One of the most exciting things about science fairs is the multitude of working models that you get to see at them. The thrill of seeing something that you made actually do what you wanted it to do can give you quite a high. Putting science into actual practice is what the whole deal about science fairs is.

So why not start early this year and pick up a proper working model for your science fair project. It can be something as simple as a conductivity test for metals and non metals. Or something as complicated as a remote controlled robot. There is no limit to what your mind can imagine as your science project.

So sit down and think of a list of things that can be made into working models. It can be a robotic arm which can pick and stack blocks. Or a car which you can control with a remote. Or even something as complicated as a robot that can climb stairs.

On paper there is no limit to what you may make. Try making a submarine! The only limiting factor will be the time and resources that you have at hand. While some projects are easier to make and will hardly take any time, if you are starting a more complicated project, make sure you do it as fast as possible.

It is always good to finish off the project a couple of days in advance so that you can see if any modifications are needed. It will also give you time to work on the project report, the display board and your presentation script. All of which are important components.

Your science fair project is ready, your report is done and the day of the science fair is here. Does that mean its all over? No, far from it. Today is the day that you have been preparing for from the day you began work on your science project. What you do today is of paramount importance.

You are going to be on display just as much as your science project is so dress to impress. Don’t go over the top, it is not a fashion show, but make sure that you dress well. The first impression on the judges is made by a combination of what you and your project look like.

The next impression will be made when they see you formally present your project to them. How you deal with their questions will be important as well. You need to come across as a person who knows what the project is all about, not some one still unsure about what the model can or can not do.

Make sure that you bring extra paper, scissors and glue so that any last minute tears and hassles can be covered up. Also stay next to your project and make sure that not too many curious hands touch it till the judges have been to see your science project.

Above all have fun.  You can even bring a book along to spend the time gainfully till the judges get around to your turn. Here’s a peek into what the judges are looking for. Maybe you can take a print out of this and help calm your nerves.

Your science teacher may ask you to make a science project based on the scientific method. What does this involve? Essentially the scientific method is the basis of all scientific findings. It ensures that the facts that are documented are common and universal. How does it do that?

It is based on the following steps. First you make a hypothesis, this is like a guess. Let’s take a simple example like checking if something floats in water or does not. So if you make the hypothesis that a brick floats on water it will be wrong. How do you prove that the guess was wrong? You see that when you place the brick in the water it sinks.

This is called observation. Each time you place that brick or any other brick in water it will sink. The number of times you test this will give you your data. Once you have collected all the data you can make a conclusion. In this case the conclusion will be that a brick does not float on water, it sinks.

And that in a nutshell is the scientific method.  You make a hypothesis, then you make observations, collect data and then draw a conclusion based on the facts you have collected. If you are looking for ideas on projects that will involve using the scientific method, you will get plenty of them here. Just pick up the one which you find most interesting and get to work on your science project.

Have you ever sneezed when something flew into your nose? That is an uncontrolled reflex action of your body. Think you can make a science project out of it? Why not. Although you may need to go in for something more specific than a sneeze. People suffer from all kinds of allergies.

Some people are allergic to things in their immediate environment like dust or mite. Others may be allergic to a few types of food. Pets like cats and dogs are also known to cause allergies to some owners. There are even people who are allergic to harsh sunlight. So pick one which interests you.

Now that you have honed in on one allergy that fascinates you enough to make a detailed study, ask a few questions. What is the allergy called in medical terms? What causes the allergy? How does the allergic reaction manifest itself in a human being? What is the mode of treatment?

Think up of all the questions that you can. Now that you have a long list of queries, get down to answering them. Whatever answers you find can be used to make a report. Any statistics that are available can be used as a display board fixture. Find out if any person is a victim of the allergy around you.

Get a case study done with their allergic history. Find out how some conditions can aggravate the symptoms and others suppress them. Record how often they get allergic attacks and how they deal with them. Here’s some help you can get when trying to get the display board right.

One of the things that sets back a student from winning at the science fair is the lack of a good time line for his science project. So what is this time line? It is like a schedule for all the tasks that you need to do to make sure that your project is ready on time and in the best possible condition.

Where can you get this time line tool? You don’t get it anywhere, you need to sit down and make it. Once you know the date of the science fair you need to work backwards. Make a list of all the tasks that you can break down the science project into.Think about it there are many things you need to do.

Things like buying the material,  fixing the model, writing the report, doing up the display board, and just about any activity that is related to the project. List all the tasks on a sheet of paper and decide how long each task will take you to do. Now fix a time line for the sequence of events as you will perform them.

This allows you to know just how long your project will actually take you to do. Make sure that you keep a week extra handy in the time line as some things may take longer to do than others. As far as possible try and stick to the time line and get all the work done as soon as possible. That way your science fair project will be as near perfect as possible.

A Science Fair is a great place to show your talent and be rewarded for it. All you need to do is know what you are doing. If you need any clue about how to pick the right topic for your science project or how to get it made, you came to the right place. This is where you can find some of those extra tips and tricks that can make the difference between winning an award or not.

You already know what the basics are : pick a good topic, make a project, write the report, rig up the display, and present the science fair project to the judges. Everyone who takes part in the science fair does that. What you need to know to win that award is how those teachers judge the projects.

That’s where the difference between making a project and making an award-winning project lies.  Once you know what is expected it becomes easier to please the judges. So who better to tell you what your teachers want you to do than another teacher. Here’s a peek into what teachers really want to see in your science project.

Essentially your science fair project must be interesting and fun. It should show that you put some scientific principle to unique use with the project. Of course you will need to get to work on these expectations long before its time to show off your project to the judges.  So get your thinking caps out and get to work.

If you are interested in space travel, and it would be difficult not to be, you may be interested in learning about Solar Sails. These are made from flimsy material but are powered by sunlight. They have been tested and used on robotic space probes which travel out in to space on a space shuttle.

These robotic probes float gently out in space propelled by the solar energy which their sails harness and use as power. Wouldn’t it be great to harness the solar energy in a science project? Don’t think the project is beyond you. The basic principle is very simple to understand and to use.

Essentially you are converting the energy of the sun into another form. For instance if you make a solar cooker, you are converting solar energy into heat to cook food. Or if you are using solar energy to run a solar calculator, you are converting the solar energy into electrical energy which powers the working of the calculator.

The initial solar energy based devises were dependent on the presence of a shining sun to power them. Now with solar cells that can store the energy captures much like batteries these devices are easier to run. They are also much more reliable than the initial ones which would stop working the minute the sun went behind a cloud.  Get more science project ideas here. I’m sure you will find working with solar energy very interesting and entertaining.

There is more to a science fair project than the project itself. While the topic you choose is important. Plus the model you make must work. There is also the physical presentation of the project to the judges which is important. Part of the deal includes the science fair report.

Writing the science fair report can be a daunting task. Specially if this is the first time you are writing one. However you don’t need to get the jitters to write it. You just need to get your ideas sorted out and you will be fine. Decide on what you wish to say in the report. If you have a clear idea about the tone and style of the report it will go much faster than trying to write it one page at a time.

Spend some time thinking about what needs to be written in the report and what can be said out aloud at the presentation of the project at the fair. Don’t repeat all the information in the report on the display board either. The display board only gives the highlights. The rest of the details go into the written report.

You need to sort out what goes where then get to work. Here’s a quick guide to getting the science fair report right. There are a whole lot of tips that you can use here. Hope you find it useful. All the best for writing the perfect science fair report.

What do you think will make a great science fair project? Does it have to be big to impress everyone around you? Does it have to be shiny and flashy so that it catches the eye? Does it have to make a loud sound to make heads turn in its direction? While all this sounds good, it will not guarantee that the science project is a good one.

While the display of a science fair project is very important, it is the actual project which needs to have substance. If you have an original idea it is far better than a thousand clones which are just variations of the same idea. You need to think out of the box to get that ideal science project going.

Think about the actual purpose of the project. Is it to win an award or is it to teach you something new? You may say both. However the judges who see the different projects also check if the student has had to learn something extra in order to get it to work. That enhances the value of the project right away.

Here’s an article that will give you a good idea about what teachers really want when they come to see your science fair project.  You may find some useful stuff here. Essentially you must remember that the teacher wants you to learn something new from your participation in the science fair. If your project reflects that, it is the right one to do.

Can a brightly colored packet of M&Ms become the base of a science project? Yes it can, because such candy is made from food colors and dyes. The yellow, red, and green candy all have been made by using different food dyes. These edible dyes are different from the paints that you use for coloring, but the principle is the same. You are painting the food.

In fact many artificial food colors are considered unhealthy. This is one more reason why eating too much colored candy may be bad for you. The sugar levels in such food are high too. They may give you a short lived energy boost, but over all they are bad for your metabolism. In fact some food dyes are even thought to be carcinogenic.

“Carcinogenic” means that these could cause cancer. However there is no need to panic just because you ate a packet or two of M&Ms this week. These dyes are harmful only if eaten in large quantities. As they are difficult for the human body to digest and takes time for them to be pushed out of the system.

Do you think I’m making all this up to scare you off candy? Not really. Dyes can be studied very easily. In fact there are some simple experiments that you can conduct at home using your packet of colored candy.  Learn more about Candy and Chromatography here. Maybe this will help you understand the chemicals that we put into our body are not always healthy.