the experiment. Is everyone ready?”

  “Ready!” we all said.

  Mrs. Wushy lifted the pumpkin and gently placed it into the bucket of water.

  I held my breath.

  “Sink! Sink! Sink!” some kids chanted.

  All of a sudden, the room got quiet.

  We all stared at the bucket.

  We couldn’t believe our eyes! That big, fat pumpkin was floating on top of the water, happily bobbing up and down.

  I looked at Max. His eyes were wide, and his mouth was hanging open.

  Then I looked at Robbie. He sat there with a huge smile on his face.

  “I can’t believe it,” Jessie whispered.

  “I can’t, either,” I said.

  “When a scientist does an experiment, he or she must collect data,” said Mrs. Wushy. “That means the scientist has to write down what is happening during the experiment. What do you see happening?”

  “The pumpkin is floating,” said Chloe.

  “That’s just because you didn’t push it down,” said Max. “You have to push it down in the bucket, and then it will sink.”

  “Max, do you want to try pushing it down?” asked Mrs. Wushy.

  “Yes,” said Max.

  “Well, then come up here and give it a push. Just don’t push too hard, because I don’t want the water to spill on the carpet.”

  Max walked up with a smile and gave the pumpkin a big push. “Now it will sink,” he said. He turned around and walked back to his spot.

  Everyone started laughing.

  “What’s so funny?” asked Max.

  “See for yourself,” Chloe said.

  Max looked at the bucket, and the pumpkin was once again floating on top of the water.

  “That’s just crazy,” said Max, shaking his head.

  Mrs. Wushy smiled. “Does anyone know why the pumpkin floats?”

  Of course Robbie raised his hand. “Because it’s full of air,” he said. “Things that have a lot of air in them float.”

  “That’s right,” said Mrs. Wushy. “Has anyone ever cut open a pumpkin?”

  Lots of kids raised their hands.

  “What’s inside?”

  “Ooey, gooey, disgusting goop that I won’t touch!” said Chloe.

  “You mean the pumpkin pulp,” said Robbie.

  “I don’t know what it’s called,” said Chloe. “I just know it’s slimy and disgusting.”

  “What else is in the pumpkin?” asked Mrs. Wushy.

  “Lots and lots of seeds,” said Jessie. “I love to toast them and eat them.”

  “Me, too! Me, too!” everyone said.

  “Is the inside of the pumpkin solid?” asked Mrs. Wushy. “What about the inside of a watermelon? If I cut off the top of a watermelon, could I stick my hand inside?”

  “No!” said Max.

  “But I can stick my hand inside the pumpkin,” said Mrs. Wushy, “because the pumpkin is full of air. Just like Robbie told us. If something has a lot of air inside it, then it will float.”

  “Hey! The raft in my pool is full of air, and it floats,” said Chloe. “I like to lie on it in my swimsuit and float around, so my beautiful curls don’t get wet.”

  “Is she for real?” Jessie asked.

  “So now let’s review what we have done so far,” said Mrs. Wushy. “We asked a question, we made a hypothesis, we got our materials, and we did the experiment and collected our data. We just have one thing left.”

  “What’s that?” Jessie asked.

  “We have to write down our results. We have to say what happened.”

  “The pumpkin floated,” I said.

  “That’s right. We can write that down right here on our chart,” said Mrs. Wushy. “Now you all know the important steps to doing an experiment.”

  “Can we do another one?” Jessie asked.

  “Another one! Another one!” we all chanted.

  “I’m sorry, boys and girls. We don’t have time to do another one today. But the good news is the science fair is coming up. Each of you will be doing an experiment for the science fair.”

  “Cool,” said Max.

  “When is the science fair?” asked Jessie.

  “It is three weeks away,” said Mrs. Wushy.

  “Three weeks away?” said Chloe. “Then why are you telling us about it now?”

  “Because to do a project for the fair, you need time to think of your experiment, and then you need time to do it. Some experiments may take a few weeks.”

  “A few weeks?” asked Jessie. “What do you mean?”

  “Well, for example, say you wanted to do an experiment about how plants grow. Do plants grow overnight?” asked Mrs. Wushy.

  “No!” Jessie said, laughing.

  “So you might have to wait a few weeks to see the results of your experiment,” said Mrs. Wushy.

  “Oh, I get it,” said Jessie.

  “You should all start thinking about what you want to do,” said Mrs. Wushy.

  “I already know what I want to do,” said Robbie.

  “Of course you do,” I thought. I, on the other hand, had no idea!

  CHAPTER 3

  Mice, Worms, and Nail Polish

  When we got to the cafeteria for lunch, all the kids were talking about their ideas for their experiments. Everyone except me.

  “Robbie, you said you already know what you want to do. What’s your idea?” asked Jessie.

  “Well, you know my mouse, Cheesy?”

  “You mean the one that got loose one time in Freddy’s house and totally freaked his mom out?”
>
  Robbie looked at me, and I looked at him, and we both started laughing. Some of my milk almost came out of my nose.

  “Yeah, that one,” Robbie said.

  “A mouse?” said Chloe. “You have a mouse for a pet?”

  “Yeah,” said Robbie. “He’s so cute.”

  “Cute!” said Chloe. “Mice are not cute. They are stinky and gross.”

  “No, you are stinky and gross,” said Max.

  “I am not!” Chloe yelled. “You take that back, Max Sellars.”

  Max held his nose and sang, “Stinky, stinky, stinky, gross, gross, gross.”

  Chloe got so mad her face turned as red as her hair. I thought steam might start coming out of her ears.

  “Just ignore him,” said Jessie. “I want to hear what Robbie is going to do with Cheesy.”

  “I’m going to build a little maze for Cheesy. Then I’m going to put a piece of food at the end of the maze, so Cheesy will want to run through the maze to get the food. Each time he runs, I’ll time him to see how fast he goes. I’m going to put different kinds of food at the end of the maze and see if he runs faster depending on what food is there.”

  “Wow! That sounds pretty complicated,” said Jessie.

  “Not for Robbie,” I said. “He is the science king!”

  Robbie smiled. “How about you, Jessie? What do you want to do for your experiment?”

  “I’m not totally sure yet. But I think I want to do something with jalapeños.”

  “Hal … a … whats?” I said.

  “Jalapeños,” said Jessie. “They are really hot peppers that are used a lot in Mexican food.”

  “Oh, I eat those all the time,” said Max. “They’re not that hot.”

  “You do not,” said Jessie. “They’re so hot that you would not even be able to eat one without crying like a baby.”

  I laughed just thinking about Max crying like a baby.

  “I can bring one to school tomorrow, and you can eat it in front of all of us at lunchtime.”

  “Uh … that’s okay,” Max mumbled as he took a bite of his sandwich.

  “Anyway,” said Jessie, “my abuela, my grandma, grows them in a little box on the windowsill in our apartment.”