Science Project IdeasScience can be so exciting. There's no end of the exciting projects and experiments you can do. So whether you're looking for a winning science project idea for a science fair project, or wanting to learn at any age or grade, keep checking back to this page for ideas.Science Fair Ideas From Other PeopleThe website called "All Science Fair Projects" gives 500 free science fair project ideas under the categories of: biology, chemistry, physics, microbiology, biochemistry, medicine and health, environmental science, earth science, mathematics and computer science, and engineering.The Winning Science Fair ProjectAs you decide what you want to do for your project, consider that you might want to:1) Study about science - in other words, you'll read or watch what someone else has already discovered. The more you learn from others, the more excited you'll be to take that knowledge and come up with new things on your own. Can you take older technology and improve on it - find a way to do something more economically, longer lasting, less poluting, faster, stronger, more powerfully, more quietly, more effectively, etc.? Can you find a way to improve on the quality of life for someone? Can you think of a problem, or something that bothers you day to day? How could you find a better way to do it? However, a regurgitation of facts with a few pictures doesn't usually win science fair projects or even get an honorable mention. So what can you do? 2) Experiment with science - After you've learned some basic science facts start making up some "what if's". First you might observe a situation, or read about it. Next come up with a theory of what you think will happen if you do something differently. Next, test your theory.
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Science IdeasWe have lots to share with you on this one, it just takes time to load it on to the website. While you're waiting for us to give you lots of ideas, you might want to start with some ideas below, and then expand.1. IdentificationIdentification of your local trees, flowers, bushes, plants, moss and weeds (I think weeds are just plants we don't know what to do with yet).Take a picture of each different plant you can find by walking in your area, or local park or nature reserve. Do you really know everyone by name? Even the weeds? - Try to identify them by name - Try to determine possible uses for each one; can you eat it? Why not try some dandelion recipes? Wouldn't you rather know that your children understand which mushrooms they can eat and which ones they can't? This one project could take years to complete. Use your imagination. Try to identify butterflies in your area. The Blue Willow Garden website might help. They have beautiful pictures of butterflies.
You might want to check out our
Places to Go to Learn
page, and check for butterfly conservatories or an Arboretum (real trees growing along with identification tags) in your area. Great for a hands on, and maybe some inspiration.
2. Hydroponics, Aeroponics and AquaponicsFind out more about hydroponics, aeroponics, aquaculture and aquaponics (I'll be adding links for you soon). There are courses and e-books online that explain what it is and how to do it.In a nut shell: Hydroponics grows plants without dirt. The roots grow in water with the necessary nutrients added. You can do this inside and outside. Inside you could use a closet if you like, but you might have to add special lighting. Aeroponics is similar to hydroponics above, the difference is that the plants are slightly suspended above the water, leaving a gap of air. The roots grow through the air into the water, while the air is kept moist with misting. Aquaculture is farming fish. One problem has been too many fish in a confined area with too much waste coming from the fish. This has resulted in fish becoming sick and the routine giving of antibiotics. Many understand the health concerns this is raising. Aquaponics is an interesting new field where hydroponics is combined with aquaculture. The fish make waste, which the plants love and use as fertilizer. The fish are happy because the plants are cleaning out their waste and keeping their tank clean. Do some more study on these topics, and you'll find a wealth of possible science fair projects. You could keep your family in fresh vegetables all year round, even make a profit on this science project. The supplies are available at your local hardware store, and you might already have a lot of them. First, just try to keep things alive and growing. Next make it a little more scientific. Make a hypothesis or what you think will happen and then try it out. What about if you change the nutrients you add to the water. What does more or less phosphorus do to your plants? Do some plants like the change while others do not? What about if you use rain water, tap water, purified water, water from a water softener that has potassium added, water with salt added, vinegar? What about if you change the type of lighting?
Seeing two plants growing from the same seeds with different growing circumstances can be a valuable lesson for life. How many children today know where food comes from, and know how to grow it? I hope your child will.
3. Make a plant videoMake your own plant videos. This website has a great number of time lapse videos of germination and flowering of plants. Fun to watch. See plants dance, and respond differently to germination in the dark compared to light. As well, it gives some tips on how to make your own time lapse photography.http://sunflower.bio.indiana.edu/~rhangart/plantmotion/starthere.html 4. Wildlife and Their HabitatsTo get you started you might want to checkout the Hinterland's Who's Who site. It gives in-depth descriptions of wildlife, discussions on issues, actions that you can take to help wildlife, and educational materials that teachers and group leaders can use for project ideas and lesson plans (generally for grades 4 to 12).5. How Our Body WorksLearn how our body works. Learning names of body parts inside and out can take some time. Doctors aren't the only ones who need to know this. It's easier for us to describe to our doctor what's not right, if we know our body parts, what they do, and what they need to do their jobs.When you study how cars work, you don't just identify what is a tire and what is a transmission. You look at how different systems work together, so that the car can move. You understand that if one part isn't workinig well, it could put added stress on other engine parts, or the vehicle might not work. You know that the car needs fluids added like transmission fluid, and gas, along with different kinds of windshield washer fluid and oil when the weather is either hot or cold. I encourage you to do the same when you study how your body works. It's incredible how well designed our body is to repair itself (which cars don't do). Studying the health impact of depriving or adding certain nutrients to human and animal bodies has been the subject of many studies. Some findings can greatly affect our quality of health or lack of it.
Where possible I'll be adding information and links to these studies, so we can benefit. If you know of any, please let us know, and it may be added to the site.
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