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Kid Science Fair Projects...
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Do you need help finding ideas for your kid science fair projects? Or maybe you have an idea and just don't know how to turn it into a project. Well on this page I'm going to show you how to do both. How to find and develop tons of ideas and how to turn an idea into a great science project.
Finding Ideas
b) I have included links through out this site
to other web pages that contain many more ideas for your kid fair science projects.
c) So take your time and go through all the pages here. Follow the links to the other sites. Make notes of any ideas that seem interesting and bookmark the page.
Generating Your Own Ideas
1. The first thing I suggest you do is get a notebook. Keep it with you and write down any ideas that come to you about possible kid science fair projects.2. You never know when the best ideas will pop into your mind. While you're reading a newspaper, a book, or watching tv. Or while you're outside playing, walking in the park, or while watching your mom fix a meal. Science is everywhere and so are great kid science fair project ideas.
3. Don't try to analyze you ideas when you first think of them. Just write them down so you won't forget.
4. Use other science project ideas you find as starting points. Almost every project or idea can be changed to develop something different. One idea may lead you to think of several related ones. Each could be a possible project.
Analyzing and Refining Ideas
- Ok, let us say you now have a list of ideas in your notebook for possible kid science fair projects. Now lets narrow down the
the list and find one idea for your project.
- Pick out the ones in the area of science you find most interesting. Some of the ideas you have may be electricity related,
some may be about meteorology, some in the biology category, physics, chemistry, engineering, etc. So on another sheet of paper write down the ones that really spark your interest.
- Now we need to think of projects for these ideas. A possible project for some will be very easy to see probably. But others may require some more thought.
- Keep in mind(and in front of you) the guidelines for the fair as you think of potential projects. Review the scientific method
to see the procedures and features of a good project.
- Pick out the ones in the area of science you find most interesting. Some of the ideas you have may be electricity related,
some may be about meteorology, some in the biology category, physics, chemistry, engineering, etc. So on another sheet of paper write down the ones that really spark your interest.
- Make sure you can set up and carry out the experiments or otherwise gather data to prove or disprove your hypothesis.
Be sure you can afford or have access to the equipment and supplies that might be needed. A good project doesn't have to cost a lot of money.
- Determine a timeline for your project. How long before the project is due? How long will the experiments or data gathering
take to complete? Keep in mind that some experiments may have to be repeated.
- Things don't always go as planned on the first try even for professionals. Do you have sufficient time to repeat the experiments if necessary? Growing plants or germinating seeds is an example of kid science fair projects that may have to be repeated.
Tips For Converting Ideas Into Kid Science Fair Projects
The best kid science fair projects will be those based on scientific principles. In other words all those things you study in science classes are principles of science. This is what your teacher and the science fair judge are looking for.
Kinetic energy is an example of a science principle in the field of physics. Its the energy a body possesses based on its mass and the speed it travels.
A science project about kinetic energy could attempt to prove or disprove some aspect of this principle. If a large marble of known mass rolls down an incline and strikes a smaller marble, then wiil its kinetic energy be transferred to the smaller marble? Will the sum of the kinetic energy of the large marble plus that of the smaller just after impact be equal to that of the larger just before impact?
This is a scientific investigation using an experiment to test an hypothesis about the transfer of kinetic energy. This is an example of a good science project. It uses the scientific method to test a principle of science.
Try this method to transform ideas into kid science fair projects
What will ______________do to _______________?
How will _______________ affect ________________?
How will changing _______________ improve _____________?
What will happen to _____________ if I add/remove ______________?
Example Of An Idea Made Into A Kid Science Fair Project
Lets say you want to do a project about solar energy. Specifically you want to do something with solar cells. (Solar cells produce electricity when exposed to light).
Do a little research and see what factors might affect the ouput from a solar cell. Maybe the type of light, the angle the light hits the surface of the cell, and maybe the temperature of the cell surface. These may all be factors in the amount of output you might get.
Ok, lets say we pick the angle of light to the cell as a something we can test. Set up the cell and take voltage readings at different times of the day. Measure both the angle of the sun to the surface of the cell and the voltage reading at that time. Do at least one reading with the cell at 90 degrees to the sun. You may have to angle the cell to the sun depending on the time of year.
When you graph the data it will show at what angle to the sun the cell produces the most output. It will also show how the output drops as the angle to the sun decreases.
If you followed the scientific method, then you formed an hypothesis before doing the experiment. The experiment would prove or disprove your assumption.
101 easy science fair projects ebook
Three easy kindergarten science fair projects
I hope this page will help you generate some great ideas for your kid science fair projects.
