Science Fair Permission Slip: Fill & Download for Free

Fullname, or First, MI, Lastname is traditional.The teacher sponsor has to sign a permission slip for the participant. If you have that in hand, it should clue you how your address should read.

Orig question: What inanimate objects can grow?When I was a little kid (yes, I was always a nerd), I used to grow metal silicate crystal gardens. You drop crystals of fairly water-soluble metal salts into a jar of “waterglass” (a solution of sodium silicate) and the crystals, as they dissolve, form insoluble crazy little stalagmites of the metal silicates from the bottom surface upwards. As I recall, iron (III) chloride gave orange, copper (II) sulfate was a beautiful blue, nickel (II) and iron (II) sulfates were shades of green, cobalt (II) chloride was dark blue/purple, and zinc sulfate was white. They were gorgeous delicate structures but extremely fragile, kind of like undersea corals. I took one into fourth grade once for a science project but before the crystals could grow much, I found out that the other kids were picking up the jar and shaking it to look at it. It looked like confetti suspended in water. I was heartbroken.Although this looks like a pretty but relatively non-educational activity, it’s a useful demonstration of various chemical processes such as the growth of corrosion structures on steel in sea water as well as the chemical hardening of Portland cement.p.s. I used to buy my metal salts from drugstores (it’s amazing what they used to sell a little kid as long as you had a parent’s permission slip) but you can buy kits for these now, usually under the name of “magic rocks” or “chemical gardens.“

I had a chemistry teacher in high school who encouraged me to develop a project for a local science fair. I worked hard on it, learned a ton, and one Saturday presented my work to a panel of judges at a local community college. To my shock and joy, my project was one of a group recommended to advance to the state level science fair.Unfortunately, this required paying for a hotel, meals, and splitting the cost of transportation. My parents could not afford this. I approached my teacher, thanked him for his support and politely told him I had to decline the invitation to the state event.“Why aren’t you going?”“My parents can’t afford it, I’m sorry.”He grimaced. “You’re going,” he said. “Mark your calendar, and get the permission slips signed.”“But I can’t afford to!” I protested.“Don’t worry about it. You just need to show up.”I don’t know exactly what happened behind the scenes. I suspect that the teacher paid the fees out of his own pocket. I was too thoughtless or ignorant to ask what happened. But I went to the state science fair and placed in the top tier of presenters.This was a seminal experience of my high school years. I went with a group of peers and we had a great time. We learned to show up like responsible adults and scientists, but we also had a ton of fun. Decades later, I see that experience as a key point in forming my career as an engineer.That teacher could have just as easily said, “I’m sorry you can’t go, we’ll miss you.” He would have none of that. He made sure that his students got a chance to do something that they could not otherwise afford.I can honestly say it changed my life, and it’s part of the mountain of debt that I accrued over my lifetime from people who just wanted to see me succeed. I strive to pay that debt forward every day.