Learning Haven

Category: Science Fair Projects

  • Science Lesson Plans


    If you think your child will not enjoy learning science, think again, as the science lesson plans may make you think otherwise. The lesson plans make for some interesting learning where the child finds a connection between science and life. When the child can relate to science, the child will be keen to know all about science.

    Science Lesson Plans In Detail

    Different websites provide you access to different science lesson plans. The lesson plans follow the technique of making the scientific experiments more interesting, so that a child is easily drawn towards it. The key is to make science very exciting for the kids.

    Science lesson plans for the different grades are based on a child’s level of understanding and hence, you should choose a lesson plan that best suits the age and grade of the child.

    Nursery and Kindergarten: This is the time when a child must be introduced to the world of science. The kids of this age are naturally curious and you have to take advantage of this attribute. The lesson plans aim at increasing the kid’s ability to observe, inquire and reflect.

    Lower School: The activities in the first and second grade should be more of the interactive kind to satisfy the curious nature of the children. The children can communicate their understanding and learning in the form of murals, lists, graphs and cycles. The kids also compare among the objects they observe on the grounds of shape, number, weight, texture, size, motion and color.

    The science instruction can get formal in the third and fourth grades. In this period, the students learn to record data systematically, measure accurately, observe carefully and draw sensible conclusions.

    Middle School: The science lesson plans, at the middle school level, revolve round formal scientific experimentations. In the fifth and sixth grade, a student identifies variables, interprets the graph data, uses the metric measurements and formulates hypotheses.

    In the seventh and eighth grade, the students study the principles of environmental science and its relation to the real world. Lab activities, Internet research, textbook reading and field trips make for an in-depth approach to scientific study.

    High School: The coursework of biology, chemistry and physics requires the application of higher mathematical skills. Instructions are given to help the learners with the interpretation and analysis of experiments, laboratory work, and the mathematical analysis of problems.

    The general aim of the science lesson plans is to build a strong foundation for the students so that they develop a very rational, logical attitude towards life.


  • Science Fair Ideas


    Science fair is an event where students create a project based on scientific phenomenon. Nonetheless, this sort of an event is independent of age, and contestants outside the domain of school and colleges also participate. If you are a budding scientist and trying to explore science fair ideas, here we’ll guide you on the same.

    Before embarking on a science project, you should keep in mind that scientific activities need mental discipline, clear ideas and organization in the collection of data and their handling. Fun science is a gallery, which is meant particularly for amateur scientists. You’ll find the articles at fun science gallery quite long but amidst them some easy-to-do experiments can also be found.

    With the advent of Internet, finding an idea on a science project is no more cumbersome. By typing keywords such as “science experiments”, “science fairs”, “science fair projects”, “lab experiments”, “hands-on science”, “microscope construction” etc. can give you an array of articles.




    Books and magazines are equally useful. Try to browse through encyclopedias and some of the recommended magazines for science fair ideas are National Geographic, Discover, Omni, Mother Earth News, Popular Science, Prevention, Popular Mechanics, High Technology and Garbage. Reading habits should be inculcated in kids from a very young age as this helps them to cultivate ideas.

    Apart from these general resources, your brain itself has loads of ideas, you just have to think critically. As a science student there are many questions that has popped up while studying a topic. Thoughts like “I wonder how that works?” or “I wonder what would happen if…”, must have occurred, turn them into projects.

    If you have gone beyond textbooks and something more has intrigued you, those can also be explored in the form of projects. For instance,

    • Are hot air balloons different from blimps?
    • What would happen to the weather if Earth were cube shaped?
    • What is the best method, other than heat, to melt ice?
    • What effect does oil have on water plants?
    • How does a nuclear reactor work, how does it look?
    • How can a tomato plant be grafted to a potato plant?
    • How is sound obtained from a compact disk?
    • How does burning gasoline make a car move?
    • How do we tell how far a star is from Earth?

    The largest annually held science fair in United States is the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). These events are generally sponsored by corporations and organizations and also offer scholarships as prizes. Europe also conducts science fairs such as the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition in Ireland and Jugend forscht in Germany. Who knows your Science Fair Ideas will open new dimensions for humankind.




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  • Middle School Science Fair Projects


    You are gearing up for the middle school science fair project and the ideas are wriggling in your mind, but not able to decide the ideal one for the fair, right? Read along to get a whole range of topics and ideas for your middle school science fair projects.

    There are basically three types of science fair projects:

    Experimental – The scientific phenomenon is investigated by performing an experiment. Example: Effect of light on seed germination. How blood pressure is affected after an exercise etc.

    Descriptive – A particular scientific principle is described with the help of snapshots.
    Example: Investigating and describing the process of fermenting wine, what is genetic engineering etc.

    Building – Building of a scientific device or machine through which a scientific phenomenon can be demonstrated. Example: Building a simple crystal radio set or setting up and investigating a Geiger count.

    Besides these there are various exciting ideas through which your project can gain good applause in school. One such is the potato battery. If you are thinking that it signifies making batteries out of potato, then you got it right. You can also well try out salt volcano, a simple science experiment, which has lot of fun involved apart from the general science study needed.

    A more innovative way of doing something would be making your own homemade barometer. What weathermen professionally do, you can do sitting right in your home and check the air pressure and analyze the effect of weather.

    The important criteria, which should be kept in mind while selecting a project is to see whether you have the level of aptitude and interest for it or not. The chosen topic should have enough material for study and after thorough research and investigation, narrowed down to important information.

    Try and attend local science fair competitions from where you can gather ideas on how a project is done. Communicating with other students will also help. And last but not the least for scientific activities what one needs is optimum discipline and integrity. Always chalk out your plans and schedule in advance and follow them accordingly. With all the middle school science fair project ideas at your reach, when are you are ready to scream “Eureka!” soon.


  • Science Fair Projects For Kids


    Science fair projects for kids enhance their power of observation, level of understanding and confidence to try out new things in life. Kids learn best when they get the opportunity to perform and practically try out what they have learnt. It is however, not necessary to spend a large sum of money for a science fair project. You simply need to be systematical and do some useful scheduling.

    Title of The Project

    When arranging for a science fair project, the kid must first think of a catchy and attractive title. However, apart from being attractive, the title should also concern the subject matter of the project – just a phrase or two describing the entire layout. Before kids decide on what title to use they are to choose a particular question on which the entire project would be based. The success of a project depends a lot on the kind of question kids choose to deal with.

    Background Section of The Science Fair Project

    In this particular section, the kids are to include their understanding of the subject matter, which they have selected as raw materials for their science fair projects. Children should produce reasons for their choices of the subjects and they must discuss about what they expect to learn from their particular science fair projects.

    How To Decide On A Subject

    This is in fact the most difficult part of the entire process. What to choose, how to choose and what to consider while deciding on the subject matter of a science fair project. First, the kids should consider things, which often interest them and compel them to make use of their brains. Next, the kids should think of a question on the subject of the project. The kids feel like scientists trying to provide shape and form to their curiosity and understanding of the subject matter.

    How The Project Works

    Working on a science project requires you to sit down and answer your personal queries. Often parents suggest kids what question they are to choose for their project. Now, this is a kind of mental imposition because your suggested subject may seem difficult for your kid to deal with. For instance, parents often suggest topics such as tornadoes and volcanoes. It is easy to make models of such things but it is equally difficult to frame questions on such subjects.

    If the subject matter is simple, there are more chances of the science fair project to become successful. If your kid has a fascination for sports, he or she may choose a particular sports item as the subject matter of the project. Which tennis ball bounces higher, old or the new? When basketballs are inflated, do they bounce better or the flatter ones provide more bounce? What do such projects require? Some tennis balls or basketballs, some volunteer “bouncers” along with a meter tape or a meter stick would do enough to make the project successful.

    If the science project is about animals and insects the kid can come up with questions like how does electricity affect fruit flies or how do different types of liquids affect fruit-fly growth? If your project is about Earth, sun and stars, then it is time for you to deal with queries like what evidence can we find about the rotation of the earth from star trails? What is the size of the earth? How does the color of a background affect its absorption of solar insolation or how does sunspot activity affect radio reception? There are countless questions.

    Weather, water quality, food and your body, oceans, streams, plants, rivers and gardening, the more you kid would venture the more secrets would be revealed. It would be a rewarding experience on your part to spend some time for giving shape to ideas and thoughts by means of science fair projects for kids.


  • Third Grade Science Projects

    The third grade science projects help the 3rd grade kids to understand science better. Further, these help them in their future learning. The science projects for the kids should be made interesting and fun, as only then will the kids be able to learn better and properly. You should take care that the kids are enjoying what they learn; this will make them retain what they learn for a longer time.

    Different science projects that could be interesting for the kids

    Many interesting third grade science projects are there, which will interest your child. Like for instance, if you want to help them understand the different types of houses built by human beings, you can make them use dried leaves for huts, twigs for nests and they can use other materials like cotton, thick cardboard and other stuffs. All the way, the activity can be loads of fun for the kids.

    To encourage the kids to learn about animals, you can get cutouts of big as well as young animal pictures and these are great materials for third grade science projects.

    Another great science projects will be to encourage the kids to know the growth of the plants. We all know that plants require air, water and sunlight for growth. Have the kids take two plants in two different pots; the plant in one pot should get sunlight, water and air for the good growth of the plant, whereas the second plant should be covered with a polythene bag without air contact, with no water and away from the sunlight. You will find that the second plant will die after some days and the first plant will grow up to be a healthy plant.

    Science projects can be lovely learning tools

    Always look for third grade science projects that are easy to make, easy to explain to the kids and helps them to understand their science lessons better. The approach to teaching science becomes lot more interesting once you know how to go about it armed with the fun projects. You will be surprised to find the third grade kids more than ready to learn. As a teacher, you can make your teaching more practicable with the third grade science projects.

  • Science Fair

    Science fair is quite interesting in the sense, that it witnesses a conglomeration of intelligent and creative ideas that sparks an urge to delve more into the mysterious world of Science. The Science fair projects take their own time duration, depending upon the maturity level of the projects. Some may take few weeks, while others take a couple of months and there are still others, which may extend to a long year.

    A science fair would be interesting only if you have good topics, through which you can project your ideas. A topic is considered good, if it has in depth knowledge of the subject, on which you are stressing. Newspaper articles, radio, television, books are the excellent sources to get ideas related to your topic. More so, for a Science fair, you should select a topic, which should leave enough space for research into the matter. To form a concrete idea about the topics, you should visit the other Science fairs in your locality. This will open your mind to a spectrum of ideas and you may explore a new topic, which may eventually qualify. However, if you are interested about the Science fair projects, then there are certain things, which you need to know in details.

    Science Fair projects – Need some idea?

    If you want to be a part of the Science fair project, then think carefully regarding the topic, which is the foremost area of concern. Students should take up something, which is challenging. At the same time, he/she should have the necessary skill, motivation and interest to work efficiently. If you are interested in taking part in the fair, then be well aware of the rules and regulations that the fair implements for hosting the projects. Before presenting the project, make sure that you take sufficient time to research and work on the nitty-gritty of the project.

    On the day of the presentation, make sure that you have arranged things properly. Remember, that a fair project encompasses usage of display board and other materials. For more effective result, you should also use a blackboard, where you can draw out the sketches for elaborate explanation. Most important of all, make sure that you stand up when the judges of the Science fair project approach you for judgment.

    The display board plays a significant role in presentation of the project. It allows for artistic talent and creative expression. A perfect combination of careful planning and logic will enable you to make use of the board properly.

    The students should have some background knowledge regarding the project in which they are working. Since, topic selection is the most important aspect; therefore the student should select such a topic that reflects creativity and originality. Remember that, no one knows your project better than you do, so you should be able to express the project to the best of your ability.

    Students should act their age and choose a topic that lies within their limits of understanding capability. The right technique, method, concept and equipment will enable a student to excel in his/her domain. More so, the Science fair projects are immensely knowledge inducing, since it sparks the extra inquisitiveness in the minds, so experiment and fall in love with the subject.

  • Science Experiments

    Teaching science remains incomplete without proper demonstration through science experiments. The best science books can never replace the real life experiments. Thus, the experiments would definitely propagate an excitement in a child or student, generating interest in science.

    To make the child interested in science, the subject has to move beyond the narrow confines of the classroom. Nothing can generate more interest in science than the magical effects of an experiment gazed by the children with wonder eyes. Science experiments are at the core of science teaching. Proper science teaching encourages higher thinking skills and science experiments supplement those by improving the ability to grasp basic scientific concepts.

    Experiments need not be restricted to the school. They can be carried out at home under the guidance and supervision of adults.

    Some common science experiments

    Nowadays, most of the students are very interested in space. You can supplement their interest by making a model of the solar system. Plastics and rubber can be used as construction materials. Embellish the model with your ingenuity.

    An experiment that can be easily conducted at home is that of growing plants. Buy two paper cups and let your child fill both with a little soil and water and plant some seeds in them. Place one in sunlight and the other in shade. Let your child observe the results. See that the plants are regularly watered. The child will observe and learn that the plant getting sunlight grows while the one in the shade does not.

    The child can also learn about static electricity at home. All you need is a comb, a balloon and some bits of papers on the plate. Ask your kid to run the comb through the hair and then bring the comb near the paper bits. Some bits of paper would stick to the comb. Now inflate the balloon rub it vigorously on your child’s hair then bring it before the wall. The balloon sticks to the wall. This way a child learns, perhaps never to forget, when told that it is static electricity, which makes these things stick.

    Most elementary science experiments can be conducted using materials readily available at home. However, take care to see that the experiments are safe and can be easily understood by your child.

    Science experiments will gradually make the child realize that there is science behind everything happening around them.

  • Science Toys

    Science toys are referred as the ‘educational toys’, which are knowledge inducing in every sense. They serve a combined purpose of fun and education. The science toys provide a great way to generate a child’s interest in the subject, by delving into the matter, with an entertaining approach.

    Learning straight from the book is very boring and complicated. The toys are a great fun when your child has to play and realize the crafty details of the toy. Solving the puzzles while playing with the science toys helps to utilize brain more playfully, instead of taking things too seriously. This helps to rest your brain to think slowly, but steadily, and hence, solve things more quickly than you had imagined. For example, a chemistry set is a wonderful example to learn about the chemicals. The right set will incorporate rubber tubing, pipettes, safety goggles, burners, and many more.

    Different types of science toys

    The Crystal growing kits are a great start for the budding scientists. These are great science toys for introducing geology, where one can learn about the non-toxic crystals and how they grow in 15 to 20 hours. If your child is a fan of robots and loves to observe its weird functions, then buy your kid the robot kits. These science educational toys foster a sense of knowledge about electronics and mechanics. The robots enable the children to learn about the sensors, motors, axels, beams and gears.

    The computer games are equally educative. They have an educational aspect that helps to educate the children on various topics. These are particularly meant for those kids who have an aptitude for Math. The gizmos and the gadgets are such educative toy. The telescope is another wonderful science toy that teaches a kid about heavenly bodies. However, while buying a telescope, you should be careful about the mount you purchase, since the proper usage of the telescope depends a lot on the height of the mount. Especially, watching the stars, planets, asteroids, is a great way of learning the features of the galaxy.

    There are some natural science educational toys, which incorporate frog and butterfly habitat, mini insect and special collectors. The most appreciating features of the science toys are that, they are quite safe and allow more fun to the children. They are available for the kids of all grades and come with subtle designs to allow slow and steady learning.

    Hence, if you want to encourage the learning ability of your children, then buy them science toys today and make them a better student tomorrow.