Northwood Science Olympiad

Northwood PTA & The Mad Scientists presents…

Science Olympiad

Friday, March 6, 2026
6:30 - 8:30 PM

Science Olympiad is a nationally recognized, non-profit program that provides children in grades K-5 with hands-on learning activities designed to spark the imagination and illuminate the world of science. Teams of four students experience a series of fun and exciting half-hour events. A few favorite events are noted below:

  • Marshmallow Tower - Build the tallest or strongest tower using marshmallows and toothpicks.

  • Aerodynamics Aloft  - How does a paper airplane fly? 

  • Operation Egg Drop - Build a structure to keep your egg from breaking when dropped from heights.

This is a tremendous team building event as each group spends the evening solving problems together. Every effort will be made to keep students on grade level teams, but it might be necessary to have a few split-level groups. We match parent team leaders (chaperones) to teams as the registrations are submitted in a random process, but we make every effort to ensure that parent team leader volunteers are placed with their child. Thank you for your support of this system.

If this sounds like a super awesome fun time, the next step is to register online (steps below) for the Science Olympiad Fun Night. Thanks to our amazing Northwood families, the PTA raised enough funds to make the event free this year!   

Colorful logo for Science Olympiad with icons of a gear, atomic model, molecule, and DNA strand.

Online Registration & Volunteer Sign up Instructions:

Step 1: Find the link to registration in:

  • Northwood Email Newsletter (sent on Fridays)

  • PTA Email Newsletter (sent on Mondays)

  • The Northwood PTA facebook group

Step 2: Fill out the form and submit. The online registration form has a place for volunteer signup as well as participant registration. Make sure to provide a valid email address.

Step 3: A confirmation/permission slip form will be sent to the email address you provided. Print the permission slip.

Step 4: Sign the permission slip and send it in via your child’s green folder by Friday, February 13, 2026. Registrations received after the deadline will be waitlisted and added as space allows. No registrations will be accepted after Friday, February 20, 2026. Team assignments will go home Wednesday, March 4, 2026. 

If you have any questions or are unable to access the registration website, please email the committee chair at northwoodmadscientists@gmail.com.

Note: this event is only open to current Northwood students.

Help make our Science Olympiad a scientific success… by volunteering!

Volunteer opportunities during the event: 

  • Team Leader:  Rotate with assigned team (4-6 kids) through all three events. Keep kids on track and assist if teams need help with instructions. No science knowledge necessary and is our biggest area of need!

  • Science Expert:  Assigned to an experiment (experiments are already created and materials are provided). Experts lead the experiment, the follow up discussion, and answer questions.  If you have a science background or just love and know science, please consider volunteering. Aunts, uncles, and grandparents are welcome to volunteer, too. Key areas for this event are engineering, physics, aerodynamics, human biology, construction and geology.

  • Check in (6-7pm)/ Check out (8-9pm):  Check in/check out participants and direct them to teams/parents.

  • Setup/Supplies: Set up experiment materials in their assigned locations and help replenish supplies during the event

  • Clean Up Crew: Help clean up the event after it ends and return the school back to normal!

Only adults signed up and approved as volunteers will be allowed in the building during the event. If you wish to observe the event, please sign up as a volunteer and we will find you a spot!

Two children and an adult working on a bamboo and wood structure in a school or community room.
A woman and several children gathered around a black plastic sheet on the floor, working on a marshmallow and toothpick construction project.
A group of children sitting on the floor in a room, listening to a man in a dark uniform who appears to be a police officer, giving a talk or demonstration. The children are holding papers, and there is yellow crime scene tape across the room.
A young girl with brown hair is examining a large log with a hole on a wooden table, using a tool in her hand. There are clear plastic cups and metal tools on the table near her.
Children at a table with a tray of worms and soil, with an adult supervising and taking notes, in a classroom setting.
A person dressed as a scientist demonstrates a science experiment involving a small rocket with balloons attached to it, while a group of children watches in a classroom.
A woman in a white lab coat and black shoes is giving a presentation or lesson to a group of children sitting on the wooden gym floor inside a school gymnasium.
Children conducting a science experiment on a table with test tubes, cloth, and papers.
Group of children assembling a structure using cardboard tubes and tape on a table.
Children and adults inspecting animal bones and fossils on a table with educational materials about different animals.
Children folding pink paper into origami shapes on a gymnasium floor, with instructions on how to make the shapes.
Three children seated on a black tablecloth, making a structure with marshmallows and toothpicks, in an indoor setting with tiled and wooden flooring.