How To Find the Best Kids Science Project Ideas

December 1, 2011 By 10 Comments

Is it time to start looking for your kids science project ideas for the upcoming science fair?  Find the best science projects with these tips.

best science projectsIf you are looking for kids science project ideas, there are a couple things you should be thinking about before you go off ad buy one. We have some great ones at 24 hour science fair projects but no matter how good they are, they might not be what you need. So here are some tips from us to you about what you should be doing as you help your kids find the best science projects Trust me, we have all been through this with our own kids and for me I’ve seen it time and again with kids at my school.

Tips for finding the best kids science project ideas

  • Be sure you need to actually be looking for one. Sometimes the teacher sends home the project to do, or a list to choose from.
  • If you do a Google search add in the grade level, that will help weed out the ones that are too advanced.
  • You can use adjectives live fast, easy, simple, fun, cool or something like quick and easy science fair projects to a search. That will also help weed out the advanced or complicated ones.
  • Read the directions the teacher sends home, or what they gave you at Back To School Night and be sure you know what TYPE of project they are asking for and check to be sure you are buying the right type. The most common types are: investigation/experimentation, collection, demonstration, models and research.
  • Look at the supply list and go for the ones with common everyday stuff you probably already have at home, or can pick up on the next trip to the store. Unless the teacher sends home a specialized ingredient, or gives you plenty of advanced notice to go looking for it, stay away from those. Trust us, your life will be easier.
  • Finally, check and make sure any kids science project ideas you consider follow the steps to the scientific method. Basically it means question, predict, experiment and collect data, analyze the data, draw a conclusion. Teachers usually spell this out in the directions.

By the way, we have a free guide for parents that explains a lot of this, gives you a glossary of common science terms, explains the scientific method, and also goes into making a great display board as well. You can download it instantly by clicking this link: “Non Scientist Parents Guide to a Science Project”

There are many shapes and sizes to kids science project ideas so it can be overwhelming if you don’t have any guidelines from the teacher, so you as the parent become “triage” and can help weed out the bad ones and get the choices for you child down to a reasonable size.

My final tip for finding the best science projects is to be sure to include your child in the process and the final choice has to be their own. If you want them to really get into it, it has to be something they decide. You may have an idea of what they should pick, but really, you have to master the art of keeping quiet. Chances are that is the one they will pick if you don’t shove it down their throats!

Ready to go look at some great kids science project ideas that are kid tested and teacher approved? Visit 24 Hour Science Projects today for 5 quick and easy science fair projects that can be started today and finished tomorrow!

Filed Under: Choosing a Science Project Topic, Tips for Science Fair Tagged With: , ,

Why Technology Helps Make Great Science Fair Projects

September 12, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Like it or not great science fair projects will include technology!

great science fair projectsOne of my fears is that with all the techno stuff out there today kids one day will just sit and do great  science fair projects  from their computers with some kind of virtual gizmo program.  Hopefully that is light years away, but there are  some things that computers and technology available can do to help kids with the quality  and finding the best science fair projects.

Here are five things technology does to help make great science fair projects:

  1. Labeling:  This is when you need to put a label on a picture or hand drawn graph or something. The problem with labeling for elementary school kids has always been sizing.  It is simply hard for many elementary students to write small enough in capital letters for a good label.  The lables are bigger and longer than the picture!  A computer can  get it printed out exactly the right size.
  2. Pictures:  Taking pictures of the project or getting pictures from the internet is a breeze, and you don’t have to spend hours looking in magazines and cut and paste pictures rr run and find a 1- hour photo lab to to print them.  Your photo-printer will take care of all of that. High quality photos adds an element of polish to any project.
  3. Data reporting:  With spreadsheets you get instant graphs and can do all sorts of comparisons with them and they look great.  The point of a graph is to give a visual  look at the data, to see the differences you discovered  from your data clearly.  It doesn’t really help the learning to spend an hour making a graph or pie chart, the data is what it is. With a spreadsheet it just takes one click to tun data into a chart.
  4. Do overs:  Erasing is pain and ultimately and you can never get it totally clear, so you can usually see it, or start over.  Measuring wrong to center the title means you have to get a whole new board or poster and  do it again.  Technology do overs a a breeze, change the font size and print.  Go back and spell the word write and print.  This way the kids can keep at it until they get it looking professional ( in their minds) without taking up too much time.
  5. Research:  The first four had to do with the final presentation, but this one is the amount of time searches on the Internet can save you when looking  for research to use in your final write up and in fact to find great science fair projects to begins with.  No more spending hours in the library, you can most of what you need at home, at least for elementary kids!

 

Here is a resource you will love!  It comes with spreadsheets built in to make the project all about the child, and research links all set up for you to get the kids to legitimate quality sites to gather information! 

Visit 24 Hour Science Projects today and get five great science fair projects science for your kids to use today, tomorrow or for their next project!

Filed Under: Elementary Science Projects, Tips for Science Fair Tagged With: ,

Practice makes Perfect! Demonstration Science Experiments for Elementary Students

July 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment

With the right sorts of Practice, you’ll have success with demonstration science experiments for elementary students!

science experiments for elementary studentsTo demonstrate an interesting science fair project in front of your class or  with your display area at your science fair, you need to keep those science experiments for elementary students simple to help make it a success.

When it comes to a demonstration of a science project, it does not matter how interesting the science experiments for elementary students are, if the presentation is a flop your child will think they failed and in some cases the grade will be affected. When the truth is, the best learning already took place while they were doing it at home, so your child has already experienced the benefits from doing an interesting science fair project.

Here are some thoughts on making a successful demonstration :

  • When creating a demonstration project that is done in front of a group of people, simple becomes important, the science does not have to be simple but the project itself must be easy to pull off. This includes materials that are not flimsy, and will firmly hold up not only while you do the demo but you have to consider transportation from home to school Cardboard boxes are a great example. Some are firmer than others. Some stay firm once and then the more you use them or if it gets bent, forget it. Plastic straws will be better than paper ones. And plexiglass won’t break if it accidentally falls like glass containers do.

 

  • It could be as simple as the containers used to send the experiment off to school lets use a volcano project for example, that really involves simple ingredients, baking soda, vinegar and food coloring. By using water bottles for the ingredients, (each in a separate bottle of course) with firm caps and with a funnel that did not tip over when trying to use it, the kids could then mix the ingredients to make their volcano work. If the container was too small you run the risk of stuff falling out, if it is too large, young hands have trouble manipulating it.
  • Another idea would be to send two or three spare sets of ingredients. With a demonstration project the “Wow” factor kicks in and classmates may want to see it done a second (or third) time, and if that happens there will be spares right there ready to go. It also can be the saving grace when something goes wrong the first time, spills, dropped bottles and such.
  • You can’t say enough about practice with a demonstration. The child needs to do this project at home, standing in front of their family, or even just one person and go over again and again what they are going to say. The cheat sheet should be just a sequence of key words to jog their memory, otherwise with nerves they will try to read it and then you lose the audience. This also needs even more extra ingredients to use for each practice demonstration. Even the most interesting science fair projects come across poorly with a spiel that has not been practiced.

The simpler the process, the better for any science experiments for elementary students and demonstrations in particular. The science concept does not have to be simple, you can explore complicated science with simple experiments. I’ve seen a science fair project that shows atoms and electrons with just a paper plate! http://www.24hourscienceprojects.com/wordpress/static-electricity-science-project/

  • A demonstration with multiple steps, multiple ingredients, long wait times for things to happen, and need more than two hands to do would be considered complicated and a recipe for disaster when in front of the class.
  • The set up is another area that should not be too complicated. The child has to get everything set up so hauling in a big box with many things that need set up, clamped, balanced or moved around can cause problems too.

Get started on some quick and simple demonstration science experiments for elementary students that are sure to turn out to make an interesting science fair projects here.

Filed Under: Demonstration Science Experiments, Elementary Science Projects, Tips for Science Fair Tagged With: , ,

Good Science Fair Projects

February 19, 2011 By 2 Comments

Figuring out what the elementary science teacher is looking for in a project can be challenge. There are science teachers who will just give out good science fair projects to send home with the students to do. For the youngest grades the whole class might do the same project. By second or third grade they might send home a list of projects to choose from. The older grades might get a specific topic and specific choices of websites to use. By middle and high school, they most likely are on their own, send home the topic, the requirements and let them find their own. On top of that, each teacher you run across will treat the whole thing in a slightly different way.

Here are two of the biggest problems parents face with good science fair projects for their children.

Problem #1 is misunderstanding the assignment.

Nine time out of ten, everything is clearly spelled out on the science fair assignment sheet that was sent home. Lots of schools also have these things posted online. It is very important that the parent reads this carefully. This is true even for the middle school students. You want to make sure they project chosen matches the assignment. Fortunately and teachers make you bring what you chose in for approval, but the older you get the less that happens.

The most common mistake to avoid is choosing the wrong type of project. Most good science fair projects are investigations that require an experiment where you collect data and draw a conclusions based on your findings. One of the most common type of project found online on the other had are demonstration based project. Sometimes these can be one and the same, most of the time they are not.

Problem #2 is the time factor.

It is always wise for parents to have some kind of heads up when these things are coming so they can arrange schedules. The trick for teachers is not give too much time because people procrastinate, it is a fact of life. So there is always a need to balance everything out.

At home, any experiment needs to be worked around the rest of the homework for other classes, outside the home commitments and if parent supervision is needed, like with most elementary school projects, the parent’s schedules. Working on a good science fair projects needs the same importance placed on the calendar as sports team practices.

By combining these two problems, you can see how by reading the assignment closely ahead of time, you can go out and get the materials you need to have on hand so when the time comes to begin, it can be completed in the time you carved out.

For more information on what it is teachers themselves look for when they choose good science fair projects you can read my blog, One Day Science Fair Projects where I discuss and review what needs to go into a good school science fair project.

Good Science Projects Are Just A Click Away! Click Here To Get Started!

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I’m not competitive; I just like to win, part 2

November 25, 2009 By Leave a Comment

We are on part 2 of our discussion on Winning Science Projects. (Read the post – I’m Not Competitive, I Just Want to Win.) If you are merely interested in getting a passing grade on your assignment and nothing more, you need not read any further. If you are an overachiever and/or the parent of one, read on!

4. Cross Your “t’s” and Dot Your “i’s”: Grammar, spelling, and punctuation are often overlooked in the science world. While I was a TA in graduate school, I got many complaints from students that it was “unfair” to deduct points for grammatical issues in their science papers. I wholeheartedly disagree! Even if you have a Ph.D. in Nuclear Physics, you still need to be able to communicate written thoughts in a proper manner. Grammar errors, in general, will detract from the overall research and will make the end result seem far less polished. “Ya do’nt want there pore grammer to be a detraction from they’re hard wurk [sic, sic, sic, and SICK!]” If your child has problems with grammar, spelling, and/or punctuation, provide him (or get help from someone who can) with editing assistance. However, make sure you explain why their work is incorrect instead of merely fixing it!

5. Beauty is in the Eye of the …Judge/Teacher: Pay attention to the aesthetic details–neatness (I recommend typing if it is allowed), ease of reading, and “curb appeal.” Don’t try to squeeze in an extra page by using a size 7 font. Remember the people evaluating the project may not have eyes as young and healthy as yours. Consider using an attractive fabric as a background if you are doing a display. Pick a color scheme (one to two colors; you don’t want it to look like a hippy bus). If you are displaying graphs and charts, mat or frame them with a contrasting background color (cardstock works nicely and is inexpensive). If you have them, pictures of your project in progress are attention grabbers. Also, if you are able to attach 3-D effects to the display (a measuring spoon next to your procedure, samples of your variables (if they are small and easily attached to a display board), for example. You want to pull in your viewers with as many senses as you can!

6. I said, “Win,” not, “Cheat!”: While I freely admit that I like to win, do not cross the fine line between assisting and taking over! Let the project be your student’s and not yours. If they are in middle school, they are not expected to know complex organic chemistry formulas or scientific terms that most college juniors can’t explain. This is an area that, as a Mom, I struggle with more than I thought I would. Having a child with mild special needs, it is often much easier/faster/smooth and less stressful/aggravating/blood-pressure-elevating if I do an assignment rather than coach him through it. However, there are too many dangers in doing the project for them: (a) If they are asked questions about a paper or procedure, they will be unable to answer (b) There is a risk that the child will get a lesser grade or be overlooked in a science fair if it is suspected that it was a parent’s project and (c) Your child will come to expect you to do every future assignment for them (I shiver at this thought!!).

Again, knowledge and science are rewarding… but winning is nice, too. Happy research and experimenting, and may the best scientist win!

Cecilia

PS If you want to win, but are short on time, go to 24 Hour Science Projects for a complete guide to your (hopefully) winning science project.

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