School Science Projects

Science Fair Projects Ideas

Science Fair Projects to Make Everybody Happy

Science fair projects – Kids think they should be fun. Teachers think they should be educational. Parents just want them to be fast and easy. Since students, teachers and parents are all involved in the process of getting ready for the science fair, most of the time, science projects have to be all of the above!

As a result, finding the perfect science fair project can be difficult. Here are five steps to finding a project that will make everybody happy.

1. Know what kind of science project is required. There are five kinds of projects, and many a student has had their project idea rejected because of a science technicality. Make sure you know if the science teacher requires an experimental (investigatory) project, a demonstration of a science principle, a report on a subject in science, a collection of items, or a scientific model. Most science fairs require an experiment, which has a hypothesis, tests the hypothesis following the scientific method, and arrives at a conclusion.

2. Find out what interests the student. What does your child do in her spare time? Does he ride horses, is she a soccer player? Is music a passion, or do you have a budding engineer on your hands? If a student is already interested in a subject, learning more about it will come naturally.

3. Determine the budget for time – and money. If your science fair is next week, you need to search for a fast and easy science project that can be done without ordering supplies from Outer Botswana. If you can’t afford special chemicals or science equipment, then you’ll need to focus on projects that can use materials easily found in your home.

4. Use all available resources for the science project search. Head to the library and look at the books on science projects. You can also use the Internet. Go to your preferred search engine and type “science project on vitamin C” or “science experiment on insulation”. Note, however, that many books and websites have demonstration projects instead of experiments. So, again, be careful that you find the right type of project.

5. Make a list of possible projects, and work together to choose the best one!

Bonus hint: Go here, and get a free copy of “The Non-Scientist Parent’s Guide to Science Fair Projects”. You’ll learn more about how to choose that perfect science project! Or, for five fast and easy science fair experiments that can be finished by this time tomorrow, visit 24 Hour Science Projects.

Article Source: Kayla Fay – EzineArticles.com Expert Author

Fun Science Projects

Fabulous and Fun Science Projects

Fun science projects are the heart’s desire of every elementary and middle school student headed to the science fair. To most kids, a science project simply has to be fun. Frankly, most teachers share this view. From a teacher’s standpoint, it’s much better for a student if he or she is interested in the topic being studied.

Of course, a fun science project isn’t the final goal. The purpose of a science project is to teach the child about science. To do that, teachers and science fair administrators usually have strict guidelines about what a project or experiment must include. Experiments must usually follow the scientific method. Demonstrations must explain a scientific principle. All projects must include research and references.

But a science project is also supposed to whet a child’s appetite for science. A fun and interesting project will make a student want to learn even more about our fascinating world and the scientific laws that govern it. And a fun science project is a great way to do just that.

Here is a list of ideas for science projects that will expand a child’s science knowledge and experience, but also meet that number one kid requirement – of fun.

1. Show how yeast gives off gas. Put yeast in a bottle of warm water, top it with a balloon, and watch the balloon fill up with gas. This project can be done as a demonstration in front of the class, or as an fun science experiment.

2. What can you do to speed up a chemical reaction? Plop Alka Seltzer into a cup of water and time it. Then crush the Alka Seltzer, and watch it fizz even faster after you put it into a cup of water. Still another time, reduce the amount of water, add Alka Selter, and see how fast it dissolves. This is a demonstration science project, and is terrific to wow classmates.

3. Explore the concept of density. Pour water, Karo syrup, rubbing alcohol, and vegetable oil into a tall container. Watch how they layer. Then drop in different items, like a penny, a cork, a Lego or a candle, and see where they float – or sink. The concept of density is advanced enough for middle schoolers, but can still be understood by kindergartners.

4. Show how a chicken egg is a cell with a selectively permeable membrane. Soak a raw egg in vinegar for a weekend. The shell will come off. Then put the egg into dark syrup and watch what happens! This is another fun science project that can be done as an investigation or a demonstration.

5. Find out about static cling. Rub a sheet of plexiglass with a wool sock, then show how balloons and hair stick to it. Or, try make a ball of aluminum foil dance, as shown in this YouTube video.

Human Behavior Science Projects

Eight Great Human Behavior Science Projects

Human Behavior Science Projects explore the fascinating ways that human beings behave. Behavioral projects are a popular choice for kids headed to the science fair. While gathering enough test subjects can be tricky, these projects can be a great way for students to learn about testing, meet interesting people, and have fun. There are so many things to discover, that the hardest part may be simply choosing a topic. Here’s a list of ideas to get you started.

1. Determine the soothing effect of music by taking the pulse before and after a five minute session of classical piano.

2. See if more people are visual learners or auditory learners by having humans memorize a telephone number that they only see, then a different one that they only hear.

3. Discover if wearing glasses helps or hurts a salesperson’s profit. Have a salesperson wear glasses for a series of days, then go to work without the glasses. Compare their total sales for the two periods.

4. Find out if yawning is contagious behavior by watching a group of children before and after the group leader yawns. Note that because it is such a primitive reflex, yawning is a very popular human behavior science project subject.

5. Are younger children more inclined to like their teachers than older students? Rate the popularity of teachers that teach different ages of kids.

6. Measure the time it takes for children to learn a poem set to music or not set to music.

7. Find out if the scent of lemon helps attention by calculating test scores of people who have or have not sniffed a lemon. This is a great science project that might help ADHD students!

8. Find out if two ears or one are better at localizing a sound by hiding an object, and timing how long individuals take to find it. (Get a complete project guide for this project at Online Science Projects.)

Of course, you don’t need a study of human behavior to know that students like to come up with new and unique ideas. So put on your thinking cap and come up with your own human behavior science project!

Kayla Fay and her four boys are the creators of Online Science Project Guides, science projects that are fun, easy, affordable, and teacher pleasing! Find out about these guides, and get a free copy of “The Non-Scientist Parent’s Guide to Science Fair Projects” at http://www.24hourscienceprojects.com.

Article Source: Kayla Fay – EzineArticles.com Expert Author

Behavioral Science Projects

Behavioral Science Projects – Seeing How Humans Behave

Behavioral science projects are often chosen by students preparing for the science fair. These projects explore the behavior of a quirky and strange creature – the human being! Behavioral projects are a lot of fun, allowing kids to learn a lot about science and psychology while meeting people and developing their social skills. Before you or your child chooses to do a project on human behavior, check with your teacher. Some will not allow behavioral science projects because of the difficulty of getting a large enough sample size.

Once a project is approved, however, the next step is to actually recruit subjects (humans!) for the study. Here are some ideas on places to recruit people to help:

• Get permission from a local mall to set up a table/area. The smaller the mall, the better your chances of them allowing this.

• Put a free ad in the ’services>lessons’ section of Craig’s List asking for volunteers for a behavioral science project.

• Enlist test subjects from your school. Your teacher can help.

• Throw a ‘Behavioral Science Project’ party, and invite your friends and their parents. Make it a pot luck affair to cut down on costs.

• Reserve a room at your library, and put a sign on the door announcing your experiment.

• Get a local restaurant to loan you their ‘party room’ during lunchtime. They might even offer a coupon to participants to help you advertise your study – and their restaurant.

• Ask the human resources department at a parent’s place of business if you can set up a test in the employee break room.

• One of our boys did an experiment called Hear, Hear! It explored whether two ears hear better than one. Complete step by step instructions for this project are available at Online Science Projects. We were required to get a group of twenty-four adults. We went to a local church before a service, and asked individuals if they would help us out. Our test was set up in a classroom.

Of course the list goes on, and you probably can think of a lot more places for your science project tests. If you’ve got some good ideas, drop us a line at our website Online Science Projects! We’d love to hear where you set up for your behavioral science project!

Article Source: Kayla Fay – EzineArticles.com Expert Author

Elementary Science Fair Projects

Elementary Science Projects For Parents Who Aren’t Rocket Scientists

Elementary Science Projects are often the first introduction that a parent has to the wonderful world of school projects. The first science project is the perfect time for a kid to be amazed at the way things work in the world around us. Learning about stuff like friction, static electricity and fire is fascinating and fun. Often, however, the process of deciding on a topic, finding a project, and getting it to work leads to frustration for parents and students. Somewhere between the fun and the fair, the fun often evaporates with that first science project. It shouldn’t be that way! A science project should be a wonderful time of discovery and learning for a parent and child.

But what if you’re like most parents, and are not a rocket scientist? How can you choose and help your child do a good, if elementary, science project?

Before you discuss it with your child, do your homework. If your elementary school child has been assigned a science project, you already know that your biggest step is choosing a topic. Don’t make the mistake of being too broad and asking your child, “Do you want to do a project about electricity?” Find some specific projects that follow guidelines of your science teacher or science fair. Then, describe the project in exciting terms. “Here’s a cool project about how yeast has enough gas – yes, that kind – to can blow up a balloon!” or “You take the shell off an egg in this project and then bounce the egg on the floor!”

While looking for an experiment, keep in mind that many teachers require that a science project follow the scientific method, even when doing an elementary school science project. That means your child has to come up with a question, do research, state a hypothesis, list independent and dependent variables, test the hypothesis, chart results and declare a conclusion. (Did you feel the fun start to go away?!)

It’s also important not to choose a science project so complicated that the child is only a spectator. Find an experiment that allows the child to participate, to understand the scientific principles, and to have fun!

Yes, we know how difficult this can be. We have four sons, and have done more science projects than we can count. We’ve encountered more than our share of problems, and made lots of mistakes. But somewhere along the way, we started to figure it out! We began to come up with project ideas that met the teacher’s standards, yet were easy to do, affordable, interesting and fun. We’ve written a free guide called, “The Non-Scientist Parent’s Guide to Science Fair Projects”, which will walk you step by step through the whole science project process. Get your copy of the guide at http://www.24HourScienceProjects.com, and we’ll help you and your child discover how easy and fun that it can be to do an elementary science project!

Fun Science Fair Projects

Wildly Fun Science Projects

Don’t look now, but it’s science fair time – time to search for those fun science projects… that also have to be educational. They’re not easy to find, but they do exist. Here are some wildly fun science projects. Some of these are so cool that you’ll do them later just for the fun of it!

Finding a fun science project isn’t impossible. Whether you’re looking for an experiment or a demonstration, there are some great ideas that don’t cost a lot, are easy to do, and will teach your child basic scientific practices. We have four sons, and over the years we’ve done more projects than we can count. Here are some of our boys’ favorites:

• Find out which citrus fruit has the most Vitamin C? Make a solution with iodine and starch (it’s EASY to do!), and test different kinds of citrus juices to see which contains the most vitamin C.

• Take the shell off an egg – without boiling it. This wildly fun project is so cool you’ll do it over again for the sheer fascination of it! Soak a raw egg in vinegar, and the shell will come off. The egg membrane is so tough that the shell-less egg will bounce!

• Show how yeast gives off gas. Place a yeast and sugar solution into a bottle, put a balloon on top, and watch the yeast have so much gas that the balloon blows up!

• Watch static electricity work. Grab your wool socks, make a little piece of aluminum foil bounce between your finger and a pie plate.

• Use toy cars to find out about friction! Set up a hot wheels track, and find out how far they will roll across different floor surfaces.

• Are two ears better than one? Hide a ticking clock in a room, and send your friends in to find it – half using both ears, and half with one ear blocked with a cotton ball. (Birthday party idea?!)

(Note: We’ve done all of these science projects with our four boys, and they are easy to design on your own. Do an Internet search for more information, or visit our website at http://www.24hourscienceprojects.com to find out how to purchase step by step instructions for each.)

Article Source: Kayla Fay – EzineArticles.com Expert Author

Easy Science Fair Projects

When You Need an Easy Science Project

It’s Friday night, and you’ve been putting it off for a month. But on Monday, your child’s science project is due. And you haven’t even started. You need an easy science project that can be done quickly, but it has to be good…

It’s not an easy thing to find! Science projects that are easy often don’t meet the requirements of the teacher or the science fair. And projects that are fast often aren’t enough to teach your child anything. We know. With four boys, our family has waited until the last minute to do a science project more than once. But the good news is that there really are good science experiments that can be done quickly and easily.

Although an easy science project isn’t always easy to find, you and your child can work together to find a project that is easy to do, but also educational and fun!

Article Source: Kayla Fay – EzineArticles.com Expert Author

5th Grade Science Projects

Fifth Grade Science Projects That Rock

A Fifth Grade Science Project can be one of the most fun school projects that a parent and child can do together. Here are some really good science project ideas that our family has done. The projects are easy to do, yet they meet the requirements of most science fairs and most fifth grade teachers. Check out the ideas, and find out how to get step by step instructions at the end of this article.

These are investigative science projects, which involve a science experiment:

• Does the shape of ice affect melting time? Use the same amount of water, place into different shaped containers and freeze. Then see how much time each piece of ice takes to melt.

• Which toilet tissue is most biodegradable? Take samples of different types of toilet tissue, and soak them until they fall apart. Run the samples through a strainer, and see which sample leaves the most paper undissolved.

• Which citrus fruit has the most Vitamin C? Make an indicator solution with iodine and starch (it’s EASY to do!), and test samples of citrus fruit or juice to see which one has the most vitamin C.

• Which brand cereal stays crunchy longest? Weigh different brands of the same cereal, soak in water, and then weigh again to see which one absorbed more water.

These are demonstration science projects – when your teacher wants you to demonstrate a scientific principle to the class.

• Demonstrate that yeast gives off gas. Place a yeast and sugar solution into a bottle, put a balloon on top, and watch the yeast give off gas so that the balloon blows up!

• Demonstrate how static electricity works. Make a ball of aluminum foil dance between your finger and a pie plate. Watch this one on www.youtube.com/watch

4th Grade Science Projects

How to Choose a 4th Grade Science Project

It usually happens in fourth grade: Your child comes home with a packet of material about the upcoming science fair. For many children, this is the first time they’ve been required to do a science project. They may be excited, or they may face the prospect with dread. Whichever, it’s up to the parent to make sure that the science project gets done.

Your child may have very specific ideas about what he or she would like to submit to the science fair. Before you let excitement rule, however, you need to find out the specific science project guidelines your child must follow. First of all, what type of science project is required? Unbelievably, there are five kinds:

Investigative projects – Most science fairs require students to do an experiment, and usually, this is an investigative, or investigatory science project.

Demonstration projects – This type of project is usually done in class as opposed to a science fair, with the student demonstrating a scientific principle to the class.

Research project – Basically, a research project is a report on a scientific topic.

Models – Models are a three dimensional representation of an object or a concept in science.

Collections – In this type of project a collection of objects is displayed to give an overview of a topic.

(For more detailed information and examples of science projects by type, visit http://www.onlinescienceprojects.com/guide/types.html)

Also be aware of any restrictions the science fair or your school may have. Can you use/display food? What about animals? Will your child have to perform the experiment in front of judges?

Once you find out what kind of science project your fourth grader needs, it’s time to find out what project he or she wants to do. As you search, keep the following questions in mind:

1. Can I find the materials needed for the science experiment? Once my son needed powdered laundry starch for a project. Since nobody irons much anymore, it’s not easy to find!

2. Are the supplies expensive? One science project we considered called for SIX reusable hand warmers. They are almost $6 each, plus shipping. We found something else to do.

3. Can the science project supplies be located in time? If you have to order something, will it arrive in time for you to do the project thoroughly?

4. Is this project within my child’s ability level? Is it safe? Science projects are for your CHILD to do – with your assistance. Not the other way around.

5. Will this project really work? My mom tried for years to make a battery out of a lemon, and never succeeded.

Middle School Science Fair Projects

Choosing the Right Middle School Science Project

Science Projects were easier in elementary school. Back then, you could submit a model rocket, an egg sucked into a bottle, or a simple science report on electricity. It’s different in middle school. Middle School science teachers want creative ideas, specific elements, in depth research, and detailed logs of the whole science fair process.

Finding a middle school science project that meets all these criteria has always been a challenge for our family. Our teachers wanted an experiment based, investigative project for the science fair. There are five different types of science projects, but most of the books in the library had projects that were actually demonstrations or models. It’s very important that you read the directions from your teacher and/or the science fair, and make sure that the project your child chooses fits into the right category – especially in middle school.

Here are the five types of projects.

1. Investigative projects – Most science fairs require students to submit an investigative science project. This type of project has an experiment that tests an hypothesis. The experiment will follow the scientific method, and may require a control group. (If you’re unfamiliar with this vocabulary, check out the free resource below!)

An example of an investigative project would be “How does salt affect the boiling point of water?” This can easily be tested by our experiment which adds different amounts of salt to water and recording the temperature at which it boils.

If you see the words experiment, scientific method, control and/or variable on the project instructions, you’ll probably need an investigative project. As mentioned before, they’re not easy to find.

2. Demonstration projects – In this type of project a student demonstrate a scientific principle, and lots of time the teacher wants it presented in front of the class as an oral report. There is no true experiment performed, because there won’t be a control or different variables.

3. Research project – Basically this is a science report. Students research a topic, and write what they discovered. Any type of science topic can be used for a research project.

4. Models – For a model project, models are built to explain a scientific principle or structure.

5. Collections – In this type of project a collection of objects is displayed to give an overview of a topic. An example would be a rock collection or a display showing pictures of various animals in a specific family.