When I was growing up, my school did not do a science fair. I had never been to a science fair until my oldest was in kindergarten. All I knew was it had something to do with baking soda volcanoes.
Fast forward several years, and I now organize the science fair and encourage kids to get involved. Through Steve Spangler Science, I also help parents, teachers and students with their projects. Science fair and volcanoes may go hand in hand, but the ever popular demonstration is not actually a science fair project.
A science fair project asks a “what if” question, which leads to a variable and eventually finding an answer or at the very least, a big discovery. A science demonstration, like our volcano, is used to illustrate a science concept.
Another extremely popular demonstration is quickly taking over the volcano as a classic science fair project – dropping Mentos into Diet Coke. This is also a demonstration.
But can you take a demonstration and turn it into a science fair project? Absolutely. All you need to do is C3 it. The three C’s stand for Change,
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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?
It’s science fair time for many schools across the country. If you’re a parent of a young scientist who is turning your kitchen into a laboratory, and you’re overwhelmed, here are some ways to make the project more meaningful. Participating in the school science fair is a fantastic opportunity to uncover the power of the scientific method. You’ll ask new questions, discover new science facts, conduct experiments that lead you to ask new questions and make new discoveries, and ultimately gain a new understanding of how science works. The best part is making the mini discoveries on your way to un-covering a conclusion. Watch the video to learn how to take the most popular science fair demonstration, the baking soda and vinegar volcano and turn it into a real science fair project.
For more help in finding a science fair project or getting science fair project ideas,
By Blog Editor Susan Wells
