Winning Science Fair Projects: Lesson 2 - Plan & Perform a Science Fair Project

Winning Science Fair Projects Lesson 2 - Plan & Perform a Science Fair Project From Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D., your Guide to Chemistry Welcome to the Winning Science Fair Projects newsletter. In the last issue, we took a look at types of projects and ways to brainstorm to come up with an idea. Now that you have an idea, it's time to turn that idea into reality. Are you ready? Let's get started! Design a Winning Science Project The Scientific Method  Many projects will have a testable hypothesis, based on the scientific method. In order to develop a valid hypothesis you need to know what the scientific method is and how to apply it. Science Project Guidelines If you choose a project that involves people or animals, you may run into questions of ethics. If you work with chemicals or electricity, you'll face safety issues. Some science fairs have rules concerning these topics. Learn what some potential problem spots are and how to address them for a science fair. Actually Doing Your Project You've got an idea and you've made a plan... now what? There are some important considerations to keep in mind while performing your project regarding data (what to save, what to discard) and how many times to repeat a test for valid data. Still Don't Have a Topic? 'How-To' Guide  If you are still stumped with a project idea, it might help to look over a list of science activities. It's sometimes easiest to take a project, come up with a question concerning it, and test that question to come up with a science fair idea. For example, you could take the paper chromatography of leaves tutorial and use it to examine whether plant pigments are different depending on the soil chemistry where the plants are grown. Science Projects for Every Occasion There are a lot of possible topics for science fair projects, including some you may not think of as 'science'. Science fair projects can involve sports, crystals, space... really any topic that interests you. Top Science Fair Project Books In addition to online resources, there are some excellent science fair project books available. You can check your local or school library for these resources or may even want to get a copy to keep. Got Questions? Visit the Chemistry Forum  You can ask and answer questions about your science fair project at About's chemistry forum. You'll find scientists, engineers, teachers, students, parents, and other people just like you with an interest in science. Science Fair Project Help It's nice to have a one-page reference for project ideas, sample experiments, report and display help, and places you can go with questions. In addition to the e-course, you may want to bookmark this science fair project index page for handy reference. Chemistry Activities for Kids E-Course Are you ready for kid-friendly chemistry activities and games? Each e-course newsletter features safe projects, games or quizzes, and links for additional learning. Learn about the elements, grow crystals, and more! When you sign up you'll get one newsletter a week until you've gotten them all. Sign me up!