Science Fair Ideas...?

Yes, I know... it's summer. Hearing the words "science fair" probably makes your head hurt. But the more time you spend thinking about the science fair in advance, the easier it will be-- and the more fun you will have.

Often, students choose a project they find in a science fair book or on the internet. This may seem like the easy way out at first, but the problem is, it's usually much less interesting-- and sometimes much more difficult and confusing-- than if you had come up with a project yourself. Why copy something you find online when there are interesting science questions all around?

Try this: come up with a list of things you find interesting. These can be things you learn about in school, things you do for fun, things you like to watch on TV-- anything, really. Here's a list of some things that interest me, as an example:

• animals
• cooking and food
• music
• books
• basketball

Now, all you have to do is start paying attention. I'm serious. If you look closely, science questions are all around us! If you care about something, don't you want to know how it works? Here are some questions that would make great science fair projects, based on my interests:

• animals-- Do goldfish remember you, or is it true that they have a 4-second memory?
• cooking and food-- Does adding salt to water really make it boil faster?
• music-- Does listening to music make doing homework easier or harder?
• books-- Do pictures help you remember things from textbooks?
• basketball-- Which brand of ball bouncest highest? (I had a student do this one!)

Have a topic you want to do, but you need help coming up with a question? Or maybe you think you have a good idea for an experiment, and you want to know what to do next? Ask me for help!