Basic Science Fair Instructions - What You Need to Know to Pariticipate in a Science Fair

Participation in a science fair is an important experience for kids interested in science. Not only do these events allow kids to learn more about the science of discovery and experimentation, but they also provide kids with the opportunity to compete for scholarship money and great prizes. If you want to participate in a science fair then you need to follow these instructions.

Step #1 - Read the Rules for Participation

Before you submit your application for a science fair or science competition you need to read through the rules of participation. These rules will usually outline the age categories that you can compete in, the size limits for your display board, rules related to how much help you can get and what type of help you can get, and it will also tell you how much money you can spend on your project. Make sure you know all of these limitations.

Step #2 - Create a Timeline

Since you have a limited amount of time to get ready for a science competition or a science fair it is important to set up a timeline of the things that you need to do before the science fair opens. You will want to schedule when you need to submit your application, you will need to schedule when you need to start experimenting and you will need to schedule when you need to submit supplemental documents like a project synopsis and parent permission slips. Finally, make sure you schedule your project for completion at least three days before the science fair.

Step #3 - Work on Your Project

The best science fair projects are going to require a lot of time and effort. It is a good idea to read through the synopses of science fair projects that have been done before to get an idea of what the judges are looking for. Make sure your project is complete and that it is interesting.

Step #4 - Build Your Display Board

Your display board is basically your entry so you need to make it stand out. You need to think about your layout, your graphics and your text elements. Again looking at pictures of the display boards created for previous year winners is a great way to figure out how to put your own display board together.

Step #5 - Practice

There are several things that you need to practice as the science fair approaches. You need to practice setting up and breaking down your project, you need to practice your presentation and you need to practice answering questions about your science fair project. It may also be a good idea to practice what to do when things go wrong.