As a teacher when you have to read through dozens of science fair reports you tend to get overwhelmed at the effort that some students put into their science projects. Some of them do a really stellar job with their reports.  At the same time it is easy to spot the lazy ones who have copied down the theory from a book and finished the report without adding any insight of their own.

To make a report interesting for the teacher to read, it does need to have more than the theory behind the science project that you have submitted. A few illustrations will help. And believe me if you have drawn them yourself, it does fetch a more favorable result. Even if its not as neat and tidy as a print out will be. Although it will take up more time.

Also make sure to add how you went about the project.The way you experienced the theory of science in practice is what doing the project is all about. That makes it even more interesting reading for the teacher, as she is able to gauge how much you gained from doing the science fair project.

Keep it focused and don’t ramble on about unrelated details. Just remember writing a science fair report is not difficult. Just keep the basics in mind and write what you know. Here’s an article that might give you some ideas to keep the report you write interesting. All the best writing that science fair project report.

Given the state of the education system these days many parents prefer to home school their children. There is an ongoing debate about just how good or bad this is. It is believed that children may miss out on social interaction, and organized activities if they are home schooled. Yet there is also the fact that children can learn in a secure and loving atmosphere if they are taught at home by their parents.

Naturally the debate is still out and no way near a conclusion. Home schooling is becoming more popular as more parents decide to follow the system. If your parents have been home schooling you, may be one of the things that you miss is having an organized science lab where you can do experiments.  If you think you are restricted by the lack of a lab, think again.

You have the whole house to do your experiments in. There is a lot more that you can do at home than what you can do in school. All you need is the right set of ideas to get you going. Remember experiments are all a way of reinforcing whatever theory you have read. So any activity that helps you practice that theory is in fact an experiment that can be a science project.

Now think of activities that you can do at home easily. Things that are fun to do and that you enjoy can also be turned into experiments. Even something as simple as blowing bubbles can be part of a science project! No kidding. Here is how you can make the bubbles you blow a part of a science experiment. I am sure you will have a lot of fun doing it, just make sure a parent is supervising.

While it is best not to use heat in your experiments unsupervised as it is very dangerous, you can do a few simple science projects with an adult present. Infact it is important to respect the destructive properties of heat. It is not just the flaming fire that can be dangerous.

While a bonfire must command your respect, you must also be careful with other heating appliances around the home. I’m sure you have felt your fingertips scorch when you retrieve a hot toast from the toaster. Or scalded your tongue when you sipped some hot chocolate. Even when you can’t see the flames, heat can cause you pain. So do be careful when handling anything that heats up.

Here a special mention must be made to a gadget that has entered each home. A microwave. Yes it is a convenient appliance, but it is also one that must be used with great care. If you have heated food or fluids in the microwave you will know just how much heat it can generate in a short amount of time. You need to use mitts or oven gloves to get the containers out as well.

Naturally it will not be possible to lug a microwave oven to school for a science fair project, but you can do some experiments at home.  Here’s an experiment you can try out at home. Again remember that dealing with heat is dangerous. So make sure that you have an adult with you when you try this one out.

Writing a science fair project report need not be a tedius task. As long as you have a clear lay out in mind you can finish the report in 15 minutes. No I am not joking. 15 minutes is all the time that the report content will take. How you decorate and present the report may take more time.

So how does one write the science fair report in 15 minutes? For starters don’t attempt to write the report before you make the science project. The entire theory that you apply in the project will go into the report. So it makes sense to finish the experimenting and make your science project.

That way you already know the theory and how it translates in practice. Now you can sum it up easily in your own words. You don’t have to think of ways to make the book language seem less formal. It will also be easier to add relevant diagrams .  After all a circuit diagram is much simpler to make once you have actually made the circuit.

Now that you have all the theroy in, throw in a flowery introduction and a conclusion. The content of your project report is ready. Now proof read it, and type it out to take print outs. Then get a good folder to put the report into. If you must use specific folders that the school provides, even better.

The whole process will not take more than the 15 minutes that I said it would. For more ideas take a look here. I am sure you will have no problem what so ever with the report after that. So once you have the project ready, set the clock to time yourself as you write out the report.

Science is a collection of natural laws. Things that always happen the same way. there is no change in the process if you do it today, tomorrow or a week from now. A prime example of a natural law is gravity. It is ever present and never changing.

If you throw a ball down from the top of the stairs it will hit the ground. If you throw a ball out of the window, it will still head for the ground. Even if you hoist the ball up into the air standing on the ground, the ball will eventually quit soaring and hit the ground.

Similarly the rain and snow will fall from the skies to the ground. There is no way that the water in the stream near your house will suddenly decide to flow up into the sky like reverse rain. Now you may point out that  water does go up into the sky as water vapour.

That is another natural law. Evaporation is different from gravity. The gravitational pull is active on evaporated water vapour as well. It is because of the Earth’s gravity that the gaseous envelop, that we call our atmosphere, is found around the planet.

Gravity is a great tool to use in a science project. It is present everywhere. The conditions are more or less consistent and you can do very imaginative and interesting experiments based on the principle of gravity. Read this post here to get a few pointer about what else you need to include in your science project.

Ever wonder in what all forms science touches our lives? Think of your daily routine. List out everything that you do and then co-relate it to functioning science. It will give you a great insight into just how much science is at work in your daily life to make you more comfortable.

From the time that you get up to the time that you sleep, you use science in your life. When you open the faucet in the sink you are using science. When you heat your milk you are using science. When you wear light weight and warm clothes you are using science.

Strangely we don’t even realize that science is at work in our daily life. We take so many things for granted. It is only when we try and get back to nature that we suddenly realize how dependant we are on science and the gadgets it provides us for our comfort. Remember that last camping trip and how much you missed the gadgets?

Now here’s the real surprise. Do you know how half these gadgets that we can’t imagine living without came into being? Some one decided to take a look at how to make a process easier to do and did some science experiments. Then came up with a working model of a science project. Made some tests and viola, a new gadget was born.

So when you sit down to pick out your science fair project, remember one day people will say that they can not imagine living with out it. Even if all you want to do it have some fun, here’s some things that you should know. Just remember a science project can be as interesting as you like to make it.

Are you the kind of person who thinks science is boring? Do you feel learning about science makes you sleepy? That it will serve no purpose if you know about conductivity or not. That science fair projects are a waste of time. And that they are the most boring activity that you have to do as part of school work?

Then this should help change your mind. Think about some things that you enjoy. Do you like to watch TV? Play video games or even play basket ball? Do you think they have nothing to do with science? Think again. Each of these activities that you enjoy is based on some scientific principle.

The TV you watch was initially based on the Cathode Ray principle. Now the screens are getting slimmer because they are using the LCD or Liquid Crystle Display technology. Did the TV just get invented one day? No it was probably a science project in the making for some time before it came to the form we see it in now. And guess what people are still making working models of TVs that will be better than the ones we have right now.

Constant innovation is why science is dynamic and never dull. The video games that were available a generation ago were plugged into the TV. Now you have hand held video games. Miniaturisation is also achieved through scientific exploration. Can you imagine that the next science fair project you make could turn into cutting edge technology one day? How can that be boring! Just change how you think about science and the boring tag will disapper.

There’s a lot of things that you can do to make science theory come to life in science projects. It doesn’t matter that its the summer holidays. It doesn’t matter that you don’t have school. What matters is that you want to do a science project or science experiment during the summer at home.

Why would you want to do some science experiment at home? Because it can really be a whole lot of fun. It can be a great way to see science in practical activities. Plus, its a great way to learn boring science theory. Don’t yawn when you see your science book for next term. Make it come alive but doing a few interesting experiments.

Make sure you tell your parents what you want to do and get their permission. We don’t want them coming home to see smoke coming out of your room and not knowing what you have been up to. So make sure you clear the ideas that you want to work on with them first.

Now that you have permission, ask them for help with the materials that you will need for the science projects as well. It will get you started out much faster. If its simple experiments you can use stuff lying around the house that your parents can spare. For specific experiemnts you might want to get proper material.

If you are looking for any ideas be sure to check out this site here. I am sure that you will find something that interests your scientific spirit there. Have fun with what ever you are doing.

What do materials do you use to make the display board for your science fair project? The usual answers would include white paper, pens, and coloring material. It is what you would use for any of the project work that you get in school, isn’t it?

Now tell me why you can’t use something more unconventional? Does it have to be on paper? Can you think of using a different base such as a metal sheet? Or may be the inner smooth bark of a tree? Wouldn’t you agree that it would make an interesting display board?

Try and use the material that complements the project you are doing. For instance if it is a fauna or plant related related project the tree bark would be a fabulous idea. If you are doing something with electric current, a few wires in mock circuits would give the display board a great look.

Just select the topic of the science project first. Then once you know in which direction your science fair project is headed, you can choose complementary materials to spruce up your display board. There are so many creative options when you just stop and think about it.

Yes it is tough to narrow down your choice to a single idea. Some things seem interesting before you begin them, but become boring when you try out the project. Electrical Conductors are easy and fun to do. Plus the display board does not get a very long look over when there is a working model to play around with.

It is the summer vacation. It is the last time you want to think about school work. Yet I think in the last post I made it clear why its a good idea to do some background work in advance. So if you have all that time to kill right now, put it to productive use. Get your ideas and thoughts together for the coming school year.

As it will all have to be done any way. Attending classes, assignments, sports try outs and competitions. These will all take up a major part of your productive time during the school year. You know its true. So get the science fair project out of the to do list and into the completed assignments box.

Pick out the idea you want to work on. Get the model made. Write out your report. Make the display board. In short have it all done and ready in the summer. The whole process is done with and over even before the pressures of school can begin to get you down.

Most often people are so fatigued by the time they get the project off the ground that they have no time to work on the display board. This is a big mistake. No matter how fantastic your project is, it will need an equally good display board to get noticed by the judges at the science fair. If you need more tips take a look right here. Just make sure that the whole package looks good when put together.