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What Not To Do
The following list of items are things you don’t want to do if you want your child to have a successful science fair project:
2. Don’t do the project for your child. While it is a great idea to help your child figure out how to do the project, as well as to help them do it, give them the opportunity to try. Your child will learn more by having you assist them than by having you fill in for them. In the case of judged fairs, the judges will know if you did all of the work, so you won’t be helping your child score more points.
3. Don’t be afraid to get dirty. Science projects are meant to be active. You and your child are supposed to roll up your sleeves and get involved.
4. Don’t be afraid to try. While your child should be doing projects that are appropriate for their age, grade, and ability levels, it is perfectly normal for them to want to try different projects. It is also perfectly normal for one project to lead to questions that may lead to variations in the project. Try them and see what happens. That’s part of the scientific process.
5. Don’t forget to have fun. Relax and enjoy the project, and be sure to let your child do the same. Both of you will encounter less frustration and fewer feelings of “I can’t do this” if you simply take the time to enjoy doing the project together.
Project Ideas
There are literally thousands of potential science fair projects. If your child is curious about it and wants to know more, it can probably be turned into a science project. When your child asks a question, answer with, “Let’s find out.” That puts you on the road to a great science fair project. Some examples of questions children ask and how to make them into projects are:
How do flowers grow? Plant seeds in clear plastic containers, with the seed against the side so it can be seen. You and your child can watch the seed germinate and grow, sprouting through the surface and becoming a plant.
o Try planting several seeds in different containers, and use different types of soil, different amounts of sunlight or water, or different temperatures to see how it affects plant growth.
How does electricity work? Make lemon batteries to explain circuits.
o Use different types of material to create static electricity on a fluorescent lighting tube to see which one makes it glow brighter.
o Since heat and electricity act similarly, hold different types of materials in front of a light bulb or hair dryer to see which get warm, meaning they are better conductors.
Is the more expensive soap really better? Use several brands of soap and have a cleaning competition to see which works better. You can also put them in water and see which lasts longer.
o Variations of this can include every household item from motor oil to shoe polish to furniture cleaner. o You can even expand this to include which tastes better: store-brand or name-brand, frozen or canned or fresh, diet or regular.
There is no limit to the number of projects you can find if you let curiosity and imagination take control. The real goal of science projects, and of science fairs, is to encourage exploration. You may be surprised at how much fun you will have with your child when learning about the world around you.
