One of the easiest ways to learn more about how things around us work is by experimenting with them. What do you do when you get a new toy? You try to see what it can do. What do the buttons on it make it do? Does it have flashing lights? Can it make interesting sounds? As you explore your toy you learn all that it is capable of.

Learning about science is a similar process. You hear about a scientific principle or fact. May be something as simple as the principle of heat. Do you take it for granted when your Mom tells you that the cup of milk is hot? No you don’t. You will immediately touch the cup to check just how hot it is. That’s part of the scientific exploration of the principle of heat.

Next you check if the temperature has gone down by blowing on the milk in the cup. If the steam that emerges is not too hot, you will venture forth to take a little sip of the milk.  If that sip seems cool enough, the next sip will be bigger. In this way the hot cup of milk has been consumed without blistering your toungue.

Picking a science project topic is also similar. You go with little steps along the way till you get a good idea. Then you choose the right path to go down with that idea. And then bit by bit your science project comes to life. So start off with any ideas you have and explore them to see just how they work out for you.

The key to winning a science fair project is innovation. Get creative with your science project. Don’t get stuck in a rut and above all don’t copy any one else. Think of a science project for elementary school and the most common one that comes to mind is the baking soda volcano. While I have nothing against this science project, I must say that it has been done so many times over that as a judge it is very boring to see an entry like that.

So think of different concepts that you would like to explore. Remember there is a potential science project in just about everything around you. If you like plants and flowers you can make a project out of them. Collecting dried leaves of various types and pasting them in a copy would give you a herbarium.  Or if you prefer a more interactive project why not experiment on two plants of the same sort?

Take the seeds of one particular type of flower or vegetable. Then split them up into half. Use the first set in a regular pot with no special additives. This will become your control group. Then use the second set of seeds with a healthy mix of fertilizers. Now record all the details of growth of the seedlings in both pots. Quite likely the data that you collect will work itself into an impressive science project.

Oil is essential to our way of life. It is also a highly limited resource. This is why it is so much sought after. That is also why you have the BTC pipeline. BTC is an acronym for Baku, Tbilisi and Ceyhan. The pipeline starts at the Caspian sea near Baku which is the capital of Azerbaijan. Then it passes through Georgia, the capital of which is Tbilisi and ends up on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey at the city of Ceyhan.

The BTC travels through three countries and joins two seas. It is said to be 1,768 km long, which makes it the second largest oil pipeline in the world. Which is the largest? The Russian one Druzbha is the largest one in the world. Yet given that the BTC consists of over 150,000 segments of steel of about 12 m length each, it is a phenomenal thing.

Naturally the pipeline would be too vulnerable if it ran all the way through three countries on the surface, so large portions of the BTC are underground. Usually it is situated at a depth of ten meters from the surface. Oil flows through the pipe continuously so keeping it in good working order is a huge task.

This can also make an interesting idea for a science project. Why not construct a model replica of an oil pipe placed over the map to denote the BTC? You can scale it down to a size that you can manage. The display board could give all the statistics of the BTC. It would make a spectacular science fair project. Why not give it a shot?

The composition of the air we breathe is no longer the same as it was at the turn of the last century. That’s to the advance of technology and science we have at our disposal a number of gadgets that constantly change the composition of the air that we breathe. Be it the pollution from vehicles of the CFCs from aerosol sprays, we add pollution to the air each day.

Air is essential for us to live, and still we have no qualms about making it unfit to breathe by continuing our mindless polluting activities on a daily basis. The University of Maryland recently conducted some research on the sky worldwide. The scientists concluded that the sky has darkened over the world thanks to the soot particles and aerosols present in the air.

The one exception was the sky over Europe. The visibility in Europe is said to have increased since the 1980s and the sky is actually lighter here than over the rest of the world. This is attributed to the strict anti-pollution laws that Europe adheres to. The emissions tested here were found to have far less pollutants than those over the sky of the USA.

The air we breathe is precious. It is also a limited resource. Maybe its time that we got a bit more serious about saving the environment for future generations. That  is also a great idea for a science fair project. The green message is a compelling one and highly relevant to the world today. Think of how you can make it an interesting science project.

An idea can make or break your science fair project. So put in some effort when you choose the idea to make a project. What ideas work best? The ones that are the simplest to apply. Its easy to do a science fair project on something that is familiar. Don’t take too many variables into the project. Keep a simple step wise procedure as your plan.

Once you work out what the plan is, try not to make too many changes to it. Some changes will come in, so be flexible enough to accept them. Don’t get stressed out unnecessarily. Like if you are looking forward to painting your model red and can only find white paint. Relax.

It is not that big a deal. The important thing is that it works. The color is not that important. Sure its not what you wanted but its okay. So while you get a great idea to work, stay practical and don’t become too much of a perfectionist. Most of all don’t forget to have some fun. Here’s a set of guidelines that will help.

Make sure you put your idea through all the parameters that you can think of before beginning to transform it into your science fair project. Remember the more you plan ahead, the easier you will find it to work on the project. So put in a bit more effort when you formulate the plan and it will all be easy sailing.

You have worked hard on your science project. You went through mountains of ideas and picked out the best one. Then you got to work building up your model. You went through the whole process and finally got your experiments right. Now you have the perfect science fair project in your hands. You are waiting eagerly for the day of the science fair.

The day that every one gets to see the great project you made. Just a little thought here, have you considered how you are going to display your wonderful project? Is there a display board accompanying your model to explain exactly what it is all about? Or will you personally explain just what your project is all about to each and every person who walks across to see it?

Here are a few things that you can do as even an elementary science project needs a great display. That’s why you must not leave the display to chance. You need to put in a bit of effort into just how you want to show off your model or experiment or what ever you have made for the science fair. The ideas given in this post will help you to do just that.

Why not make the perfect display for your Science Project. After all you did make the perfect science project.

When you think about a science fair you need to get the right project to motivate you. There are many ideas that can float around in your head. The more ideas you get, the more confused you get about which one is the right one to convert into a science project. This overflowing number of ideas is what you need to deal with.

So how do you sift through them all to come down to the right one? You put in a few questions to see if  an idea will easily convert into a science project worthy of the science fair. We can call these questions “Parameters”. So if an idea passes the first parameter, it moves into the second round of consideration. Rather like the boxer who must keep defeating his opponents till the final game to the championship.

You get the idea. First get all the ideas that you can and write them down. Now test them against your parameters such as “how much will it cost” or “how long will it take to do” or “is this safe to handle without an adult”. Once you do this exercise you will find that a number of the impractical ideas drop away.

Then you are left with some good ones that will actually work as a great science fair project. Here’s a sample project that I worked out that can guide you. Naturally you can add your own ideas and find something that works better for you. Have fun in the idea sorting process.

I was about three years old when I first remember handling a magnet. The two long magnets that would attract and repel at opposite ends were fascinating. I knew nothing about the north pole and south pole on a magnet at that time. I was just delighted that I could make one magnet move without even touching it by merely bring the second one close to it.

As I grew up and studied the principles behind the phenomena the mystery diminished some what about the magnets, but the fascination did not. I still love to play with magnets if I have the time. They come in so many different shapes and sizes. Be they round or rectangular, all I need is a set of iron filings around so make a game out of them.

There are so many easy and simple games that you can play. You can even convert it into a science project. Trying to see how many pins you can attach to the end of a magnetized pin is great fun. And if you use magnets of different shapes ans sizes you will be able to get enough statistical data to actually make a science project out of your playful experiments.

Magnets are a great base to make a science fair project. They are not very expensive, are easily available and can contribute to many safe experiments. Use your magnets in this project on Electromagnetism to prove that there’s more to the magnet than just fun and games.

The science fair is not just a place to try out science experiments and learn about science. It is also a place where you can perfect your people skills.  You have to interact with the judges and impress them. Its not all about the science project at the fair. It is also about how you introduce it to the judges.

While some students are naturally good at getting their point across well, others need to practice a bit before they give a presentation on their science projects. In fact even if you are confident of presenting the project well, you might want to consider a mock presentation on family and friends before the main event.

This article here will help you improve your science fair presentation skills. There are a few good pointers that you can learn from. So be sure to read it and then give the best presentation ever for your science fair project. After all if you have put in so much effort to make a great project, it would make sense to put in a bit more effort to present it well.

Winning an award at the science fair can be a thrilling achievement. So why not put your best foot forward and actually get a great project at the show? Like I told you, the science fair is not just about science. Its also about the people behind the science.

Do you think revolving restaurants are clever? Have you ever been to one? Just imagine you sit down to your meal facing one direction and by the time its over you are facing a different one. Considering that most of them are constructed at a certain height and have glass windows all around the experience can be fun. They too can be inspiration for a science project.

Guess what that’s got to do with Emperor Nero? Yes the Roman Emperor most famous for fiddling while Rome burnt. Recently archeological evidence has turned up at a dig on top of Palatine Hill that might suggest that Emperor Nero was the founder of the revolving restaurant. The dig at his banquest hall has thrown up the foundation room, and the mechanism for rotating the area, besides parts of the royal kitchen.

The rotating space built to impress the Emperor’s guests was to imitate the Earth’s movement. It is believed to have rotated constantly, night and day. That has to be the best science project that the Emperor Nero undertook. Naturally he had the resources and help to make it possible at that large a scale.

Even if you can’t make a science experiment that makes your room rotate, there are others that you can do using the same principle. If you are stuck for ideas feel free to check out some here. I’m sure you’ll find something to your liking. Even if it isn’t quite as grand as the science project that Emperor Nero constructed!