Tag - earth science

Science Fair 911 – Choose a Topic & Project Ideas

By Guest Blogger Debbie Leibold 

Sometimes the hardest part of the entire science fair is figuring out what you want to do for your project. I know from personal experience with my own sons that it is easy to fall into the trap of thinking you have to do something amazing in order to make the project worthwhile. My sons’ best projects have revolved around their interests and were really quite basic, but used the scientific method to answer a question. A few years back, my older son (a competitive golfer) wanted to know if a warm or a cold golf ball traveled farther so he ran some tests to find an answer. My younger son created the Helmet Crash-The Melon Test experiment as a response to a lot of information on the news about ski accidents and people not wearing helmets. These were not complicated questions, but they were ideas that interested my kids.

In trying to come up with your own idea, ask yourself a basic question:  What are you interested in?  Brainstorm a list of topics in
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Earth Day Science

Earth Day is just around the corner. Now is the perfect time to teach children about respecting and caring for the earth. Earth Day science is a great way to give hands-on lessons about recycling, renewable energy and the environment. Here are some fun facts we’ve assembled.

• The first Earth Day was on April 22, 1970. Gaylord Nelson, a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin began the day to organize a large public demonstration to get the attention of politicians. The first Earth Day was celebrated by more than 20 million people. Earth Day is credited with starting the modern environmental movement.
• Recycling one ton of paper saves an average of 7,000 gallons of water, 3.3 cubic yards of landfill space, 3 barrels of oil, 17 trees and 4,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity (enough to power the average home for 6 months).
• What is a “green” product? Green products are safe for the environment, contain no chlorofluorocarbons (they destroy the ozone), they decompose and are made from recycled materials.
• What do the recycle numbers mean on plastic?
  Plastic #1 – polyethylene terephtalate (PETE or PET). Disposable water bottles are made from the clear plastic
  

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