Homeschool Science Colorado - Olympiad

Hi friends,

Now is the time to look into Homeschool Science Colorado, an exceptional Science Olympiad team composed entirely of homeschooled students, based out of Colorado Springs. Last year was Homeschool Science Colorado's first year and their performance was stellar. The team, composed of 13 middle schoolers (and younger) placed 3rd in the Southern Colorado Regional Tournament (in a field of about 30) and advanced to the Colorado State competition where they placed 3rd among the state's top 30 or so teams, many of whom are hand-picked from selective science magnet schools around the state. Our team "came from nowhere" and unseated some schools that had traditionally scored in the top 10 for many years. The team was featured on the front page of the Woodmen Edition local paper and has had their awards on display at the Rockrimmon Library.

This year, Homeschool Science Colorado is fielding two teams, one to compete with other middle schoolers and one to compete at the high school level, since four of the students on last year's team are too old to compete in the middle school division. All but one of our 13 original students have returned and a handful of homeschoolers has joined us. However, we still have several slots in each division open for ambitious science-loving homeschooled students. Perhaps this science option is just right for your older student.

We are accepting homeschool students that are not part of a distance learning public school program (such as COVA) or any other program that has a Science Olympiad team already. We are looking for motivated middle schoolers and high schoolers but will consider slightly younger students if they are willing to study and if there is room on the roster (priority is given to middle and high school students over upper elementary ones).

The team meets monthly through December and twice monthly through April at the East Library. At meetings, the team members sharpen their general science skills and study for their specialties. Between meetings, team members often communicate online and meet at houses to work on projects and share notes.

What is Science Olympiad? It's a national science competition for students. Teams consist of up to 15 students. Each student competes in about 4 or 5 "events." Most events are with one other teammate. Some events require the students to build something such as an airplane, a bridge, a tower, a musical instrument, or a robot. Other events require students to study a certain subject such as zoology, ecology, meteorology, astronomy, fossils, or biology in preparation for a written test or labs. A few other events combine physical challenges with science knowledge or ask a team of students to design and write up an experiment. There are events where students have to think on their feet and where they have to communicate ideas and describe things. There are three levels of competition. First, teams compete at regional tournaments in March. In April the top teams from the regionals move on to state. Finally, the top team in the state goes to a national competition in May.

Students receive medals for events that they place in. Scores in the individual events are tallied to create team scores.

For homeschoolers, Science Olympiad has some really outstanding advantages:

1. The team members get to know other homeschoolers that are interested in science and often work with experts in the community. My kids got to meet other science-minded students and these friendships are active during the summer, showing me that the relationship was deeper than just the team.

2. Students are reassured that homeschooling is a legitimate option (some homeschooled teens begin to doubt that their education is legitimate compared to their peers) as they compete against their public and private schooled peers and do well. Science Olympiad legitimizes homeschooled kids' science studies. They see that they can compete against hand-picked teams of the best students at science magnets!

3. Families find that Science Olympiad participation fulfills their science requirements quite well, and they leave boring textbooks behind.

4. Science Olympiad is a nationally recognized program and participation in it is a wonderful resume-builder for our students. Colleges that see Science Olympiad on a transcript look twice at our homeschooled kids. An "A" from mom or dad looks good, but a medal from Science Olympiad gets noticed.

5. Many colleges offer scholarships to students who have done well in this program. My old college offers a four-year full-ride scholarship to high schoolers that medal at the Alabama state competition!

6. Many students learn well with hands-on projects instead of just reading books. When my daughter built a bridge she learned a lot more about structure and forces than she would've from just reading a book.

7. Students develop independent research skills.

8. Students learn valuable test-taking skills. Public and private schooled students get a lot of practice in test taking, but our homeschooled kids often don't. In Science Olympiad, they learn test taking skills such as picking between two okay answers and time management.

9. Homeschoolers get a "good rap" from participation. The community coaches, often people who might not have a favorable view of homeschoolers, see that homeschooled kids are bright, motivated, and can work independently. Similarly, when the team name "Homeschool Science Colorado" is announced from the award podium at the competition, the public and private schools in attendance start to take notice of these very capable young scientists.

10. Students get a reward for their hard work in the form of individual medals and team certificates. Unlike our city sports trophies that gather dust in our basement, the medals are EARNED awards not simply "everyone gets one" awards. If a student brought home a medal (and everyone on the team did this past year!), he or she could know that it was earned, not just given out to everyone. Students worked hard and their hard work was recognized.

Please let me know if you are interested in joining our team. There are only a few slots left and when they are filled, we cannot accept new members any more but will maintain a waiting list in case someone moves or withdraws and can no longer participate. We will be assigning events soon.

Kelly Bell, assistant coach Homeschool Science Colorado
719-534-9817