Getting Started

What you need to do a good science fair project:

1. Curiosity
2. Time
3. A plan

• Create a log:  keep all your ideas, notes, thoughts, etc. in a seperate science fair notebook.  This is where you want to find a topic and start asking questions.  This will help your hypothesis.
• Write down any book, newspaper, and internet articles you use to get information on your topic.
• Develop your hypothesis.  This is different from your question.  If I do x, then y will happen.
• Design your experiment.  What materials and steps do I need to take to test my hypothesis.
• Record your data.  This is a great way to use charts and graphs.
• Turn your raw data into results.  (Conclusions)
• Write a draft of your written report.  Communicate your results through a science board.

5 Main Types of Science Fair Projects

1. Collections:  In this type of project you display a collection of objects or interesting artifacts.  This type can be boring if not done properly.  This type of project does not include a hypothesis.  It involves library research and creativity in displaying your collection.  Examples of this project could be rock, leaf, Egyptian mummies, shells, insects, pinecones, fossils, etc.  Explain how the items are similiar or different.  Show where each one was collected from and compare types from different areas.  Make comparisons and draw conclusions based on your research.
2. Models:  This involves building a model to demonstrate a principle or concept.  You are not forming a hypothesis or createing a test.  Examples are shadow boxes of land formations or water cycle, model of solar system, solar oven, volcano, and air plane models.  You could also make a model of an atom, etc.
3. Demonstrations:  In this type of project you repeat an experiment and retest a hypothesis.  You can demonstrate or show how to do something or teach a scientific principle.  You can also show how manipulating or changing a variable in a project can change the outcome.  Examples: How to grow a Borax Snowflake, illustrate surface tension, and changing something into the different states of matter.
4. Research:  This is basically a science report.  You will collect information about a specific topic and present what you discover or learn.  Start with a question like “How does El Nino affect weather patterns?”  These work great for topics that are not easy or practical to test.
5. Investigate or experimental:  These are the most common.  It requires the student to use the scientific method to create a hypothesis and an experiment to test this hypothesis.  Example:  Asking the question, “Do plants grow better when fertilizer is used?” and then experimenting to come up with an answer.