Need science fair project sujestions for younger kids...

[mamalbh]

My dds (2nd & 4th grade) are going to be doing science projects for a 4-H science fair. It is completely 'open' - there are no suggestions. I have no idea how complex or simple the other kids' projects will be. I've found many sites that have ideas BUT here is my issue: to me, the whole thing is pointless unless the child understands the science behind what's going on.

 

For example - the classic 'volcano' experiment. There is no way elementary kids understand what's going on besides saying "it's a chemical reaction"

 

I want my dc to be able to fully understand and explain their projects.

Any suggestions? Maybe something practical, like comparing battery life for the younger one?

[Chris in VA]

How about the rusty nail one? Soak 4 nongalvanized nails in 4 solutions of whatever floats your boat (or google and see the "official" solutions), and see which rusts the nail first. Then do research about rust and write up a small report. Remember to make a hypothesis, make all the nails the same size, let them sit the same amount of time in the same amt of solution--You can have dc graph it by day, to see which day rust first appears. Run the experiment for a few weeks, if you can. Judges love to see long term experiments.

[kristavws]

In first grade my son did a science fair project on what materials conduct electricity, using a simple electricity kit he had received for Christmas.

 

Krista

[LittleIzumi]

Dd did a dissolving experiment with different substances (some solid, some liquid--salt, paper, etc) and different temperatures of water with the same substances to see what dissolved the fastest.

[Momling]

I like to go for everyday projects.... We keep chickens, so last year my kids did chicken related science fair projects. The younger one (just 5 at the time), counted how many eggs we got each day and made a graph. She thought that maybe chickens would lay more eggs on Monday or something... The older one (7 at the time) tried to find out what could make a hard boil egg peel more easily -- aging it, dipping it in ice water before peeling, adding salt or baking soda or vinegar to the water.

 

We're always thinking of projects though... like when we had a pantry moth infestation, they came up with different projects to test pantry moth lures or find out if anything could repel them or kill them.

 

I think the latest project idea from my older daughter is about taste perception. She noticed that foods don't taste as sweet if you just had something really sweet before it, so next year she wants to test different people to find out whether it's really true.

[MaMa2005]

Soaking a chicken leg in vinegar is a great one that DS did this year. Easily understandable by a child. Lots of great info on the web for that one.

[Hunter]

I just adore this out of print workbook of experiments. They can be used as is for younger children, or made a bit more complicated for older children by having them design the method to include the use of variables.

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0471466476/ref=oss_product

[Rivka]

One simple project we enjoyed is testing foods for starch using tincture of iodine as an indicator. If starch is present the iodine turns blue-black. You can test a bunch of foods and then try to draw generalizations about which groups of foods have starch in them.

[Wheres Toto]

My oldest did a project on owl pellets in 2nd grade. She had a few intact, a few that she broke open and found the bones inside. The backdrop had information about raptors and how they ate. We volunteered at a zoo so this was relevant to her but it's pretty understandable to most kids.