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