Need Help with Science Fair Topic

[blessedby3]

Its that dreaded time again for my son (6th grade) - Science Fair!!! I really dont like this and my DH is in charge of helping DS with it. Does anyone have any good ideas for a Science Fair Project? What have your kids done? We dont want something terribly involved or hard, but we seem to hash over the same ideas every year and they are not that intresting. Thanks for any help with ideas.

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

I did a project when I was about that age testing acids and bases. I made testing strips out of paper towels and purple cabbage (boil the cabbage then soak the paper towel strips in the liquid. Once the strips were dry, they can be used to test whether a substance is an acid or a base.

Here's a link to something I found, but there are abunch of other sites with info: http://chemistry.about.com/library/weekly/aa012803a.htm

 

[Frantasmic]

A fun one I have heard about (not seen it at my own DD's science fair) was to get 3-4 uncooked hot dogs and 2-3 different types of sunscreen. Have one hot dog unscreened and the other 2-3 with level 15, level 25, and level 50 or what not sunscreen.

Then, get a heat lamp and put those puppies under there for 15 minutes a day for a week and compare results.

Do the 3-5 page research on identifying UV rays and how they impact the human body.

It sounds fun and wouldn't be that difficult.

 

[horseshowmom]

I know someone whose daughter was about that age and did one comparing the different stain removers (Shout, Spray n Wash, etc.). They may have compared the differences in the stick and the sprays too, but I can't remember. I do remember that the project was a school winner and went to the state regional contest where it placed.

 

[tinatark]

My 6th and 7th graders was "Pennies - worthless"... the research was about pennies and the effort to do away with them - we took a roll of them to the mall, randomly dropped them and watched to see who would pick them up. For variety, we dropped a couple of nickels/dimes in the center of a few pennies - people would stop to pick up a nickel and leave 4 pennies! Our question was about who would pick up the pennies - children, teens, adults or senior adults.

One we're thinking about for next year is gas mileage and the difference between idling for a time, or driving on a highway, or in stop and go. Our cars have "miles remaining" gauges so that would be easy to do.

 

[LoriNSC]

My DS did one a couple years ago on which brand of batteries lasts longer. Energizer won, by the way.

We also did something to compare water in 3 lakes around us. We used a pool chemical test kit. He got a good grade on this one.

 

[tgmousechick]

Here's my list of science projects from days gone by- many of them would have worked much better if I didn't wait until the last minute!

- Determining the optimal salt concentration for the growth of brine shrimp (Sea Monkeys)
- Assessing the "accuracy" of Zodiac signs (don't laugh- that one was actually planned out and was a trophy winner!)

There are always tried and true projects:
-Comparing regular and antibacterial soaps for hand washing
-Comparing different types of fertilizers (compost, nothing, miracle gro) on plant growth

I loved being a judge for Science Fairs!!! The best projects were the ones where the student made a guess and then went out and tested it. Just remember, the guess doesn't need to be right- just tested! Oh, and don't forget your controls for comparison!

Good luck! you might want to check out Carolina Biological for ideas- they can have some nice kits, i'm just not sure how pricey they are.

 

[maggiew]

I loved being a judge for Science Fairs!!! The best projects were the ones where the student made a guess and then went out and tested it. Just remember, the guess doesn't need to be right- just tested! Oh, and don't forget your controls for comparison!

Remember, they are "hypotheses" not "guesses". (Sorry, the science teacher in me is coming out.)

There are several books in the library that have science fair ideas. I would go check them out.

Maggie

 

[tgmousechick]

Thanks- I realize that the proper term is "hypothesis", but I have yet to encounter a 6th grader whose eyes don't glaze over at the term. Isn't a hypothesis an educated guess made upon your background research?

I vividly remember a committee meeting for my thesis, and they asked me for my hypothesis. Either my test drug would work or it wouldn't. They made me stick my head out there and pick one and state it. My background research said it "should" work, so my best educated guess- my hypothesis- was that the drug would be effective.

Sorry for over simplifying (Biology geek, yes, but also temperamental pregnant woman at the moment)

Remember, they are "hypotheses" not "guesses". (Sorry, the science teacher in me is coming out.)

There are several books in the library that have science fair ideas. I would go check them out.

Maggie

 

[HaleyB]

We are doing one on evaporation. My sons report will go over the water cycle and how evaporation works. He is in the 5th grade.

His experiment will test the rate of evaporation for plain water, and water with food color in it. His hypothesis is that the colored water will evaporate faster because it is darker and will retain more heat.

I already know the outcome but my son who came up with the idea does not. I was tempted to try and get him to pick a "correct" hypothosis, but decided that you learn just as much by seeing that your hypothosis is incorrect. I hope I am not wrong there. This is our very first fair.

 

[momxx5]

Check out Zoom.com on PBS....they have tons of science info.

DS, 6th grade, just won 2nd place in the enviroment division for an experiment on making clean drinkable water from sandy dirty water. This is done using simple materials as filters....sand, rocks, a sock.

Kinda like....if you are stranded on a desert island can you make drinkable water.

DS had a blast doing the experiment. Even writing the report was fun for him.

 

[Zandy595]

DS10, 5th grade just handed in his science fair project Monday. I'm soooooo glad it's over! He tested to see what objects (grape, raisin, paperclip, etc.) would bob up and down in club soda. His friend tested diapers.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

In 9th grade I finally figured out a project I could do. I think your son as a 6th grader could do it easily b/c I was pretty sucky in science.

"The affects of magnetism on seed germination".

In my project it made those seeds germinate faster....not sure if it was a fluke or not--don't remember much about it.

I got a planter/seedling tray--filled it with potting soils and seeds (I think I used grass or some other quick germinating seed).

I used magnet strips across the rows that I wanted with magnets--and for my project those were the rush that germinated and got really fluffy while theother tray was just starting to sprout.

It was a pretty good project that I was proud of--but not to the expectations of my professor. He graded teh whole class hard and after a consult with a fellow science teacher (we toured each others classes and learned her class had much higher grades on similar project)-everyone was bumped a letter grade. I initially got a C (which was the same grade I got on projects I did the night before in previous years and really upset me) but the final grade was a B. I had fun with that project until it was graded.

 

[Zandy595]

This one is cool. I tried to get DS to do it, but he didn't want to. http://pbskids.org/zoom/activities/sci/solarstill.html

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Thanks- I realize that the proper term is "hypothesis", but I have yet to encounter a 6th grader whose eyes don't glaze over at the term. Isn't a hypothesis an educated guess made upon your background research?

I vividly remember a committee meeting for my thesis, and they asked me for my hypothesis. Either my test drug would work or it wouldn't. They made me stick my head out there and pick one and state it. My background research said it "should" work, so my best educated guess- my hypothesis- was that the drug would be effective.

Sorry for over simplifying (Biology geek, yes, but also temperamental pregnant woman at the moment)

Yes that is what a hypothesis is. Based on what you know or what you study prior to the exam..it is what you will think happen.


Even on zoom some kids had the incorrect hypothesis and that is okay. It is part of the scientific method.

Even on mythbusters---they get it wrong sometimes. They did an experiment on how quickly a soda will chill in ice if salt is added to it. My hubby told me it makes the soda get cold quicker and I didn't beleive him. He then told me it was on mythbusters. They didn't think the "myth" would hold up--but it did. Very cool experiment, not sure if it is something a 6th grader could do as I didn't watch the episode. The control and experimental groups had to be monitored during the test--but it is one of those projects that can be done in a day (As far as the experiment is concerned). Heck-except for set up, I think it is less than 1 or 2 hours of testing using simply a cooler and of course the ice and such.

You can use several sodas and pop them open and test them at different intervals. Try different liquid beverages to see if the same results can be achieved.

Wish mythbusters was around in my science fair days.

And the answer is that adding salt does indeed make the liquids cool faster. (I think they started with room temp beverages).

The research would involve researching about time and temp and the freezing point/melting point of water and how the salt changes that.

 

[xyzabc33]

My older DD did one in 5th grade on friction. Took Matchbox cars and different types of surfaces for them to roll down an incline on like shag carpet(very slow-she "hypotho..umm guessed right on that one..lol), a trip of wood, a piece of that orange HotWheels track(very fast), indoor outdoor carpet. She made her guesses and did up a chart on it. She even had a demo (we tied a string on the axles of the cars so they wouldnt grow legs) so you could try out which car went faster on which surface. The kids loved hers because they got to play with it. She got a blue ribbon. Oh and she got the idea from an episode of Magic School Bus.

 

[Zandy595]

I saw that Myth Busters episode too. Didn't a fire extinguisher get the can cold the fastest? We love that show.

 

[blessedby3]

Wow thanks for the quick responses. Keep 'em coming. I will show my DS when he gets home. You all have some great ideas!

 

[maggiew]

We are doing one on evaporation. My sons report will go over the water cycle and how evaporation works. He is in the 5th grade.

His experiment will test the rate of evaporation for plain water, and water with food color in it. His hypothesis is that the colored water will evaporate faster because it is darker and will retain more heat.

I already know the outcome but my son who came up with the idea does not. I was tempted to try and get him to pick a "correct" hypothosis, but decided that you learn just as much by seeing that your hypothosis is incorrect. I hope I am not wrong there. This is our very first fair.

This is one thing that I really try to stress to kids during science fairs - its OK if your hypothesis is rejected!!! I have found several times when judging at the fairs that students changed their hypothesis when it turned out the hypothesis should have been rejected. I will ask them, "So, was your hypothesis supported or rejected?" They will say something like, "Well, my original hypothesis was ... but when it didn't work out I changed the hypothesis so it would be right."

So, as long as your son can explain why the hypothesis was rejected and offer a revised hypothesis that he would test next time, that is fine!

Maggie

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I saw that Myth Busters episode too. Didn't a fire extinguisher get the can cold the fastest? We love that show.

I didn't watch that much of it. But woudn't a 6th grade boy love to try that?