Making Successful Science-Fair Projects

Science-fair projects will eventually be a topic of conversation in your house if you have children. It may come up this year if you have a child in elementary school. Doing a science-fair project may be optional right now, but nonetheless, your child will most likely be required to complete one at some point during his/her schooling.

I have fond memories of my science fair projects from way back. Some of my topics included: What kind of bread grows mold the best? and What type of music helps plants grow? The process required to complete a science fair project can be overwhelming, but when approached with organization and an inquisitive attitude, it can be fun and a success.

First, make sure that you follow the guidelines set by the teacher, school, school district, or state. There are usually very specific instructions to follow and you do not want to complete the project and find out that you are missing a required element. Be sure to follow the size and other general requirements for the display board. Get a copy of the guidelines and refer to them often.

Choose a topic that interests your child and that they will enjoy researching. This is the step that defines the amount of enjoyment your child will have. Yes, you do want them to learn, but if they do not have fun learning, it will be like pulling teeth to get your child to work on it. It is also good to choose a topic that is not over popular. You want your child's science fair project to stand out from the rest, not be just like everyone else's project. There are many resources available that can help you choose a topic that will be both interesting and unique. The Internet and your local library can be great resources.

Plan the timeline that you need to complete the project. Do not wait until the last minute to begin your project. Starting a week before it is due is a huge mistake and you will definitely not have enough time to present a well-researched and complete experiment. Sure, if this is all the time you have, it can be done. However, you will have to be very selective about what you can actually do in a week. You may need several weeks or a few months to observe and perform the experiments required. Anything involving plant growth or any growth involves time. Allow enough time to get results you can use.

Gather all of the supplies that you need before you start. After choosing the topic for your project, make a list of everything you will need from start to finish. Gather the supplies and keep them in one general location. A storage container may be a good idea if you have a lot and don't want anything getting misplaced. If there are younger siblings in the house, make sure you keep the project and supplies out of reach. You do not want your experiment disturbed because it may affect the results.

Write down your observations and results as you go. Keeping an ongoing log of observations and experiment results is probably a requirement, but if not, it will be very hard to remember everything when you have to write a report or synopsis of your findings. You want to be very detailed and specific with this step. Keeping track as you go will make it easy in the end.

Your results may not be what you thought or even wanted. If your experiment fails or did not work the way it was supposed to, it is okay! Most scientists experience failure at some point. Record what went wrong, make changes, and learn from your errors. If you have time, perform the experiment again. If time is out and you have to write your conclusions or report, be sure to thoroughly explain what went wrong and why you think it turned out the way it did.

Completing a Science Fair Project is a great accomplishment for your child. Help your children, but don't do the work for them. Let them do as much as possible. This is their project and it should reflect what they are capable of doing. It will be very noticeable if you do it for them. Teachers can tell when parents do all of the work.

Most importantly make sure your child has fun while learning!