Science Olympiad
Science Olympiad
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What is Science Olympiad?
Science Olympiad is like a track meet, but instead of races and field events, students compete in science events. There are 23 events in a variety of science categories. For example, students might study specific topics in the solar system or build a bottle rocket propelled by water pressure.
Although the focus is science, Science Olympiad is not just academic. Students compete against public and private schools at invitationals. Adding a competitive edge to science really motivates students. The kids also build relationships on the team through working on their events with partners. And the all day invitationals are not just about competing – the kids enjoy spending the day together. In between events, they have time to play games, watch other events, and share meals.
Science Olympiad Divisions
Each team may have up to 15 students on the team.
Division B is for students in grades 6th through 9th. Click HERE to see an example of the Division B events.
2023 Division B Middle School Team - placed 6th at Regional's in Lansing, MI 2024 Division B Middle School Team - placed 5th at Regional's in Lansing, MI
Division C is for students in grades 9th through 12th. Click HERE to see examples of the Division C events.
2023 Division C High School Team - placed 5th at Regional's in Lansing, MI
2024 Divison C High School Team - finished 5th at Regional's in Lansing, MI and earned a spot at the State Invitational
Science Olympiad Competitions
Our team will complete in two types of competitions.
Invitationals are hosted by school districts, and any Science Olympiad team in the state may request to attend. There is usually a cost per invitational for our team to attend. Our team will choose at least three invitationals to attend. These invitationals will be at local school districts, such as Holt or Haslett. Some invitational will be within a 60 minute drive from the Lansing Area. The invitationals are an all day event on Saturdays, and will most likely occur in January or February.
The regional competition is an all day Saturday event in March. At this competition only the schools within our district may compete.
And, if our team qualifies, we will be invited to and attend the state competition.
Some pictures of past homeschool teams.
Science Olympiad State Tournament 2024:
Division C High School Team at State Tournament 2024
Division B Middle School students representing the team at the Parade of Schools at the State Tournament 2024.
Competition Events
Each division of Science Olympiad has 23 events in which student teams can participate. Each student on the team usually participate in two, three, or four events. Most events have two people working on them, although for some events you are allowed to have three members on the event. Most events can be sorted into one of three categories: study events, building events, and doing events. These aren’t official terms, but they can be very helpful when you are trying to figure out which events to participate in.
Study events are somewhat similar to preparing for a test in science class. As the name suggests, they involve a lot of studying books and articles in order to prepare, and competitions often involve completing a written test. Some events allow students to create a binder of information or a single paper with facts that they can use on the test. Some study events include Rocks and Minerals, Dynamic Planet, and Astronomy.
Building events are more hands-on and require participants to spend more time creating something than book studying. Students create something at home, then bring it to the competition to perform or be tested. Some building events include Flight, Wi-Fi Lab, and Bridge.
Doing events require students to do something during the competition, but do not require anything to be built at home. Examples of doing events are Experimental Design and Write it Do it.
Team Meetings
We will have team meetings a couple of times a month. At the fall meetings, students will participate in scientific challenges with a partner and learn about the some of this season's events. This is a good time to try out Science Olympiad, become familiar with the events, and invite friends to meetings.
Team meetings will be a time to collaborate with your event partners and work on events and are a great way for partners to prepare for the upcoming competitions.
Cost: $75 (additional costs possible for specific events)
2024-2025 High School Team Schedule (dates can also be found on the Lansing HEART event calendar. )
- Monday, September 16th: Pentathlon/Kick-Off Event, 2:15-3:45pm @ Delta Township Library Elmwood Room - Open to homeschooled high school students in Eaton or Ingham county interested in Science Olympiad.
- Monday, September 23rd: Team Meeting, 2:15-3:45pm @ Delta Township Library Elmwood Room
- Monday, October 7th: Team Meeting, 2:15-3:45pm @ Delta Township Library Elmwood Room
- Thursday, October 17th: Cafe Sci, 1-3pm @ The Brew (610 N Creytes Rd, Lansing)
High School Tournaments - Save the Date!
Saturday, November 16th: Saline Invitational (optional - This one is for students who want to get an early start!)
Saturday, January 25th: Haslet Invitational
Saturday, February 8th: Frankenmuth Invitational
Saturday, March 15th: Regionals at East Lansing High School
Science Olympiad Resources
Michigan Science Olympiad site: http://miscioly.org/
National Science Olympiad site: https://www.soinc.org/
You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ScienceOlympiadTV/featured
Event Rules: https://www.soinc.org/rules-2025
Science Olympiad Wiki page: https://scioly.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
Thank you to our 2024 Sponsor NDIA Michigan. They encourage young people to pursue their passion for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.
