When your child gets to fourth grade, they will probably be doing their first full fledged science fair project, on their own, so the search for great science fair projects for 4th graders will soon be on. The keys to a science fair project is following the steps to the scientific method and then making a scientific display board with the results.

In the younger grades, when they did a group project or one the teacher sent home to do as well as with in-class experiments, they have been gradually teaching what each of their steps involve. This will be the first time they are all on their own. Even though they may have done experiments in school and gone through all the steps, it is different when they do it at home. (One of the reason why parents turn into a homework help and advice roll!)

Here are some things to look for in science fair project for 4th graders

1. The project will be independent, but the teacher should work check on points to the schedule, where different steps are “due”, so it is really important to get those on the calendar. This will prevent going way off track or in the total wrong direction.
2. Your child will be writing their own a hypothesis for the first time . Th hard part is getting it down to one variable, the first attempts may be too broad.
3. Another thing that becomes important is exact data collection with multiple trials  Using  charts and graphs in fourth grade science fair projects will be a big part of this.
4. This should be a quick and easy project. If you are teaching how to do a project with no help from parents, then the project has to be easy to do. Over a weekend is perfect, enough time to do the project on one day and the write ups and display on the next.
5. If the teacher sends home a list with suggestions, pay attention to them, they are speaking from experience. Sometimes they have pre-approved certain websites to use for research or even project choices. If you don’t like any of the choices they send home, look at how the project is organized and use that as a guide when you look on your own.
6. If the teacher did not create one for you, sit with your child and make a check list, based on the directions. That way you talk through the whole thing, but when they do it, they can be totally on their own.
7. The display board becomes part of the grade, and has certain things that must be there. So a checklist for the display board is just as important as for the project for any science fair project for 4th graders.

We have a free “The Non-Scientist Parents’ Guide to a Science Project”  that should be a big help to any parent of a 4th grader. This will give you enough background to have answers for you kids without having to get too involved!  Just Click here for the free download.

At 24 hour science fair projects  got started creating our science fair projects for fourth graders as a family of four sons each hit their first science fairs.  As we they went through the search process, they ended up creating their own projects that followed the science teachr’s guidelines but were something the boys could get into.  As  they boys grew older they saw how they could be adapted to each grade level, and of course they ended up creating more!

So for five quick and easy science fair projects for 4th graders and up, you can go directly to 24 hour science fair projects now, with this link!

http://www.24hourscienceprojects.com/ezGaffurl.php?offer=s7n17y&pid=2&tid=in121911

It is the beginning of the school year and before you know it as a parent you will be asked for science homework help. Science is a little different than other subjects because they are often drawing, projects and have hands on things to do. As they grow older, science tests can be tricky because they often apply knowledge, just not memorize.

 Here are  5 science homework help tips:

Go to Back to school night. This is where you get all the information about science fair projects and any science homework help, tips and advice. It is where you learn what type of project is required, the due dates, and any particular things the science teacher will be looking for.

Buy and gather supplies ahead of time that are often used for science projects and science fairs. This avoids last minute rush and the risk that supplies in the stores are gone. Display boards, paint, clay, colored paper, double edged sticky tape, markers that are not dried up, baby food jars, cardboard boxes, mason jars, and plenty of duct tape are some common examples.

Learn how to help study for science tests. There is a lot of vocabulary to memorize, steps to procedures (how test for acid/base), and sequences (like how the digestive system works). Leaning how to drill these kind of thing to prepare for a test will be a big help. These things need to be down pat so when taking the test they have it ready to use for the “thinking” questions.

Show interest in the science units and encourage them to talk about what they are learning or let them explain things to you. You can find some fun science experiments on your own to do at home that go with the topic. The more they use the science vocabulary on their own, the better the chance of remembering it later on!

You will notice that science homework help does not include parents stepping in and doing some of the work for them!  But with science it is often the case that the kids will need you to be a partner, to help them do their work the best they can. Always encourage them to do their best.

Get in the practice of marking due dates on the calendar. This may help avoid the stress of running around at the last minute getting supplies and making display boards.

Running out of time to do your Science Project? Get science homework help with fast and easy and winning science projects now by clicking here!

Some schools are gravitating to an Interest Fair instead of a science fair. What teachers have realized is the steps to researching a topic fall in line with the steps to the scientific method, so the topic for an Interest Fair does not have to be science. But uses all the same science investigation steps and ideas for a school project headed to a science fair.

• Topics can be hobbies like sports or music, you could look into food, sewing, yarn, video games, or famous people. There will always be science things too like fish and bugs and ecology stuff because kids are naturally interested in those things.

• Kids will still follow the same steps, they come up with a question and make a prediction about their topic. What do they already know, what do the wonder, why predictions can they make. Some times you create an experiment, Which yarn makes the softest scarf? What subject did Peyton Manning study in college? What is the difference in the sound of acoustic and electric instrument? Then then will need to so some research into the topic and write a report. In some cases a sample will be part of the display, other times there will be photos. In the end you will make an awesome display board that will have to show all the steps you took to look deeper into your interest.

• The advantage of this is that it gives kids who excel in other areas other than science a chance to shine and get excited about something they are interested in. The other advantage it is cross curricular so the librarian and language arts teachers get more involved. You have lots of choices of ideas for a school project this way, not just science.

• What this really would fall under is a research type of science fair, that will have some elements of experimenting or demonstrating, but focuses on the research steps. You break a topic up into teaching pieces, study it, analyze it and often find the answer to your question, or prove or disprove your predictions.

You will find you do this stuff all the time when your kids are home during holiday vacations, you look into things they are interested in. Kids will get ideas from each other and be able to use them in future fairs.

It might be a good thing to alternate between a science fair one year and an interest fair the next.   There are things about science that really can be made clear with a science experiment and using the scientific method in an investigation is an important skill, so I would never get rid of a science fair! Really, there just are never ending great ideas for a school project, no matter what the subject is!

Get your science ideas for a school project that are fun and you hardly know are science at 24 hour science fair projects.

I’ve been thinking a lot about 1st grade science projects and what can be done at that level to make things easier for science projects for 4th graders,  when kids are sent off to do a project on their own.

So I started keeping an eye out for tidbits on the subject…

I ran across an interesting article that caught my attention since the title was  “A Science Fair Makeover in Your School Library!”  Well you can imagine the pictures that went through my head of a library with exploding volcanoes, or mice in mazes or a worm farm so I couldn’t help but wondering what this librarian was thinking!

Once I got into the article, I realized they were emphasizing the importance of the librarian in any school level science fair project that follows the accepted educational standards for both library science and science teachers.

What section in any elementary school library is where your 1st graders gravitate to? It is the science section! They love books on bugs, animals, outer space, rockets, sea creatures, weather and all of that.

• When it comes to supporting your data with research, where is the most logical place for kids to go? The library of course.

• One of the largest collections a libraries science section is science fair ideas.

• Now beyond all of that, the library is also one of the largest rooms in a school. It also has build in counter tops and table that are perfect for  display boards and you don’t have to fight with the Phys Ed teacher about taking up their gym.

• Read the full article that goes into great detail on how to partner with the librarian for the science fair here.

So the article got me thinking more about First Grade.

Mostly a 1st grade science project is based on a theme, and you also want them to learn early on how research is a key element. The librarian as a partner from beginning to end, will help with surveying the literature, they can help focus their attention to one area, they can even teach kids how to take an idea an turn it into a good science question. Then there they would be again, to either help the child look for an appropriate project, or work with the teacher to find a list of books or online project in their theme and is designed for a 1st grader to do. They would work ahead of time to create a display of research support books, as well asd websites the kids can use for their facts.

I somehow think  1st grade science projects that followed some great  ideas for making a project look good from their school  librarian could be really cool! Not to mention how excited 1st graders can be about showing off anything they do!

Get your free copy of “The Non-Scientist Parents’ Guide to a Science Project” that goes into great detail on how to make a great display board. You can download right now through this link.

…and those 4th graders?

It looks like you really can build some good habits, and have some fun along the ways so science projects for 4th graders might go more smoothly and independently, not to mention the friendly librarian there to help them along the way. You will get some really great display boards by then!

Get your 1st grade science project ideas, or science projects for 4th graders or kids of any age  today at 24 Hour Science Project!

In general, school, homework and learning can be a real struggle for many children -and as parents we struggle with how to help with homework for science and other projects too. I know this firsthand from watching my boys. Early on, I decided that my guys should never have to look far for the proper tools. Like a busy executive, they needed to concentrate on the task before them, and should have anything they need close at hand. There is a closet in our house that looks like the school supply section at Wal-Mart. The boys have tools to stay organized. They have plenty of socks, underwear, and soccer clothes. We have calculators, computers, dictionaries, encyclopedia, rulers, compasses, and yes, we keep spare science display boards. (We even keep completed projects, as you may have read

To prepare for this article, I walked through my house and made a list of the supplies we keep on hand. This list can be a springboard for getting supplies ready for your children. Let this list help you as you help your children to help themselves.

I’m quite aware that this is a LOT of stuff. But you will be amazed at how much help with homework those supplies will give you! Cut down on the stress and buy it in advance, you’re going to end up buying most of it anyway

Get your free copy of “The Non-Scientist Parents’ Guide to a Science Project” at 24 Hour Science Projects for more ideas of things you can do at home.

If You Only Listened To Me……   Science could have been fun, and quick and easy science fair projects  could have made the difference!

There is a big push in education today on boosting math and science curriculum in our schools in the United States.  It is a big wake up call for this country as the stats show that we are falling behind many other countries.  the president has made this an important  issue as well.  I keep saying, if you only listened to me , we wouldn’t be in this mess!

Recently I have  become more tuned in to the science side of education and the benefit of quick and easy science fair projects.  Do not get me wrong,  as a teacher  and then as a parent I was actively involved in science.  In fact it was the Science Fairs at my school in my first years of teaching that first sparked my interest and when I realized if they had just listened to me  as a student and in the years since then there would not be this big problem today.

When I was growing up, Science was the most hated subject on Earth, and I kid you not.  We had big heavy text books, we had to outline chapters and answer questions at the end of the chapter.  Every once and awhile we did something fun, like draw the solar system, or plant beans  in a glass with brown paper towels and collect rocks and leaves.  My grades on science tests were generally poor which made me hate the class even more.  There was no connection between science and every day life.

At the same time, my parents were good at giving us those fun experiences, we cooked, we planted gardens,  we went to museums and when we got involved in Scouts it went even further with all the fun activities you did for badges.  Any time I would say, “This is fun,” my parents would sigh and say, “Darling, this is science.”  Then I would ask why they could not make science in school as fun.  If they had only listened to me…..

It really was not until High School Chemistry I lucked out and had a great teacher, who saw me as a challenge to see my grades could be as good in his class as they were every where else.  In fact he tried to do that with all the students and had a way of teaching the abstract and showing how the effect on every day life.   Now I am not saying high school chemistry should be all fun and games and full of fun activites, but I am saying with a better foundation, you could hit that class and it would not have to be as stressful as it is for most kids.  At least your attitude would be better.

When I saw my first Science Fair at my school as a teacher, I kept saying why don’t all schools do this?  Each kid had their own  project, most would  fall into the quick and easy science fair projects category as they were doing a lot of this on their own,  and the Reading Teachers ( that would be me) helped their students  with the write ups, posters and set up.  Our school was a multi-sensory education pioneer back in the day, so it was second nature to us.  I learned more “science” from helping these students than I ever did in school.  If they had only listened to me…

Now, here is where it gets tricky and I am still shaking my head.  Where we lived  it happened that they changed the science curriculum to a more hands on, no formal textbook just as our eldest child hit first grade.  At that point I was thinking, Wow! They DID listen to me.  There were many quick and easy science fair projects done throughout the year, that taught science and also the scientific method.   But guess what?  That was 25 years ago, and we are still suffering from a lag in science knowledge and background.   For my kids there was a definite line of demarcation when they hit middle school.  They tried to make it hands on but the textbooks,  tests and traditional science teaching snuck back in.  By the time you hit high school you either were a science geek and took the advanced classes or just took what you needed to graduate.

I do not know what the answer is, these are just my random thoughts, but  I have been saying for years the disconnect comes between science and real life.  The more you see and use science in your life, and KNOW that is what you are doing, the better off you should be.   Solar and wind power, ecology, gardening,  automobile engines and cooking are all science and part of what we do each day.  Don’t even get me started  on how important the human body is in both science and in real life and the number of kids who do not get it!

For a great supply of quick and easy science fair projects that are kid tested and teacher approved, just click this link!

“That’s not how Mommy does it,” or “Daddy said we had to do it this way,” are two statements that babysitters have nightmares about. The kicker is you never know for sure if they are pulling your leg!. This is where the beauty of having a stash of one day science fair projects comes in. You leave a project behind, something the kids have never done before, and babysitter and children will get involved in the experiments and have some fun without having to hear about how mom or dad usually does it.

Another benefit for babysitters doing a science project, is that it is something constructive to do with their time. Open ended time, that can only be filled if the kids actually answer the, “What would you like to do tonight?” question with something besides a shrug, or the very thing the parents just told you they could not do. When children know there is something specific planned for the evening, it gives them something to look forward to, and the babysitter has something to fill up a hunk of time.

A final benefit of using these one day science fair projects as an activity for babysitters is that it gives direction and focus for the evening where the parents will see the results. When it is all over, the data from the project can be on display. A digital download science project should come with a built in spreadsheet where the results can be entered and turned into a cool looking chart. Print the chart out for when the parents come home and there is instant topic for discussion the next day.

Babysitters themselves might want to invest in their own copy of quality one day science fair projects to use with all of the different families they sit for. They will learn how to adapt experiments to different ages and interests. It is a win-win situation for everyone, parents, babysitters and the children to have this simple and fun activity to use while the parents get a well deserved break.

Here is a link to a great digital resource for simple, easy to follow 24 hour science projects, weekend projects and demonstration projects. Often these digital products cost less than what you would pay for a pizza.
Go to my Blog!
One Day Science Fair Projects
Step by Step Blueprints for Students and Parents

http://24hourscienceprojects.blogspot.com

Look for great Middle School Science Projects too!
(on the top right side bar!) — http://24hourscienceprojects.blogspot.com

My name is Sue Gnagy Fegan and I used a structured, sequential multisensory teaching approach for the past 34 years.

Need a quick way to keep kids occupied? Want to get something accomplished in the process? Try out 24HourScienceProjects.com!

Here are some random thoughts to show how easy it is to hook one day science fair projects to the holidays.

Valentines Day- You think about red and chocolate. A project that figures out how much red food coloring is needed to bake a red heart cookie that ends up being red and not pink, will hardly seem like science. Doing something with chocolate should always be a hit, like seeing if there is a difference between how long milk chocolate and dark chocolate takes to melt.

St Patrick’s Day- Of course you think green. So use the green theme and do a simple environment kind of experiment. You might try a blind fold experiment to see if people really can tell the difference between Green Eggs and Ham and regular ones.

Mother’s Day and Fathers Day- For one could be a longer than one day science projects since it is the beginning of the growing season. Plant a variety of seeds and compare the results on Fathers Day. Plant annuals some with and some without fertilizer and compare the difference on Fathers Day.

As you can see, the holiday becomes the jump start for a fun or even silly idea to explore. Fourth of July brings comparing home made burgers to store bought, Halloween can test out all kinds of gross and gooey substances to use as props for costumes, and Thanksgiving could include a test to see how best to make sweet potatoes not taste like a vegetable.

The idea is to make simple one day science fair projects a part of everyday life, and not something just for science class. This will also teach kids that science is everywhere and a healthy curiosity about science means you are aware of the world around you.

Here is a link to a great digital resource for simple, easy to follow 24 hour science projects, weekend projects and demonstration projects. Often these digital products cost less than what you would pay for a pizza. Go to my Blog!
One Day Science Fair Projects
Look for great Middle School Science Projects too!
Step by Step Blueprints for Students and Parents

http://24hourscienceprojects.blogspot.com

You could also try using some fun math games.

http://www.thesue-teaching-tips.info

My name is Sue Gnagy Fegan and I used a structured, sequential multisensory teaching approach for the past 34 years. I saw first hand the benefits of engaging students in productive, hands on activities to make learning more meaningful and more fun.

Ready for a Science Project that can be done in just one day of your winter break? You got it!

It always happens, when kid are on break from school. boredom sets in.  They won’t admit it, but it is true!  No matter if it is the  ten days for  the December holidays ,  a long weekend,  spring break or  summer vacation,  there will be a time when they say “I’m bored!”  Reading a book or during chores is a great boredom buster, but having something different for them to do like fun science projects give you variety.

Actually it is a good thing when kids get  bored and have to figure out something to do.  We tend to run the risk of overbooking our kids, so downtime  at home is important.  It won’t hurt to have some fun activities around so kids can find them on their own when bored.

Yes, it is true vacation means having a vaction!  But you don’t need to let that brain turn into mush either. Fun hands-on projects that happen to make you think and maybe even learn something  still give  kids a break and will  the brain cells moving.

Many families  start early and make doing different hands on activities with their kids part of their  routine,  so adding some one day science fair projects for kids will just blend into the mix.  Here is how to do it:

• From  kindergarten on always have something fun ready for them to do over the long weekends and vacations. Sometimes you will get to it, other times not, but it is still there.

• Find a project you can  download that was written by teachers uses the basic steps of the scientific method and have then ready on your computer. you might even check and see if there are materials you need to gather so you  have them around if needed.

• As they grow older, have projects for their age available, but let them choose which one they feel like doing that day.

Over time, as long as you have  projects on hand, they will naturally head that direction when boredom blues arrive. Often these digital products cost less than what you would pay for a pizza.  They can be used when a friend sleeps over, or to fill up a rainy day.  When they really come in handy is when you need a last minute home science projects for those times you procrastinate or they “forget” to tell you about it!

Looking for fun Science Projects  for your next break? Look no further!

What if our science fair is already over? These one day science fair projects are called “science fair” because they are the sort of experiments you might find in a science fair. Something specific, geared towards one thing, and that follows the scientific method where you observe and question something you notice in the world around you, develop some hypotheses or possible reasons why, and experiment to see if what you thought would happen does. Then you share the results. By using the term science fair, it give the project an educational standard.

Why should I make my kids do even more schoolwork when they are home? Science is really an every day, look at the world around you thing. If you use projects based on simple curiosity about things that are seen and used everyday, and you make it sound interesting enough, then it will not feel like school, but feel like a fun activity. Doing projects like this help develop creative problem solving steps that are used all of the time, not just in science class. Kids often feel that school and the rest of their life are two separate happenings. So the more kids can see that school work like science can be applied to every day life, the better it is for them in the long run.

What happens if they are old enough to be home alone without adult supervision? There are plenty of projects that use everyday materials that do not involve matches, using the stove, knives, standing on ladders or any of those things you do not want kids doing while home alone. Simple projects centered around everyday household experiences can easily be found online and downloaded to your computer. Digital products will even have built in spreadsheets in the download to enter the data and make nifty charts. All of this the older child will already have learned how to do at school.

Having some digital one day science fair projects on hand will at least give you some more options of things your child can do on that day they cannot go back to school while waiting for their temperature to stay normal for 24 hours. You will even have them on hand for other times you find your child needs something constructive to fill their time.

Here is a link to a great digital resource for simple, easy to follow 24 hour science projects, weekend projects and demonstration projects. Often these digital products cost less than what you would pay for a pizza. Go to my Blog! One Day Science Fair Projects Step by Step Blueprints for Students and Parents
http://24hourscienceprojects.blogspot.com

Look for great Middle School Science Projects too! (on the top right side bar!)
http://24hourscienceprojects.blogspot.com

My name is Sue Gnagy Fegan and I used a structured, sequential multisensory teaching approach for the past 34 years. I saw first hand the benefits of engaging students in productive, hands on activities to make learning more meaningful and more fun.

Got a Science Experiment Due? Need a Project? Get 5 Fast, Easy, and Winning Projects Here!