Step by Step
Guide
STEP ONE: GETTING STARTED
Decide if you want to work alone or on a team with your Grade K–5 siblings or friends. Please no more than three students working on a project.
Come up with a Project Idea - click here for help.
Decide what style of project you want to do: Experiment, Collection, Invention? See below for more info.
Register online - click here
Research your topic, design and perform your experiment. Remember: adults can give advice, but YOU are the scientist!
Share your results at the Science Fair. Frequently students present their work on a posterboard, but this is not required. All projects will have a table space to set up on.
GROWN-UPS PLEASE NOTE: There are some posterboards available if needed. Please reach out if you would like to pick one up for your student.
Have fun!
What makes a good project? Keep it simple and inexpensive – anything goes! Well almost anything… no animals, non-household chemicals, open flame, or exploding volcanoes!
STEP TWO: DOING YOUR PROJECT
SUGGESTED STEPS IF YOUR PROJECT IS A COLLECTION:
I. QUESTION
Choose a topic that you are interested in learning more about. Ask a one-sentence question that you will find the answer to by collecting something. Examples: I wonder what kinds of insects live in my backyard? What kinds of leaves grow in my neighborhood? What different twigs grow on trees in the park by my house?
II. HYPOTHESIS
A hypothesis is what you think will be the answer to your question. It is your “best guess” before you actually go and collect evidence. It is written as one sentence. Example: In the park near my house, there are these kinds of twigs: ________________.
III. COLLECTION (EXPERIMENTATION)
Materials: Think about all the materials you will need to gather and sort your collection.
Collect and Sort: Time to have fun collecting! Once you’ve gotten your collection together, it in two or more different ways.
Observe and record data: Take pictures, do drawings, make a chart or graph of all the ways sort your collection. See what it looks like.
Results: Compare and evaluate the different pictures, drawings, charts and graphs you did for your collection. What do they tell you? Evaluate the results.
IV. CONCLUSION
The conclusion answers the hypothesis. Look at the results and figure out if they prove or disprove your hypothesis, and why.
SUGGESTED STEPS IF YOUR PROJECT IS AN EXPERIMENT:
An Experiment project pursues a question that can be answered only by experimentation. Conducting an experiment using the Scientific Method includes asking a question, doing some preliminary research, making a hypothesis, planning and performing your experiment, and analyzing your results.
I. QUESTION
Choose a topic in which you are interested in learning more about. For example, have you ever notice something and wondered why it happens? Then do you wonder what would happen if it changed? That is the question that you are trying to answer. Write out your question in the form of a single sentence. For example: I wonder how changing _____ (the changed variable), affects ______ (the measured variable)?
II. PRELIMINARY RESEARCH
Read books and magazines, watch science videos, or ask adults who may help. Include what you have already learned from school or books, and keep track of where you got your information.
III. HYPOTHESIS
Form a hypothesis as a one-sentence statement. The hypothesis is a prediction (your educated or best guess) based on your preliminary research and what you already know about this topic. In other words, what do you think will happen?
IV. EXPERIMENT
Materials: Plan and collect the materials you will need for your experiment. It is best to borrow, make, or use inexpensive materials.
Procedure: Plan the steps of your experiment carefully. Make a step-by-step list of what you will do to answer your question(s). Conduct your experiment and if possible, repeat the experiment several times to see if you get the same result every time.
Observe and record data: Observations can be written descriptions of what you noticed during an experiment, or problems you may have encountered. Keep careful notes of everything you do, and everything that happens. Plan how you will record your data. Record what happens during your experiment.
Results: Summarize your findings. This could be in the form of data tables, graphs, and drawings. It could also be a written statement of what occurred during the experiments. Write an explanation of your findings.
V. CONCLUSION
The conclusion answers the hypothesis. What did you learn from your experiment? Was your hypothesis proven? Why or why not? What if my science project doesn’t agree with my hypothesis? What did I learn? Your project is a success whether it agrees with your guess (hypothesis) or if it does not! The experiment will have taught you something, and that’s what matters. This is the case for real scientists who often stumble unexpectedly on results they did not expect. The discovery of penicillin (the class of medicines which help clear up ear infections) is an example of an unexpected result that was a huge breakthrough in medical science.
A special note about demonstrations: A scientific demonstration is a project that shows how a scientific principle works but does not test a prediction. An example might be showing how a light bulb works or how magnets repel or attract each other. You will learn much more if you turn your project into a real experiment by doing some testing. After a demonstration has been done once, decide on something to change. (For example, how does changing the type of light bulb change the amount of heat it gives off?) Before you perform the demonstration with the change, make a hypothesis (prediction) about how you think will happen once you run the experiment with the change. Test your hypothesis and record your results. Explain what differences there were (if any) and suggest a reason. Now you’ve done a real experiment!
SUGGESTED STEPS IF YOUR PROJECT IS AN INVENTION:
Think about a problem that you encounter in your daily life – something at home or at school that you think could be done easier, faster, or better. Write down the problem in the form of a question, such as “I wonder how kids could get dressed faster in the morning?” or “I wonder if there is an easier way to put away my toys?”
Research how the problem is approached today. What machines or tools already exist to do this job?
Design a better way! Start on paper – make some sketches of different ideas, think about what materials you would need, and draw a design of how it should look.
Build a prototype. (A prototype is a basic working model of your invention that you’ll use to try out your ideas and develop them further.)
Test your prototype. If it doesn’t work, that is ok!
Think about what changes you would need to make to your prototype to make it work better, or if you were going to build lots of them in a factory and sell them to people.
Put together a display board that explains your problem, shows your paper design sketches, and the other information that you’ve found. At the Science Expo, you will have table space for your display board and your prototype.
A note about materials: Please use only household materials or inexpensive parts from the hardware store. You should not buy a kit to build from or use expensive parts. Recycled materials are great for building! For example, if you need a part, do you have an old toy you could take apart to reuse?
STEP THREE: PRESENTING YOUR PROJECT AT THE SCIENCE FAIR
Your project will be set up on a table in the school gym or cafeteria (depending on grade) on the night of the Science Fair. Each project will have about 3 feet by 2 feet of table space. Presentation poster board (found at the Paper Store, AC Moore, Staples, etc.) is an ideal way to present your project. You can also tape together file folders to make a standing display. There will be room on the table in front of the poster board to display your experiment. See the example below for an idea of what your display might look like. The content of the poster board can be handwritten or typed.
A guest “scientist” will visit your table for ~5 minutes during the Science Fair to talk to you about your project. This is your chance to show off your hard work. You should be prepared to tell them:
Your name and grade
If your project is a collection, experiment, or invention
Your “I Wonder” question
Your hypothesis
The major steps you went though while doing your project
What you learned, including if your hypothesis was proven or disproven
Try practicing ahead of time with a relative, sibling, or friend who can ask you questions.
A FEW NOTES FOR ADULTS
The science project topic should be interesting enough to your child that they want to spend time working on it. What in the world do they really want to know or understand better? Curiosity is the best guide!
Keep it simple and inexpensive – no animals, non-household chemicals, or open flame. And no exploding volcanoe or elephant slime, please!
Do not buy a kit to build from. Inventions should be the student’s own design and built from household materials.
The project should be developmentally appropriate and able to be done at home by the student, guided (not directed) by an adult. You can help them organize their work, but do not do the work for them!