It’s time for the school’s annual science fair competition. Now that your child is older, what are some good 4th grade science fair project ideas? Magnets? Plants? Electricity? No need to worry, 4th grade science ideas are not that hard to come up with. Here is a sample project:
Materials Needed
-scissors
-spoon
-tape
-crazy glue
- nails (same length)
-medium size cardboard box
-balloons
-bowl
-bag of sugar
-two thin wooden boards (Make sure they have lengths/widths that are equal to or less than the length and width of the bottom of the cardboard box.)
Step by Step Procedure
1. Adult supervision might be required. Take one of the thin wooden boards and crazy glue/tape a nail right in the middle of the board. Put crazy glue/tape on the head of the nail and stick it on the board so the point side of the nail faces up.
2. Take the other thin wooden board. Glue and tape the nails in the same manner as the first board (pointy side up). Instead of one nail, take four nails and arrange them in a square shape in the center of a board. Make sure the nails are about the same height.
3. Take the cardboard box. Using scissors, cut off the top and one of the sides.
4. Place the one pined wooden board into the box. Make sure the nail is in the middle.
5. Blow up one balloon and put it lightly on top of the nail. Make sure to be careful. You do not want the balloon popping!
6. Take the lid of the cardboard box that you cut off with the scissors. Put it on top of the balloon.
7. Put the plastic bowl on top of the cardboard lid, right in the middle. The sole needle should be holding everything up.
8. Add one spoonful of sugar into the bowl. Watch what happens. Keep adding spoonfuls of sugar until the balloon pops. Record how many spoonfuls of sugar it took for the balloon to pop.
9. Now it is time for a different setup. Take out the wooden board with the one nail. In its place, put in the wooden board with four nails. Make sure the nails are in the middle.
10. Repeat the other steps. Blow up a balloon and put it on top of the nails. Put on the cardboard lid. Then put the bowl in the middle.
11. Add spoonful of sugar until the balloon pops. How many spoonfuls did it take this time?
By: Alan Wagner
Posts Tagged ‘Science Fair Project’
4th Grade Science Fair Project Ideas
April 29th, 20101st Grade Science Fair Projects
April 29th, 2010
A first grade science fair project enables a first grader to learn science in a fun way. Science fair projects plant the seed of interest in science, in a child. It inflames their imagination and arouses their interest in the world around them. The first grade is the ideal time to introduce a child to the amazing world of science and allow the child to explore and satiate his or her curiosity. The child also learns to be methodical and organized as the project follows a scientific method and is based on scientific concepts and principles which children are able to grasp easily.
While a classroom lecture often tends to be one-sided with the teacher giving the maximum amount of inputs, a project focuses on the creativity and initiative of the child. The child is involved in his project a hundred percent. Science fair projects also help in strengthening the bond between parents and children, as the child usually turns to the parent for topic ideas and finally choosing the topic.
For a first grade science fair project to be successful, the following tips should be kept in mind.
1.Allow the child to choose the experiment only if the topic interests the child. If they don’t want to do it, you’ll struggle the whole time.
2.While the teacher or parent can lend a helping hand and guide the child, the child should be allowed to work independently. No adult should ever take complete control of the project. The adult should just keep an eye open to ensure that there are no accidents or mishaps. Suggestions and guidelines can also be given but the child should be allowed to do the experiment and draw his or her own conclusions from it. This way a child learns much more.
3.Allow the child to have fun while doing the project
4.Allow the child to experiment as one project idea can lead to many questions and new ideas.
5.Allow the child to be creative as a child can have an entirely different perspective about the project.
There are thousands of ideas. A few are:
1.To explain the concept of density, put an egg in a bowl of water and see if it floats or sinks. Replace the water with salt water, sugar water, oil and various other liquids of different densities and record the results.
2.Make a simple lever with a pencil and an ice cream stick. Balance coins on both ends and explain the principle.
3.Test the magnetic force of a magnet by covering it with paper, plastic, aluminum foil etc. Check its magnetic power.
4.Make different designs of airplanes and test which ones fly the best.
5.Find out if white or dark objects get heated faster in the sun.
6.Demonstrate how a solar/lunar eclipse occurs.
7.Make a compass with a needle and cork.
8.Plant seeds and watch them grow.
9.Explain the water cycle.
So, a first grade science fair project is a scientific experience and will be one that child will never forget.
By: Jordan Matthews
High School Science Fair Topics For a Winning Science Project
April 28th, 2010
High school science fair topics are known to be difficult; the competition is fierce, the judges expect more, and the project often counts for a percentage of your grade. For these reasons, you want to do high school science experiments that will cause the judges to take notice.
One way to decide on a topic is to look at problems in the world around you and try to explain them or even solve the problems. Demonstrations and models are generally not accepted in high school, as you are expected to use the scientific method within your experiment and explain your results in report form. It can be a challenge to come up with a science experiment topic suitable for your education level, but with a little work you should be able to come up with an appropriate experiment that interests you.
One science fair project suitable for high school would be to test and see if a black light is able to pick up invisible stains around your house. Another is to find out if insects are attracted to lamps at night because of the light or the heat. Another idea would be to see which brand of anti-freeze is the safest for the environment. You could also find out if different brands of orange juice contain different levels of Vitamin C, and does the level of vitamin C in orange juice change over time?
If you are a girl and you like to dye your hair, maybe you could experiment and see which brand of hair color holds its color the longest. You could go a step farther and see if previous treatments such as a perm or straightening will affect how long the color will stay in your hair. If you know someone with gray hair, you could test the brands that claim to cover grays and see how well they really do their job.
By: Dee Schrock
