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Super Science Fair Projects

admin — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 13:28:00 +0000

Even if kids deny it, winning the science fair is a pretty big honor. It is something a student will get to boast about for years to come. Instilling pride in their school work and sparking a genuine and possible lifelong interest in science is something not many subjects can do through a fair or a competition. Just like in any competition, most children will not want to submit something that will be so-so. Even if it does not win, a science project submitted to the fair has to be world class. It has to be one of the super science fair projects!

Depending on the year level of your child, as well as their branch of science of choice (usually, you have three branches throughout a child’s elementary and middle school life), there are many super science fair projects out there. The first step to getting a super science fair project is to carefully study the rules of the fair. Each fair is different depending on the school or school district. Getting to know the rules, as well as the criteria of what the judges are looking for will help you and your child come up with something worthy of the colored prize ribbons.

Earth Science is the science that studies our world and what it is made of. Think geology, anthropology, carbon dating, and the like. The most famous earth science project out there is probably the baking soda and vinegar volcano which shows how magma can rise from the earth and out over the volcano simulating a volcanic eruption. The project also demonstrates a basic chemical reaction. For a super science fair project that involve earth science though, try coming up with your own system for carbon dating. Study the method behind carbon dating and see if you can probably do the same with a few household tools.

One of the more popular choices for super science fair projects in the lower grades is a project that involves life science. Life science is the study of trees, animals, humans, and all other living things. Something as simple as comparing plant growth will count as a science fair project. In order to win, though, take the project up a notch and try growing plants through a hydroponic or aeroponic system. The most important thing is that your child comes up with a good system that they understand and can present healthy growing plants without the use of soil!

Finally, there is physical science, which is by far the most commonly used concept when it comes to super science fair projects. If you pick physical science as your branch, be ready for the competition! If you have a lesson outline of your child’s physical science lessons, choose a lesson ahead of what they are currently studying, and base the project on that lesson. This will assure you that your child’s project is unique and will throw everyone off by surprise. Being ahead of everyone else in terms of concepts or theory is always a sure winner!

By: Ethan Jeremy

Science Project Safety 101

admin — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 02:01:11 +0000

Even the simplest science projects can be dangerous if you do not practice science project safety. Combining some very common household ingredients in the right way can cause serious health problems and even death. Children should be taught basic safety techniques and parents should be readily available for questioning or to directly observe more hazardous experiments. Below are some basic safety tips to follow when working on science projects. There is no comprehensive list that covers every potential hazard so it is important to use common sense.

• Always carefully and thoroughly read all directions before beginning any experiment.

• If you have purchased a science kit of some kind, make sure that you are only using the materials provided in the kit and that you do not combine foreign materials unless otherwise directed.

• When it doubt, do not be afraid to ask questions. Make sure that children know to ask a parent if they are not sure what to do next and that parents refer to the instructional guide of a help-line if they do not know how to resolve an issue.

• Any experiment that involves fire, chemicals, or anything else that could be potentially dangerous, should be supervised by a parent, teacher or other knowledgeable adult.

• Never mix chemicals. Only use chemicals in the specific manner directed. Never touch chemicals with bare hands.

• Make sure that if you do not complete your project in a single sitting, that you put it someplace out of the way so that others do not injure themselves or accidentally handle your pending experiment.

• Always clean-up the area that you have been working on. You do not want parts of your chemistry project left on the same counter that your mom is going to use later to cook diner on.

• You may find that you will be asked to use materials for a specific project that require special care for their disposal. Just some of the ways that a substance could be hazardous are that it could be flammable, reactive, toxic, radioactive, etc.

• Animals, people and regulated materials should all be handled with care. Remember that science can stop being fun if someone gets hurt.

• Parents, make sure that if any of your projects materials are accompanied by Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) that you take time to carefully read through the information provided. MSDS sheets provide valuable information regarding how to handle a chemical and how to get medical help if needed.

• Make sure that you wear protective equipment such as goggles, gloves, an apron, or a hat when necessary.

The science projects that your children will be asked to perform are rarely going to involve any chemicals or substances that could easily harm them so you do not need to be paranoid about any project your child brings home from school. At the same time it is unwise to let your guard down and make assumptions about safety without carefully examining the situation. After all, accidents happen when you least expecting them.

Be involved as your child chooses which science projects that he would like to try. Make sure that you make the time to supervise your child and encourage your child to ask questions. Practicing good science safety will allow you and your children to have an educational and uplifting experience together.

By: Chuck Lunsford

Top Science Fair Tips

admin — Sat, 22 May 2010 10:59:50 +0000

If you’re reading this it is most likely that it is science fair project time and you are looking for the very best, Top Science Tips on the planet!

First tip: Do not wait until the very last second to decide what project you would like to do.

2nd Tip: If you are racking your brain about a science fair project subject matter or just do not really love doing science projects, that’s O.K, because there are presently science kits that are designed just for science fairs.

There are quite a few types of kits to pick from. Quite a few are specified towards students that wish to do a project but don’t think they can create it on their own, and others provide you with the flexibility to design your very own experiments by using the kit. It’s one of the greatest ways to have a good fair project and fulfill your teacher’s specifications.

What are you interested in? Do you want to know about Robotics? One idea could be the robotic arm trainer which is the absolute for creating a science fair projects. This kit teaches primary robotic sensing principles, testing your motor skills, while you form and control the Arm. Wonderful for high school science fair projects. Yet another option is the brand new Kranius Brain. It is so much fun!

It doesn’t matter if a person is 9 or a college student, renewable energy is a big topic of our planet. The PicoTurbine Windmill experiments Kit offers students twenty completely free energy science projects and for professors, schools and organizations, there are renewable energy educational science fair projects for the classroom.

An additional consideration for the earth ecology is energy and how to build new resources. Would you want to produce and dabble with a model alternative energy Power House? Apply the power of the wind and sun with seventy experiments in potential energy, ecology, conductivity, and biology. Render, warm, and desalinate a water supply and preserve your own food.

Or how about fuel? With the price of gasoline climbing, engineers are seriously trying to develop fuel cell cars. This is one of the most meaningful technologies of the modern day. Maybe you’re the individual to create automobiles that actually runs on water!

For most any science fair project, science kits will be the ideal choice. From rockets to chemistry science projects you’ll likely discover an amazing choice for most any science fair.

3rd Tip: Instantaneously downloadable science fair ebooks are outstanding because they walk you through a science fair project. Some even give you the actual science fair projects. Right away you have the ability to download your

4th Tip: It won’t matter if you use a kit or want to create your own project, here’s one of the most critical science fair tips that I can offer you… You’ll still need to do all the six steps of the scientific method.

By: Madeline Binder

Science Fair Project – 9 Must Know Tasks To An A Plus

admin — Sun, 16 May 2010 17:32:42 +0000

It is that time of the year and your teacher hands out a piece of paper to take home that states the next class assignment is a science fair project and is due in a few weeks.

You may have already picked out a project to do but if not try all the following steps:

1. Originality Is Key!

Your teachers or whoever judges the science fair projects will look for new ideas that are being presented to them. They do not want to see the old stale information from last year. You could definitely think of something that could fix a problem you have in your house or with a product.

2. Prepare

Now that you have the idea it is important to do the project good and you will not do it well if you do not prepare first.

3. Project You

This is one of my biggest pet peeves. The kids come home and hand their parents the paper and expect their mom or dad to give them an idea, get the materials, set up the experiment and do the project. They tell their child what happened and give them the experiment to take to school. No way! This is why you are doing a science project to learn something about science and what better way than to do the experiment yourself.

4. What Are You Doing?

If you have a good idea does your project have clear cut steps to prove your theory? If not you may just be treading water. Keep it simple and understandable and make sure it solves a question or solution.

6. Do You Know It?

When you present the experiment and its outcome to your teacher are you knowledgeable? If they ask a question can you tell them the answer without being goofy? You need to know the information about your project. Your teacher will be impressed and you will actually learn something if you truly know everything about your science experiment. Make sure to do a project that you will be able to understand. If it is really complicated and you still do not understand the concept when you are done then maybe it is too old for you. You need to understand the science level you are trying to accomplish.

7. Answer The Question

Did you answer the question you determined in your hypothesis? If you have shown a science project make sure it works and proves the hypothesis or disproves it.

8. Documentation and Evidence

Give all informational support about the answer you generated in the experiment. You have to prove what you are saying and doing is correct so have back up information to show them.

9. Do Something You Like and Put Yourself Into It

You need to pick a topic that you like and put enough time into the project. If you quickly jot down the science information it will show so pick something you like and will spend time doing and researching to prove a point. Your teacher will see your hard work.

Hope your next science fair project is successful when you follow these steps.

By: Lesa Bolt

Easy Science Fair Projects For the Third Grade

admin — Thu, 06 May 2010 07:42:44 +0000

During the third grade, your child’s science class will become more serious than before. In order to prepare their students for the kind of science they will be facing in higher grade levels, teachers tend to be stricter with their students. It is also in the third grade that some schools require their students to join the science fair, and this can be really overwhelming for a third grader. Joining the science fair is a big step that can really pressure your child when it comes to finding a good idea for a project. Luckily, there are many easy science fair projects for the third grade right under their noses!

Like all elementary science classes, third grade science is divided into three major science branches. These branches are life science, earth science, and physical science. From these branches you will find many ideas for easy science fair projects. Go through your child’s textbook and see what it is they have been studying during the semester. You can also ask your child to tell you what they learned under each branch of science. This can help instill a sense of independence and ownership over their project because they will feel like they have something to teach you! Who knows? They just might!

Encourage your child to choose a science topic they enjoyed studying. Usually when a child enjoys a subject it also means that they understand it well. This is the first step to finding easy science fair projects because when your child understands the scientific concept well, they will be able to come up with good examples or project ideas for the topic. You can also help your child along by making sure they really understand their lessons and the topic they chose. Ask them questions, and give suggestions. You will definitely find one that they really enjoy, and that is easy enough to do.

Once your child has chosen their branch of science and then narrowed it down to a specific topic, you can now begin creating your easy science fair projects. Remember that science fair projects do not have to be overly complicated and come with all the bells and whistles. Sometimes a simple project is what catches the judges’ attention and appreciation.

Some easy science fair projects for the third grade that are simple, but still impressive include plant grafting or studying an insect for life science. Earth science can include making an earthquake diorama, or the ever classic volcano, while physical science usually has to do with energy or matter in different states. You will find that most of these projects can be done from your kitchen, and with minimal extra materials than those you will find in your own home!

By: Ethan Jeremy

Science Fair Project

admin — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 02:01:39 +0000

It’s time for the science fair and you need to come up with an eye popping experiment.
First of all some of the best projects are the simple ones.
The best plan is to sit down and write out your plan.

1) You Need a question

2) A Hypothesis

3) The Procedure

4) The Results

5) You have your conclusion

First you need a question for your science project. The question is: something you don’t understand and want to know what happens if . . . The basis for this is to keep everything the same and change one thing. Now you have an experiment because you are finding a fact. We do this every day. Did you ever put a piece of bread in the toaster frozen and one thawed for the same period of time to determine which one gets toasted fastest. You just did an experiment.

Second you need a hypothesis. Don’t worry about the big name. All it means is that you determine what you thing the outcome of your question will be. It doesn’t have to be right or wrong. You are just determining the outcome.

Third the procedure. How will you do the experiment. What will stay the same and what one thing will you change to test. With the toast experiment you kept the bread the toaster and the time. The only thing you changed was to freeze the bread.

Fourth are the results. What actually happened in the science project. All you have to do is get a spiral notebook and keep a log everyday of what it happening.

Fifth is the conclusion. This tells what you have learned in the science fair project. Did the hypothesis come true or was there other alternative findings in your science fair project? If you write out a quick outline like this you will make sure to cover everything you need for your science projects.

By: Lesa Bolt

Fun Science Projects

admin — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 05:23:33 +0000

Hello, I have prepared a couple really fun science projects that any student can do at home with household items.

These Fun science projects should be done with adult supervision.

The first fun science project is called “The Balloon Inflater”

MATERIALS:

A carbonated soft drink in a bottle, a balloon, and a twist tie from a bread or a garbage bag.

WHAT TO DO: 1. Place the balloon over the mouth of the bottle and securing it to the bottle with the twist tie. 2. Have the adult hold the bottle and place their thumb over the mouth of the bottle covered by the balloon. 3. Now shake the bottle for five seconds and release your thumb. 4. The balloon fills with carbon dioxide that was dissolved in the soda pop. That’s why they are called carbonated drinks.

This is a great fun science project that can give you that A you want in science class! Here is another great science experiment that anyone can do .

THE BALLOON ROCKET

MATERIALS: A balloon

WHAT TO DO: Simply blow up the balloon. Then, holding it between you thumb and forefinger, let it go and watch it fly.

EXPLANATION: You already know that the air escaped from the opening in which you blew up the balloon. You also noticed that the balloon flew in the opposite direction – this is action and reaction. The first force, air escaping, is the action. The balloon moving in the opposite direction of the air is the reaction.

We use this principle everyday. We push down on a chair to get up. We push our feet to the back to walk forward. A basketball pushes down onto the floor just before it bounces. You can probably think of many other examples.

I hope you have enjoyed these fun science projects. Please remember that these science experiments should be done with adult supervision.

By: Tyler Horvath

Taking Science Beyond the Classroom

admin — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 01:04:29 +0000

Despite the fact that our society values scientists, fewer and fewer students are going on to pursue any science learning beyond the minimum requirements for graduation and college entry.

If you’re hoping to help reverse this trend, and take science beyond being just a classroom subject, science fairs could be the solution. These are organized on local, state, national, and international levels. In them, students submit projects which are evaluated by a team of judges. Science fairs help students understand that breakthroughs and discoveries are based on learning what doesn’t work, as much as they are about getting the right answer.

They are as much about learning and having fun as they are about getting the project right. Even students who don’t usually want to participate in science based courses are sometimes required by their schools to enter the science fair, and they find out that they enjoy the process of running an experiment and seeing what happens. There’s more to projects than science, so even students who prefer art, photography, writing, and other disciplines can incorporate their favorite subject in their project.

One thing about science fairs that can be scary for parents is not understanding what their child is expected to do, how long they have to do it, or what their contribution should be. They mistakenly believe that they’re expected to do much of the project for their child, or that the project needs to be a big problem. These projects can be very elaborate, but they don’t have to be. For instance, elementary school children can have quite simple science fair projects. Some sample topics include the process of tooth decay, the parts of an egg, how plants reproduce or the way plants grow towards light. Parents are expected to encourage and assist their children, but not to do the work for them.

Middle and high school student will probably have more complicated topics and experiments. However, they’re also capable of doing more of the work on their own. Some sample topics for older children include testing consumer products, composition of frost, the scientific principles behind musical instruments, the effect of music on plants, and even developing a simple computer game.

There’s a lot to be learned by doing a science fair project, not least of which is how much fun science can be. A love of learning is the best gift you can give your child, helping him or her learn more later in life. They can be the first step towards a life long enjoyment of science, or even a science career.

By: Rita Lambros-Segur

Free Science Fair Projects For Your Child

admin — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 07:04:01 +0000

Many parents groan when comes the time to make science projects. Children tend to come up with great ideas from their imagination, and many of these ideas come with a price tag of some sort in one way or another. While there are many parents who bite the bullet and buy the expensive materials, giving the project a little bit of thought and more creative design could drive down the cost. Sometimes low cost is part of the project criteria to begin with! Given more thought, though, you can definitely come up with ways to make free science fair projects!

If your child already has an idea for a project, work with it, if they do not have an idea with, help them come up with one. Helping them come up with the idea is one way you can make sure to come up with some free science fair projects! Many times both parent and child do not know where to begin, and the best advice anyone can give you is to always start with your child’s textbook. Starting with your child’s textbook make sure that you are choosing a project idea that is relevant to what your child has studied during the school year. You may also get project ideas from the textbook examples!

More importantly, however, is you have to fully understand a scientific concept before creating the project. When you or your child fully understand a concept, you both can break it down to its simplest possible example or demonstration, and this will be your project! Chances are that the simplest example is pretty easy and cheap, or you will get ideas for free science fair projects from it!

Now that you have your idea, the next step is how to make it free. It is really simple. You just have to use junk, or at least what you thought was junk. Free science fair projects always recycle old materials. Think about your project components, and what you need in order to create it. Next, look around your home. Go through old toys (these are usually the best because some old toys actually have simple machines or motors that can work for years, and these can go great with some science projects!) Go through your attic, basement, and garage. You are bound to find the things that you can use for the science project! If you are missing parts, ask your neighbors if they have junk items that may serve as the parts you need.

To really make sure that you have free science fair projects, though, you can do the reverse of the method just described. Pull out all your junk first and then make a science project out of it. Seeing what you have to work with before even thinking of an idea is a good exercise of the imagination. The best part about it, though, is that you will never have to spend on your child’s science projects again!

By: Ethan Jeremy

Science Fair Projects – Complete Guide to a Winning Science Project Step 4 – Sample Project

admin — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 15:00:26 +0000

We are going to walk through the steps of a Sample Project. You will learn how to turn a project idea into a unique project. During the phase of the actual experiment, you can use one of the data-collecting techniques or other ideas to design and develop your project. Even though science fair projects may have very different topics, the overall plan for doing them is mostly the same. These are the key steps:

Starting Your Project Procedures Results Explaining Your Results Problem and Hypothesis

Starting your Project

Once you have selected your subject, you are ready to get started. Here are some tips to getting you started on the right foot. This tips will include everything from gathering your materials to setting a schedule. All of these are essential steps in good science fair projects.

Project Journal
Your journal is an important part of your project. You will be recording the progress of the project. When the experiment has been completed, and the results recorded in the journal, you will find the journal to be very useful when you start you project report.

Title and Problem Question
The title and the problem question we are using on this sample project, will most likely not work for your own project. Below is the Title and the Problem Question.

HOW HIGH?
PROBLEM
When is the Sun at its highest altitude during the day?

Materials

All the materials you will need for the sample experiment can be found around the house or purchased without much money at a local store. You will need to collect all the supplies before you start the experiment. The experiment will go much more smoothly if you have all the materials you need before starting the experiment. If there is a material you can not find, ask an adult before you substitute materials. Different science fair projects will need different materials, but here is a sample list for one experiment:

Materials Example

Pencil 5 tablespoons (75 ml) plaster of Paris 2 tablespoons (30 ml) tap water 3 ounce (90 ml) paper cup Masking tape 30-inch (1-meter) piece of string Yardstick (meter stick) Protractor Helper

Make sure you have thought the experiment through and thought of all the material you will need to perform the experiment.

Six-Week Schedule

Starting on science fair projects can seem a bit of a huge task, but you can cut this huge task down to bite-size bits with a schedule. Make sure to follow your timetable so that everything gets done at a reasonable pace and not all at the last minute.

Procedure

The procedure is the steps needed to complete the experiment. In the procedure a variable is anything that has an effect on the experiment. In the sample project, the altitude of the sun must be measure during specific times during the day. This makes the time of day the independent or manipulated variable. The measure altitude is the dependent, or responding variable. All other variables like the latitude and season are the controlled, or constant, variable.

Results

First you must organize all the data you have collected during the experiment before you can actually say the results of your experiment. Number, which is called “raw data” have very little meaning unless you organize and label them. You will need to write down the data from each experiment in a neat and orderly fashion in your journal. A table is one good way to keep up and record the numbers of your results. There are several ways you can present your results data. However you decide to present you results data, be creative, but get make it easy to understand. Science fair projects that are easy for teachers and judges to understand usually do the best.

Explaining Your Results

To explain your results you will need to use any information you have gathered during your research and combine it with the results you found in your experiment. If necessary make a small model of part of the experiment. The sample project used the sun’s altitude and certain times of the day. You could make a small model of the earth and the sun to show the Northern Hemisphere’s location at a certain time of day to the sun.

Problem and Hypothesis

Now that you have collected and analyzed your project research, you should be able to identify the problem. In your hypothesis you should state the findings in your research and compare them to the findings in your experiment. Remember, science fair projects must always have a clear hypothesis that can be stated in just one or two sentences.

By: Aurora Lipper