One of the most pressing scientific questions isn’t found in a textbook: If my science fair project is due tomorrow and I haven’t started on it yet, what is the probability that both my parents and teacher will freak out?
Right, it’s never great to start a project at the last minute, but kids still can do a fine job. “There are projects that can be done in just a few hours, but you need to pick the right project,” says Shawn Carlson, founder of www.scifair.org. “There are desperation projects that will still let you do well.”
And desperation doesn’t have to mean half-hearted, “C”-worthy work. Here are 10 tips to pick a last-minute science-fair project that can help score a great grade:
Don’t grow anything. “If you are going to grow something, that will take more time,” Carlson says. So skip grass, algae or mold.
Don’t pick a people project. A project such as logging people’s blood pressure means rounding up volunteers. Scheduling conflicts could lead to unfinished work, Carlson says.
Don’t try to catalog something in nature. Plucking and comparing leaves from trees is cool, but there might not be enough time if the project is due pronto. Carlson says one award-winning kid took 50 pictures of crows and questioned why the birds looked so much alike. It’s a great project but requires weeks of work.
Explore a basic scientific principal. Kids don’t need an original experiment to make a great project. Try testing a principal, such as the speed at which different-size objects drop, Carlson says.
Expand on a popular project. A favorite project is to fill a soda can with hot water and then plunge the can into cold water to watch the pressure crush the can. Kids also can try experimenting with warm and hot water. (Check out the instructions at www.scifair.org.)
Use stuff you have at home. Kids on a tight deadline are best to skip a trip to the store. One cool idea is to take an onion and find its DNA. The material needed–detergent, rubbing alcohol, ice cubes and a blender–probably are lying around the house, Carlson says.
Allow time to work on your presentation. The experiment is just part of the project. Kids usually need to write a report and create a poster board too. Carlson recommends allowing up to one day to prepare the presentation.
Focus on science, not art. Carlson has seen kids make volcanoes that ooze lava, create interesting works of art out of thread and build a waterless aquarium strung with paper fish. These projects are cool–but they aren’t science. “Avoid art projects and focus on something where you answer a question,” he says.
Surprise yourself. Most kids think a feather will fall slower than a rock. That’s just because the feather is made to catch air. Ball it up and drop the feather again–the results may surprise you. “Science is all about making sure you’re not fooling yourself,” Carlson says.
Get directions. Knowing how to do a project can help you get it done faster and make fewer mistakes. Check out your textbook or go online to www.all-science-fair-projects.com or http://school.discovery.com/sciencefairc entral/. Kids also can go to their local library and check out books such as “The Everything Kids’ Science Experiments Book” by Tom Robinson (Adams Media, $6.95) or “Science in Seconds for Kids” by Jean Potter (Wiley, $12.95).
