Science Fair Projects

[Lamb]

One of the things I always hated while growing up was having to do a science fair project.

When my daughter was young I found it kind of fun to come up with some different ideas for projects that weren't seens too often at the fairs.

What were some of the best and worst projects you have ever done or have seen?

 

[Josiah]

When I was a kid, the only community science fair I participated in was (understandably) about astronomy. I did something to try to convey the vast distances. See http://umanitoba.ca/observatory/outreach/solarsystem/ for just such an attempt. Mine was just balls (to scale for the sun and planets)... spaced a part in scale. BUT I added the alpha centauri system to REALLY make the point of how big things are. And of course, our sun and the Proxima Centuri are actually very, very, very close in terms of just our galaxy! I think I was 10 or 11.

I remember.... at the same science fair, next to me, was this girl about my age with a project on how to tell the earth is round. She had the usual things, but some funny things NOT usually given! The one I remember: she noted that her grandparents visit her every year for Christmas. And they take them back to the airport to fly back to Denmark. And sometimes the plane goes east.... and sometimes the plane goes west... but ether way, they get back to Denmark! Made me laugh.... still does. Science is fun.



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[Lamb]

One fun project I did with my daughter and her friend was to try to determine if the color of a crayon would be hard or soft. I had them drop the crayons off a chair and measure the dents, smash them with a hammer, all kinds of fun destruction! I came up with it because sometimes in art, certain colors are made up of different types of materials but crayons, no Color didn't make a difference as to whether a crayon was hard or soft. But they did well at the science fair!