‘Tis the season for science fair projects! We had our first science fair experience last year when my oldest son was in kindergarten. I was truly amazed (and overwhelmed) at the complexity of science fair projects. As a former teacher, I wanted to make sure that my son wasn’t just showing off a cool experiment…I wanted him to do it himself and be able to understand and explain the science behind it!
One of my biggest pet peeves (as a teacher and now as a parent) is when I see parents doing projects for the kids and then try to bring them up to speed. Kids are more than capable of doing most of the work themselves…even kindergartners (with some guidance)!
My #1 tip for science fair projects is to go try to answer a question surrounding something your child is interested in! This will ensure that it is child-led and that your child will want to find the answer to his/her question!
Big Brother is very interested in space and so we attempted to answer a question regarding craters on the moon for his science fair project last year.
As you can see, he did most of his project on his own…including asking Siri to find out the answer! Haha! :)
I’ve broken these down into science fair projects appropriate for primary students (K-2) and elementary students (3-5). Since I am a firm believer in kids taking the lead, the ideas for younger kids are simpler and easier to understand. The ideas for older kids tend to take more knowledge about the scientific process.
Science Fair Projects for Primary Students
What is Blood Made Of? A hands-on model of the parts of blood!
How Do Arctic Animals Stay Warm in Icy Water? (use two ziplock bags instead of the gloves so that the whole class can try it out).
The “Why Do I Need Sunscreen?” Experiment
More great primary ideas from our blogger friends:
Bicolor Flowers :: Playdough to Plato
Simple Circuits (First Grade Science) :: What Do We Do All Day
Water Cycle in a Bag :: Playdough to Plato
Make a Balloon Rocket :: Paging Fun Mums
Build, Paint, and Erupt Foaming Volcano :: Fun at Home with Kids
Science Fair Projects for Elementary Students:
This projects are slightly more complicated and require a more thorough understanding of the scientific process.
Ocean Zones in a Jar: Exploring Liquid Density and the Layers of the Ocean
(the pouring of the liquids requires a steady hand)
Make Your Own Lava Lamp: Watch what happens when oil, water, and food coloring get mixed with a tab of Alka Seltzer!
Here are more great projects from our other blogger friends:
Walking Water (exploring capillary action) :: Coffee Cups and Crayons
Build an Electro-Magnetic Train :: Frugal Fun for Boys
Egg Geodes :: Tinkerlab
Walking on Eggs (this would be awesome) :: Playdough to Plato
Make Magnetic Mud (Ferrofluid) :: Kids Activities Blog
Make a Lemon Battery :: Kids Activities Blog
The Science Behind Slime :: Fun at Home with Kids
Leak-Proof Bag :: Paging Fun Mums
DIY Glowing Flowers :: Fun at Home with Kids
Original article and pictures take http://www.icanteachmychild.com/science-fair-projects/ site
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