CyberFair - http://www.isd77.k12.mn.us/resources/cf/welcome.html
Mankato, Minnesota's Public Schools offer this current
look at what's out
there for Science Fairs; made by upper elementary students,
the site
allows you to look for ideas, view past projects and
even post your own
results when you're done.
International Science and Engineering Fair - http://www.sciserv.org/isef/
Intel-sponsored competition which raises the bar for
all others to
measure themselves against; welcoming participants from
over 40
countries, winners receive prizes such as scholarships,
tuition grants,
internships, scientific field trips and the grand prize:
a trip to
attend the Nobel Prize Ceremonies.
MadSciNet - http://www.madsci.org/
Great database full of questions answered by scientists
who are experts
in their field from the Washington University at St.
Louis; if you can
get past the busy format, the wealth of information can
be a boon to
aspiring science fair participants - hey, they never
claimed to be
graphic design artists.....just scientists!
NASA Curriculum Support -
http://spacelink.nasa.gov/Instructional.Materials/Curriculum.Support/.index.
html
Science resources by discipline plus a text-heavy tutorial
on how to
conduct a science project using the Scientific Method,
all from the
standard for quality information. Categories include
Careers, Earth
Science, LifeScience, Mathematics, Physical Science,
Space Science and Technology.
Rusk High School Resources - http://www.tyler.net/ruskhslib/sci_fair.htm
Rusk High School's science fair project ideas and reference
links to help
get students started down the path of scientific discovery;
and these are
not cursory suggestions either - each proposed project
has a link to an
independent source that provides thoughtful discussion
for prospective
young scientists.
Science Fair Central - http://school.discovery.com/sciencefaircentral/
Discovery Channel School's excellent offering for students
and teachers
including a handbook, teacher organizer, project ideas
and the Discovery
Young Scientist Challenge. Jake's Attic is a great feature
covering
scientific concepts with a Challenge to follow up on
presented ideas.
Science Fair Primer - http://users.massed.net/~tedrowan/primer.html
Ted Rowan from Falmouth, Massachusetts has been working
in and around
science fairs some twenty years, and this is a hypertext
tutorial on how
to do everything from plan projects to judge finalists;
written for
students, this is a fabulous, practical resource!
Science Fair Project - http://sciencefairproject.virtualave.net/
An extensive resource of ideas on how to put together
a sturdy science
fair project within the framework of the scientific method;
thoughtful
treatment of approaching the judging of entries and additional
online
resources too. Lots and LOTS of suggestions for projects
from primary
through secondary.
Successful Science Fair Projects -
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/fair.html
Lynne Bleeker offers this nicely detailed step-by-step
description of
creating and presenting science fair projects. It's so
well thought-out
and formatted, you can easily just recommend this URL
to parents and
students so that they can have 24/7 access throughout
your science fair program!
Ultimate Science Fair Resource - http://www.scifair.org/
You can be the judge on whether this site is truly the
best on the list,
but it's certainly a contender: Doing A Science Fair
Project, Project
Hints, Writing a Report, Display Hints, Project Categories,
"How To"
Links, Project Ideas, Idea Board, Links, a Weekly Question
and "Teacher
Stuff" all in one location.
Virtual Science Fair - http://www.parkmaitland.org/sciencefair/index.html
If you've done any investigating into exemplary school
websites, then
you're already familiar with Park Maitland's online presence.
This
portion of their page showcases student science fair
projects including
the purpose, hypothesis, materials, procedure, conclusions
and links.
WWW Virtual Library - http://physics.usc.edu/~gould/ScienceFairs/
The World Wide Web's Virtual Library presents a thorough
listing of
Science Fairs around the country which have an online
presence, broken
down into states and locales. Fully searchable with links
to science
fairs around the nation and around the world!
WRITING A SCIENCE FAIR REPORT PAPER:
http://www.scifair.org/articles/reports.shtml
Don't let your students come up with a great project,
only to neglect attention (and thereby serious points)
by failing to write up a great report. Have them prac-
tice by using the guidelines for writing a science fair
report at this site.
THE SCIENCE FAIR IDEA BANK:
http://www.scifair.org/ideas/index.shtml
Across all scientific fields of discovery, find several
suggestions to get your students motivated on their
own projects.
SANDLOT SCIENCE:
http://www.sandlotscience.com/
For fascinating experiments on illusions, try the demon-
strations and activities at Sandlot Science. Your stu-
dents might want to replicate some of the exhibits for
their own science fair projects.
KITCHEN COMETS:
http://www.eecs.umich.edu/~coalitn/sciedoutreach/funexperiments/agesubject/lessons/jpl/comets.html
Your high school students will be working with dry ice
to create a replica of a comet nucleus. Very messy,
very effective--especially at science fairs.
A SIMPLE SOLAR WATER PASTEURIZER:
http://www.eecs.umich.edu/~coalitn/sciedoutreach/funexperiments/agesubject/lessons/accessone/spasteur.htm
Here is a great science project to demonstrate how to
effectively pasteurize water at home... with the help
of solar energy.
EXPLORATORIUM SCIENCE SNACKS:
http://www.exploratorium.edu/snacks/snackintro.html
Whenever you get to San Francisco, you have to visit
the Exploratorium in person. Until then, here is a
great resource of some of their exhibits and experi-
ments, almost all of them perfect for science fair
projects--with instructions.
HOVERCRAFT:
http://www.amasci.com/amateur/hovercft.html
This project will definitely be a hit at the science
fair--it can lift several adults. It's fairly straight-
forward to make--create a competition between your
students for variations on the theme, small races, etc.
CLEARING UP ELECTRICITY:
http://www.eskimo.com/~billb/miscon/elect.html
Not strictly science project fare here--but if your
class felt like taking on some misconceptions about
electricity and setting the world straight, then here's
the spot for you. Demonstration activities are included.
OATMEAL BOX PINHOLE PHOTOGRAPHY:
http://www.nh.ultranet.com/%7Estewoody
Students will build a pinhole camera from an oatmeal
cereal container--one that really takes pictures . .
.
CYBER FAIR:
http://www.isd77.k12.mn.us/resources/cf/welcome.html
Here's a site to begin your early investigations for
a science fair project appropriate for grades four
through six. Browse student samples, and submit your
own students' work when they have completed their pro-
jects.
ELEMENTARY SCIENCE FAIR PROJECTS:
http://www.stemnet.nf.ca/sciencefairs/elem.html
Stumped for a project idea? Here's an extensive list
to get your students on a roll...
HOW TO RUN A SCIENCE FAIR PROJECT:
http://www.halcyon.com/sciclub/cgi-pvt/scifair/hint.html
Several steps are outlined to help your students dream
up their own wonderful science projects, while explain-
ing the scientific method at the same time.
HEALTHY TEETH EXPERIMENTS AND ACTIVITIES:
http://www.healthyteeth.org/Expierment.html
How to encourage oral health and have fun doing a science
fair project at the same time? Try the activities for
elementary grades listed at this site, including an acid
attack with vinegar and chicken bones.
THE HERBARIUM:
http://www.funsci.com/fun3_en/herb/herb.htm
Find complete instructions here for creating an herbarium
appropriate for elementary science fairs. Good advice
in-
cluded for looking for plants and documenting the process.
ANTIBUBBLES:
http://www.eskimo.com/~billb/amateur/antibub/antibub1.html
http://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/bubbles/bubbles.html
Here is a simple project for elementary classes to demon-
strate the principle behind bubbles and "antibubbles"--or
droplets of water interacting with air and oil. Check
the
Exploratorium Bubble Page (2nd link, above) for more
great
bubble-ology and possible science fair projects.
MAGNETIC FIELD AND ELECTRIC FIELD VIEWING BOTTLE:
http://www.eskimo.com/~billb/electrom/statbotl.html
http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/mar97/859291596.Ph.q.html
Extend your usual unit on magnets with this high inter-
est experiment on magnetic fields. Students will build
a bottle from baby oil and steel wool fibers to see
the magnetic field align with a magnet. A similar ex-
periment is offered to make an electric field view-
ing bottle. The second URL, above, offers explanations
for understanding magnetic fields.
PRIMARY PROJECTS:
http://www.stemnet.nf.ca/sciencefairs/primary.html
No details or instructions--but you will find an ex-
tensive list of possible science fair projects for
the primary grades.