• School science fair projects should be based on a child's existing interests in science.science image by peter Hires Images from Fotolia.com
  
  Science projects are an important part of your child's curriculum because they make a child think of an idea, form a hypothesis and then carry out experiments to test the hypothesis. Students must make good observations and keep concise data in order to draw a conclusion at the end of the project. Science projects may be assigned as early as elementary school and through high school, so be sure to pick an age-appropriate project.
  
  

Projects with Plants

• A science project with plants will help to expand an interest in botany. In fact, there is an entire field of devoted to the study of plants. You can test the growth rate of the same type of plant in different types of media, such as clay, sand or loam, to determine which medium is best for growing plants. You could study the effect of different amounts of light on plant growth. A similar light project would be to test plant growth rates using different colored light filters on each plant. An interesting study in hydroponics will determine whether water or soil is better for growing plants. Perhaps you want to know if talking to plants will make them grow faster; you need one plant to talk to and one that receives no oral communication. If you wish, you could conduct a study to determine whether plants grow better when water is applied directly to soil or sprayed onto leaves with a mist.
  
  

Physical Science Projects

• Physical science projects are based on several elements, whether it be geology, physics or chemistry. You could test the rate at which different objects fall to determine if the effect of gravity is the same on all objects. If your project tests the types of surfaces that allow balls to roll faster, you will learn a lesson in the effect of friction. Those who live in areas with heavy snowfall may wish to figure out why salt is put on sidewalks to melt snow and ice. You can conduct an experiment to determine whether cold water freezes faster than hot water. You can insulate a room with different materials, then measure temperature and sound to determine the best materials for insulation.
  
  

Projects with Fire

• Fire-related projects are fun for kids but should always be performed with adult supervision. If you want to learn how fire is made, then a project based on primitive fire-starting methods is right for you. Try methods such as flint and steel, solar harnessing, rotation and friction and the fire plough. Examine the elements of each method that contribute to fire-starting. You can conduct experiments to determine whether burning trash is better for the environment than burying trash in landfills. To do this, you will need to burn different materials in a controlled container. Measure the weight before and after burning, the time it takes to burn and the color of the residue after burning is complete. You can determine that quick-burning materials that leave less mass and light residue are fairly safe for the environment. The darker and thicker the residue, the more harmful burning this material is to the environment. To examine the role of oxygen in fire, place candles of different heights in a bowl with baking soda. Place this bowl inside a larger bowl and pour vinegar into the baking soda. The combination will create carbon dioxide and push the oxygen up. Observe as the lower candle extinguishes first and then the taller candle as the carbon dioxide rises.