One of the major events a High School student would experience is doing the Science Fair Project. In fact, high school life and learning would not be complete without having to undergo such phase. This article will guide you through its process and in making this highlight event a memorable one.

10 Steps to a Successful Science Fair Project
1. Judging Criteria
There are seven criteria to judge the project which will provide you key to give you complete guidance to make your project. They are the skills, creativity, clarity, neatness, integrity, thoroughness, and finally the results.
2. Types
As there are five types available, just decide which of the projects you will like to conduct.
3. Categories
There are 14 categories for science fair which include social and behavioral science, chemistry, mathematics, medicine and health, computer science, engineering, botany, space and earth science, environmental science, physics, zoology microbiology, and biochemistry.
4. Branches of science
Out of the hundred science branches, you can choose the one which best suits you. You may include games, nutrition, psychology, theories, computer graphics, atomic physics, endangered species and also organic chemistry,.
5. Topics
Before coming up with a final topic for your science fair project, you need to make a list of proposals for different kinds of topics. The various subjects and topics you can choose from are botany, chemistry, physics, behavioral science, engineering, computer, zoology, environment science and much more. You may select any topic or topics in which you are interested.
6. Ideas
When you have decided on the final topic for your project, it is now time to gather ideas to elaborate the topic and to make your project more interesting to learn about.
7. Research Method
One of the important things to learn in making your project is the method of research. Indeed, science fair includes a lot of research, whether experimental or investigatory.
8. Use of Scientific Method
When you are done doing the research you may need to use scientific method to support what you have researched and discovered.
9. Display
The science fair also involves exhibiting the newly gained knowledge of the students and sharing them to the other students and audience. The minimum requirements for your display board are the following: a very catchy title, hypothesis, description, experimental procedures, outcome, analysis and finally, generalization.
10. Project Report
When everything is done, you will finally create a written project report which will contain the whole process you underwent in the project. Remember to document everything from start to end. You also need to follow guidelines in making your project report.

Good Science Fair Projects

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.

Problem #2 is the time factor.

The trick for teachers is not give too much time because people procrastinate, it is a fact of life. 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.

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Science projects that are easy often don't meet the requirements of the teacher or the science fair. And projects that are fast often aren't enough to teach your child anything. With four boys, our family has waited until the last minute to do a science project more than once. But the good news is that there really are good science experiments that can be done quickly and easily.
Find out exactly what type of project your child needs. Some teachers want a demonstration science project that the child can present to the class. Some teachers want a science report. Occasionally, scientific models or nature collections will be allowed. Most teachers, however, want an experiment based science project that follows the scientific method.
Ask your child for several ideas. Do an internet or library search for "science projects on..." Make a list of possible projects. Go ahead and discard projects that are on advanced chemistry.
Take a look at the ingredients and equipment. If there are items not readily available or are wickedly expensive, you'll know that project isn't for you. There are plenty of experiments that can be done with things in the home, or at the supermarket.
Find out how long the project takes. The ideal easy science project will not take more than a few hours, in case something goes wrong and you have to repeat. And unfortunately, this does happen.
Although an easy science project isn't always easy to find, you and your child can work together to find a project that is easy to do, but also educational and fun!

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A science fair abstract is an abbreviated report or a summary in brief of the entire project. It is one of the last job of the science project but is of immense importance. It states the essential and most important things about the project. The science fair abstract in a clear and easy language gives the important outlines of the entire project. The abstract is generally around 250 words in length. It should appear at the beginning while preparing the project report and it should also be placed at the display board of the fair. The science fair abstract, when placed at the display board, gives the spectators the condensed version comprising the main elements of the project.
Science fair abstract helps people determine if they want to read the full report. Much more people will read the abstract as any other part of the work. It's like an advertisement speaking for the work done. If one wants the jury and audience to be excited about one's science fair project, then writing an exciting, engaging abstract is always suggested.

Since a science fair abstract is so short, each section is usually only one or two sentences long. Consequently, every word is important to conveying message. If a word is boring or vague, it will provide distraction.

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A science project is an educational activity for students involving experiments or construction of models in one of the science disciplines. Students may present their science project at a science fair, so they may also call it a science fair project. Science projects may be classified into four main types. Science projects are done by students all over the world.

Experimental projects

Experimental projects, also known as investigatory projects, start with a question, use the scientific method to complete the research, and end with a report detailing the results and conclusions.

Engineering projects

Engineering projects, also known as technology projects, start with a design of a machine or mechanical structure with the purpose of improving strength or performance. Researchers implement all their design ideas in a model they construct. The model will be tested to evaluate the design.

Display projects

Display projects involve a creative assembly of a board and construction of a model to show a visual representation of a larger fact. Making a model of the solar system, a house, or of a simple electric circuit are considered display projects.

Theoretical projects

Theoretical projects may involve the same format as experimental or engineering projects.

Everyone gets a little competitive when science fair comes around. Parents can sometimes go overboard when looking for the best science projects for their kids to do. What you want to focus on is the best for your child and that they will enjoy!
Sometimes the assignment that is sent home is open-ended. Do a project the child is interested in. Well, that leave little open for discussion! Here are some Search Engine Tips to help you sort through the gazillion choices that will pop up if you type in science fair projects int the Google Search Box.

One idea is to use the grade level along with your search terms. 4th grade science fair projects will get your more than just science fair projects. You could go science projects for fourth grade. Try it all ways before and after and with the number and the number written out.

Another tip is to try the adding the words quick, easy or simple. Or mix and match them, quick and easy, or fast and simple. This does not mean you are looking for a that concept is too simple, what it mean is that most of what pops up in the search should have directions will be easy to follow. There is also a better chance of having the ingredients or supplies you need be common everyday supplies you can find around your house.

You can also add in for kids to the end of your search terms as that is also helpful. It will filter out projects designed for older student or are too sophisticated.

If you have a 11+ year old add the words middle school to the search, it does it the other way, weeds out the projects that are too young. For 10 and younger you can add in for elementary which will do the same thing, but it is not as effective as using the grade level.

It should go without saying, that in your searches you try a various combination of search terms. If your start with science fair projects, and use the above tips, so another on with science experiments or just science projects. You will be surprised that some little gem may not show up on one search but pops us on another one.
Some of the results will be articles, some will be forums or blog discussions about products and others will be websites. It will take some time to go through it all, but you should find a good list for your child to choose from.

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A science fair is generally a competition where contestants present their science project results in the form of a report, display board, and models that they have created. Science fairs allow students in grade schools and high schools to compete in science and/or technology activities.
Although writing assignments that take a long time to complete and require multiple drafts are fairly common in US schools, large projects in the sciences (other than science fairs) are rare. Science fairs also provide a mechanism for students with intense interest in the sciences to be paired with mentors from nearby colleges and universities, so that they can get access to instruction and equipment that the local schools could not provide.

In the United States, science fairs first became popular in the early 1950s, with the ISEF, then known as the National Science Fair. As the decade progressed, science stories in the news, such as Jonas Salk’s vaccine for polio and the launch of Sputnik, brought science fiction to reality and attracted increasing numbers of students to fairs.

The origins of the science fairs in the United States began almost thirty years before the first National Science Fair in Philadelphia in 1950. Its beginnings can be traced back to newspaper mogul E.W. Scripps in 1921. He fathered the Science Service, now known as Society for Science & the Public, in collaboration with The American Association for the Advancement of Science, the National Academy of Sciences, and the National Research Council. Scripps created the Science Service as a nonprofit organization to popularize science by explaining technical scientific findings in a jargon-free manner to the American public. Under the watchful editorial eyes of Edwin Slosson and Watson Davis, the original weekly mimeographed Science News Bulletin evolved by the end of 1920s into the Scientific News Letter, a weekly magazine.
Davis used his influence at the Science Service to forward science education for all American children. With sponsorship from the Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company in 1941, Watson expanded the science club movement begun 14 years earlier by the American Institute of the City of New York into a national movement –Science Clubs of America. As a result of the Science Service’s efforts, some 600,000 young scientists were organized into 25,000 science clubs. The early efforts of the science clubs were reported in dispatches appearing weekly in the science newsletter. The clubs were inclusive and very much based on the wonder of science and discovery.
The work of science clubs began to culminate in science fairs held locally as part of the science movement. A science fair was originally defined as the followings at the first national science fairs in Philadelphia in 1950.
During the first fifteen years, projects were marked by individual creativity, ingenuity and resourcefulness. Science News Letter contributor, Allen Long argued: “…getting into the competition is not hard. A student decides upon some project and builds an exhibit around it. Frequently, however, the projects are the outgrowth of scientific hobbies the students have been pursuing in their spare time.” Several times during the period, the SNL printed advice on how to complete a project. The advice was void of the scientific method.

Some people point to the process of elimination as a factor which may discourage students from taking further interest in the sciences. A related source of criticism is the tendency for an inordinate amount of parental contribution to the projects, especially of winning projects. In the desire to see their children win the competition, many parents direct the children to choose projects far above a secondary student's capacity for understanding. Therefore, the parent or a connection of the parent with scientific or technical expertise will direct the development and execution of the project. Not only does this minimize the educational value of the project for the student, but also provides an unfair advantage to students whose parents have the technical connections and financial resources to invest in these projects.
Often, prizes in science fairs do not go to the best science, but to technology that is currently fashionable (green technology or health-related projects, for example).

Easy Elementary Science Projects

How can a rose turn blue? Just experiment! Take a white colored rose and cut the end of its stem at an angle of 45 degrees. Take a vase and fill it with lukewarm water. Add blue color to the water and place your rose in the vase. Keep the arrangement undisturbed overnight and you will see a beautiful blue rose in the flowerpot. The white flower has turned blue. This is because the vascular stem of the rose draws in water and nutrients from the water below. The water reaches its petals giving the petals the coloration!

Wondering how to distinguish between a raw egg and a hard-boiled one? It’s easy with an experiment. Try spinning both the eggs. Lo! The one, which spins faster, is the boiled egg!

We know of the litmus test that serves as an indicator of acids and bases. But an anthocyanin called flavin that is present in red cabbage can act as litmus! The flavin pigment in red cabbage is water-soluble. So take two cups of chopped cabbage in a container and add boiling water to it. Wait till the water becomes reddish purple in color. On adding an acidic substance to the solution, the solution will turn purple while bases will turn it to a yellowish green color.

You can build an ‘Invisible Written Communication System’. Sounds interesting? Help yourself for a plain paper, a paintbrush and lemon juice. Dip the paintbrush into the lemon juice and write a message on the paper with the brush. Allow the paper to dry. Now ask your friends to read that message. If your friends complain of not seeing anything on the paper, quickly bake or heat the paper. The heat will make the dried lemon juice reappear on the paper making your message visible.

Making a robot hand can be your elementary science project. All you need is cardboard, paper, straws, strings, caulk, scissors and glue. First cut out a hand pattern from the paper. Squeeze the caulk of about the diameter of a pencil from the tip of each of your fingers and the thumb to the base of the palm. Next, lay the string on the finger portion of the caulk beads. Take a cardboard and squeeze the caulk in between the cardboard and the hand pattern cut out from paper. Now glue straws onto the pattern. Run caulk along the straws and cover them with caulk. Cut the parts of straws that jut out without cutting the string and cut out the cardboard in the shape of your palm. Cut notches for bending of fingers and thumb. Run strings through the straws. Pulling these strings will control finger and thumb movements.

Making a ball is a really easy elementary science project. Get aluminum foil and roll it into a ball. Take elastic rubber bands and stretch them around the ball. Take as many elastic bands as you can and the ball gets bigger. Take a fairly thick and long straw. Fetch two circular magnets each with a hole in the center. Place a straw through the holes in the magnets such that the two magnets slide along the straw. Cut out any animal from a piece of paper. Glue it on one of the magnets without obstructing the hole in the magnets.

Medicine bottles sometime have a note saying that it is made out of UV Blocking plastic. Place UV Energy Beads in the bottle to test if its plastic really blocks ultra violet rays. If they do not change color, it confirms that the bottle has blocked UV rays.

Another easy demonstration of static electricity developed by Bruce Jenny, can seem magical. Get PVC pipe and a Styrofoam sheet. Cut out a band from the sheet. Rub fur along the band to build static charge. Similarly build a charge onto the pipe. Toss up the band with the help of a pencil and place the pipe underneath. Due to the charges produced on both the objects, the band will whirl above the pipe.

Elementary science projects can be as interesting as the ones mentioned above. Science projects can be fulfilled and innovative. They illustrate fundamental as well as complex scientific facts creatively. Easy elementary science projects have always fascinated me.

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Science is one of the core subjects of the educational system. Science becomes more complex in third grade. If you teach third grade science, you know that hands-on, exciting activities will always beat a boring lecture.

Life Science

Third grade life science skills include knowledge of plants and animals at a cellular level. Activities that observe plants and animals up close are one way to introduce students to these organisms. Use scientific tools, such as magnifying glasses, when making observations. Third grade students can dive in deeper by observing cells under a microscope. Place a slide of green algae under the microscope so students can observe plant cells up close. Assigning students to create their own 3D cell is an educational school project. Coloring and labeling cells is another simple assignment that can be completed as seat work.

Matter and Energy

Explaining the topics of matter and energy to third grade students can prove to be somewhat challenging. Matter and energy needs to be demonstrated to students in order to get them to understand it properly. Activities that include recognizing the physical properties of matter, methods of separating mixtures and exploring heat conduction are some ways to show students matter and energy. Teaching students how to separate mixtures can be as easy as pouring colored, sandy water through a coffee filter. Use colored sand and colored water to make it more appealing to students. This demonstrates the process of filtration, or separating a solid from a liquid. Exploring heat conduction can be interesting as well. Give each student two cups of water. One cup contains cold water, while the other contains very warm water. Place a metal spoon and a wooden stick in each cup. Have students touch each object in each cup every 45 seconds.

The Universe

Activities that teach students about the universe should be simple and interesting. A creative introduction is to have students bring in a model of the solar system, complete with the sun and planets. They should create this model at home with help from their parents. This is often a favorite activity for third graders. They can also draw and color planets, then assemble them on a poster board. Remember to have them label the planets. NASA also has interesting kids' sites and printouts that are helpful when teaching students about the universe (see Resources).

Geography

Students begin learning about the continents and bodies of water by the time they reach the third grade. Give students world map hand-outs and let them color and label the continents and bodies of water. Focus on no more than two countries at a time so you don't overwhelm your students.

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