Kids Science Fair Projects
Tips for kids science fair projects for the concerned
parent
Many kids science fair projects organizers encourage
the participation of parents in the entire process.
Other than the fact that in many cases, young children
will need help with the handling of materials for their
kids science fair projects such as glass and
chemicals, or if they need to use flames or other tools
for their project, it can actually be lots of fun for
dad or mom (or maybe both!) to work with their children!
It's very important for parents to be enthusiastic
as that will rub off on the child. At the same time,
remember all you eager dads and moms - this is your
child's experiment - not yours! You had your chance
decades ago! Let your kid do the thinking and experimenting!
You're there to facilitate and guide your child - to
make sure that he or she goes through the right steps.
But at the end of the day, its going to be your child's
experiment..
Choosing your kids science fair project category -
it doesn't always have to be an experiment
You've probably heard that kids science fair projects
are all about the scientific method. I'll tell you all
about the scientific method very soon. But before that,
you need to know that by actually doing an experiment,
you will get to practice the scientific method. This
means that you will practice collecting and analyzing
data in a manner that is well accepted by real scientists
around the world. Also, it's a well known fact that
hands-on experiences tremendously increase a person's
speed of learning!
Science Fairs range in scale from a single class of
students sharing their projects to an international
fair offering scholarship money as prizes. They generally
share a common philosophy, and require that participants
use and demonstrate the sientific method. Although many
of them require you to conduct investigation by experimentation
(ie: inquiry-based learning) and encourage the development
of critical thinking skills, the experiment is not the
only one of the types to choose from.
There are broadly speaking, 3 types of activities to
choose from:
1. The investigation
He're you're expected to ask a question, constructs
a theory or hypothesis, draws a conclusion and then
tests that hypothesis by constructing an experment.
2. The laboratory experiment
This requires you to repeat an "experiment" found in
textbooks, workbooks and other references. Itt does
not seek to investigate new theories.
3. The report or poster
This is an activity that is based on extensive research
done in books and other materials in order to write
a paper on the chosen topic. Backboards (posters) are
then used to illustrate key concepts from the research
paper.
Remember - whatever model that you choose, eventually,
it will help bring out the "detective" in you! - and
it will let you (or rather, your child) show off your
detective skills. In particular the first type will
let you actually choose which mystery to solve. Then
you get to show just how creative you are in spotting
clues that will help you to solve the puzzle.
Interesting Definitions:
Physics
The study of matter and energy and of interactions
between the two, grouped in traditional fields such
as acoustics, optics, mechanics, thermodynamics, and
electromagnetism, as well as in modern extensions including
atomic and nuclear physics, cryogenics, solid-state,
particle, and plasma physics.
Chemistry
The study of the composition, structure, properties,
and reactions of matter, especially of atomic and molecular
systems.
Chapters of our Handbook
1: Choosing
Your Experiment
2: Displaying
Your Experiment
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