Steve Spangler had two talented and amazing scientists join him this week on his television segment at 9News. Both Elli and Bryce had science fair projects that tested and used different types of oils.
Elli is a 4th grader. Her science fair project caught our eye because of all of the bubbling potions. Her project was to test which oil worked the best in making a homemade lava lamp.
She tested Wesson Oil, Crisco Oil and a generic oil. After adding water to a large amount of the oil, Elli dropped food coloring into the solution and then added an Alka-Seltzer tablet. The Alka-Seltzer separated the water and the oil and caused a bubbling reaction. All three oils performed well.
You’ve picked the perfect project, pulled together your materials and variables, conducted your experiment. You can see the finish line. But there is one last piece of the science fair project that remains…the project display board.
I’ve been surprised in my working with students and their parents that the display board can make even the most confident scientists to break out in a sweat.
Don’t sweat the display board – this is where your hard work and creativity really get to shine. It is a display that tells the story of all of your efforts and gives the first impression of your project.
Here are a few tips:
Keep it simple, neat and organized.
Start with a powerful title. You want to grab the judges’ and visitors’ attention. A title like “Mentos and Diet Coke Geysers” is nice, but it doesn’t jump out. Try something like “Icky Sticky Soda Geysers – Which One Makes the Biggest Mess?”
Use your imagination and make it attractive. Use pictures, 3-D objects, colors, graphs, charts or illustrations to draw in your audience.
The goal of the science fair is to teach the scientific method and give students insight into how to theorize, set up, perform and draw conclusions from an experiment. But it’s so much more than just boring science steps. It gets kids excited about independent learning, reaching, researching and discovering. This isn’t something you read about in a text book, it’s something you create, build and find your own answers. Creativity also helps in building a science fair project board – they are works of art!
Students also learn public speaking skills during the fair when presenting their project and discussing it with fair visitors.
And through all of this hard work, speaking, creating, testing and concluding, the kids build self-confidence and pride in their work. My favorite part of the science fair is walking around and seeing the pride and joy on all of the kids’ faces. Now, how can that be dreaded?
With strong parent support and amazing teachers to encourage a love for science, Roxborough Elementary is celebrating the largest participation in their Science fair this year.
Science fair can be a daunting event for both students and their parents. But participating in science fair doesn’t have to be scary. All it takes is a question to get started. It can be a simple question like “Which diaper absorbs the most liquid?” or “Which gum flavor lasts the longest?” After you ask a question, run a series of tests to answer your question. Sometimes, you won’t find a clear answer.
Roxborough Elementary takes advantage of the scientists in their community from Lockheed Martin. Community members are invited to help judge science fair projects. They don’t let their participants struggle on their own. They give each participant a packet of information on how to
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