Science Fair Projects - Complete Guide to a Winning Science Project Step 2 - Topic Research

First, get yourself a spiral notebook to be used as your journal. All science fair projects need to have notes taken as you work though them. This notebook is where you will record your topic research and your project research. It should have your ideas as well as those you get from printed information or from other people. It will also need to include descriptions of your experiment along with diagrams, graphs and other recorded notes of your results.

You will want all information written in the journal to be as neat as possible and make sure to include the date. This will be your complete and accurate record of your project from beginning to end. The information in the journal will be used to write your written report. Your journal will be displayed with your completed project.

Selecting a Topic

You want to get the best grade possible on your project, win awards at the fair and learn anything new about science you can. Judges will evaluate the science fair projects on a number of criteria. You will be able to achieve some or all of these as long as you spend the time working on your project it needs, so you will want to choose a topic you are interested in. If you can, it is best to choose a topic and stick with it. Don't bounce around from topic to topic.

Look at the World Around You

By using an exploring question you can turn things you see everyday into a science project. For an example, the grass in your neighbor's yard is always greener than in your yard. Why is his grass greener than ours? You have a question about plants. Could you turn it into a project? If you keep thinking about it, you might start to realize there is some nutrient in his soil that is not in yours.

If you keep your eyes and ears open and you start asking more exploring questions, you will find numerous things that could be turned into a project. You may wonder about the difference in paints. There are many questions you may have, but you don't always ask them.

Find a Topic in Science Magazines

If you find a topic in a science magazine, do not expect them to come with instructions on how to do the experiment. You will have to come up with that one on your own. Just look at facts that seeming interesting to you. If they lead you to ask and exploring question, you may have a project topic. You can even try looking into a science fair project book or Science Experiment Books.

Three Steps to a Topic

You have decided to enter a project into the science fair, but you really don't know where to start. The first thing you have to do is come up with a project idea. Start with a topic that interests you will have fun and learn something while working on this project. Here are a few hints for coming up with a project idea.

Look at these ideas and find a topic that interests you.

People
Animals
Plants
Rocks
Space
Weather
Electricity

There are many projects you can come up with using any one of these topic ideas. Come up with a question you have about one of these topics. You can start off with a simple question and make it a better question. Such as, "Why does it rain?" You want to get more specific about your question. So then you expound on it to become "How much rain did California get last year compared to 5 years ago?" Good topics for science fair projects include anything that you can do an experiment on to see if it is true or false.

Categories of Topic Ideas

Check with your teacher, but usually every fair has a list of categories. You may need to ask the advice of your teacher to find the right category for your project. You must have your project entered into the right category to win. If your project happened to get entered into the wrong category, you can be penalized because the judges are required to judge a project based on its category. For a list of categories, check out the resources on the web site below:

Your next step is to download a free copy of Easy Steps to Award-Winning Science Fair Projects to lead you through your own project.

A great resource for science project ideas, as well as how to do them, is the science project blog. Definitely worth bookmarking.

Good luck!

About the Author
Aurora Lipper has been teaching science to kids for over 10 years. She is also a mechanical engineer, university instructor, pilot, astronomer and a real live rocket scientist (You should see the lab in her basement!) She has inspired thousands of kids with the fun and magic of science.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Science Fair Projects - Finding the Right Topic For a Winning Science Project

The right topic is what makes the difference between good science fair projects and great ones. A good presentation makes it easy to tell what the data you collect shows. Having a good knowledge of what you saw and how you came to your conclusion is exactly what the judges like to see in winning science fair projects.

Get the most from your research by keeping written notes of your project as you do it. Write down everything from brainstorming to experimentation to raw data. Always make a note of the date it was taken down for use in your report. Ready to get started? The first thing you'll need to know is what you want to study. Science projects can be anything you want them to, so pick something you can really sink your teeth into. Be Focused about what you want to find out. A simple well done project will earn more points than a complex but unfinished one. It's okay to change topics early on, but make sure you change for a good reason (like it's too complicated or too broad) Good science projects require a long time to plan and complete well. Science fair projects come in three basic types:

1. Conducting an Investigation in which you state a hypothesis and test it in an experiment.

2. Constructing a Kit or Model in which you state a hypothesis and demonstrate that it is either true or false using a replica you design and...

3. Doing a Demonstration, in which you explain a scientific principle using visual aids, data, exhibits and activities

Your science fair might have special guidelines for what kind of projects you can do, so be sure to check on this. Still can't decide what to do? Science is everywhere! Just be curious and something is sure to spark an idea that will make a great project. Try to remember times when something really made you think. Check it out! There are lots of books and magazines around with loads of cool science projects in them just waiting to be discovered! Try one out or just borrow from an article you spot, all that is required is that you pick a topic that you can conduct an experiment with and study scientifically. Here are some areas you might consider topics in:

Biology

- Ecology: The study of relationships between plants, animals, climate, and other aspects of nature which make up ecosystems.

- Zoology: The study of animals including anatomy, behaviorism, and physiology.

- Botany: The study of plants and plant life including anatomy, behaviorism, and physiology.

- Microbiology: The study of microscopic organisms

Earth science

- Geology: The study of the Earth, archeology, minerals, rocks, seismology, and volcanology all fall under this heading.

- Meteorology: The study of climate, the atmosphere and weather.

- Oceanography: The study of marine life and the ocean.

- Paleontology: The study of prehistoric life.

Physical Science

- Chemistry: The study of the chemical make-up of objects and how they change and combine.

- Physics: The study of energy and motion, including electricity, gravity and magnetism.

- Electricity: How circuits work. Really anything that uses electricity to operate.

- Energy: The capacity to do work

Mathematics

- Geometry: The area of mathematics which studies relationships between points, lines, and planes.

Engineering: Use of scientific knowledge in real world applications.

Technology: Computers, communications, navigation, music (like your iPod) and really anything like that. Technology uses electricity. As you can see, science fair projects come in all different flavors. So get creative and come up with a project you can be proud of, then follow the tips here and with a little luck you just might win, now go get researching!

If you're ready to get going with your own science project, your next step is to download a free copy of Easy Steps to Award-Winning Science Fair Projects.

Good luck!

About the Author

Aurora Lipper has been teaching science to kids for over 10 years. She is also a mechanical engineer, university instructor, pilot, astronomer and a real live rocket scientist (You should see the lab in her basement!) She has inspired thousands of kids with the fun and magic of science.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Science Fair Projects - Complete Guide to a Winning Science Project - Step 2 - Topic Research

I'm going to point out a few helpful hints to help in making successful science fair projects. With a little help, you should easily be able to make a great project!!

If you're still not quite sure how to pick a topic, let me help.

It is really important to make sure you pick an interesting topic for your science fair project. After all, you are going to have to do a lot of research and experimenting. Here are some broad examples for topics:


Plants
Animals
Weather
Outer Space

Obviously, you don't want your topic to be too broad. So think about what you're interested in, and then narrow it down. For example, if you're interested in plants, think of something a little more specific. Maybe you're interested in the differences between growing a plant outdoors and growing a plant indoors.
Now that you've decided on something a bit more specific, it's time to go one step further. Think of ways you can narrow even that down. It's really important to be as exact as possible. Think of a very, very specific question you would like to answer. For example, what is the difference between petunias grown inside versus petunias grown outside?

So you've got the topic. Now it's time to do some research.

Here are the three main types of science fair projects:

Investigation


Ask yourself questions and test them out!
Observe the differences between a plant living outside in the sun or a plant living inside in a dark room


Use a kit/model

Any science or craft store should help out with this one
Model airplanes

Demonstrate and experiment with a scientific principle

And most importantly, make sure to use the scientific method!!

If you've forgot what it is, I'll break it down for you one more time...

Purpose:- ask yourself a question. What is it you want to find out or test?
Hypothesis:- predict a possible answer to your question
Procedure:- do your research and experiment
Results:- this is where you get to make charts, tables, diagrams, etc. to represent all of your hard work
Conclusion:- now you can talk about what you've learned from doing the project and list any additional questions you may have

Some tips for research

Look around

This seems so obvious, but it is so true. Look around and ask yourself some questions. Statement starting with "I wonder" make excellent starting points. Look and listen to those around you. You'll probably get some great ideas.

Every day, you go through many different experiences worthy of testing. Think of the people and environment you constantly interact with. Are you curious about the weather? How about the plant life? Use every day experiences and interactions to come up with an idea for a project.

Use science magazines

Science magazines are a great way to find ideas for your science fair projects. For example, perhaps you read an article about bears and hibernation. Maybe you wonder why bears need to hibernate, and other animals do not. Science magazines are great sources for research because they can help to answer very specific questions.

If you still need a little help picking a science project, download a free copy of the "Easy Steps to Award Winning Science Projects" from the link below.

With all these tips, you should be on your way to a great science fair project! Be creative, and have fun!

Your next step is to download a free copy of Easy Steps to Award-Winning Science Fair Projects to lead you through your own project.

A great resource for science project ideas, as well as how to do them, is the science project blog. Definitely worth bookmarking.

Good luck!

About the Author Aurora Lipper has been teaching science to kids for over 10 years. She is also a mechanical engineer, university instructor, pilot, astronomer and a real live rocket scientist (You should see the lab in her basement!) She has inspired thousands of kids with the fun and magic of science.

This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Science Fair Topic Ideas

A well-organized science fair can be interesting and equally informative. The first step towards organizing a science fair is to choose a topic. The topic should be chosen according to one's field of interest. After having chosen a topic one should first get it approved by parents and teachers in order to avoid any unwanted problem at a later stage. Then the plan should be laid out and the materials required should be collected.

Some tips to find a science fair topic idea easily are to look at the different categories of science and choose a good idea. You can also search current events to find ideas, or observe the small things in day-to-day life which may provide inspiration. You could search through science journals and magazines, or watch the Discovery Channel for ideas. Alternatively, the internet is becoming a great source of inspiration, though one must be careful when choosing a science fair topic idea from the internet. Too many people using the same science fair topic ideas is bad news for the students who want to be the winners of the science fair.

Science project topic ideas can be related to any branch of science namely physical, chemical, biological or environmental. Science project topic should always be chosen according to one's standard. There are numerous topic ideas available based on the level and the age of the student.

Some common science fair project ideas suitable for students according to their levels under different categories are listed below:

Projects for grades- up to 4

Listed below are some easy display type projects, which can be taken up by the beginners--

- Making of a compass

- Making of salt and sugar crystals

- Model of the solar system

Chemistry projects

- Exploring what is needed for fire to burn

- Freezing and boiling of water

- Formation of steam from water

Biology projects

- Germination of seeds

- Habitat study

- Mode of human body to study different parts

- Factors affecting plant growth

- Projects for grades 4-8

Some good science fair topic ideas for older elementary school and middle school students include

Physics projects

- A bell system

- Electromagnetism

- Splitting of light into colours

Chemistry project

- Growing of different crystals

- Identification of metal by the color of the burning flame

- Reaction of acid with different metals

Biology projects

- Various nutrients required by plants

- Growth of yeast, bacteria, fungus

- Study of weeds

Projects for grades9-12

Physics projects

- Production of electrical energy from other forms of energy

- Propagation of sound

- Magnetic permeability of different materials

Chemistry projects

- Ozone layer formation

- Air purification

- Microbial degradation of petroleum

Biology projects

- Age versus learning ability

- Effects of salinity on fertilizer

- Growth of pant and animal cells by cloning

There are many sites that may be helpful in guiding the students participating in science fair by providing various science fair topic ideas and experiments.

Jordan Matthews is a High School Math and Science teacher who has worked as a judge and a coordinator of many science fairs. Check his Science Fair Project ideas website for some more ideas and information, including information about how to perform these specific project ideas.

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