Free Get Ready for a Winning Science Project by Sandra Buczynski

CHAPTER ONE
That’s a Good Idea!

    Have you ever wondered how something works?
    Are you curious? Are you a careful observer? Do you enjoy solving problems? If so, doing a science project may be just the activity for you!
    The goal of a science project is to solve a problem. A science project is an experiment you do or an invention you create to answer a question that you have.

Consider This
    EXPERIMENT
    â€¢Â Â Â hands-on activity in the laboratory
    â€¢Â Â Â scientific observations of nature
    â€¢Â Â Â surveys or questionnaires about issues
    â€¢Â Â Â exploration of existing databases
Or This
    INVENTION
    â€¢Â Â Â designing and building new devices that can help get certain tasks done
    â€¢Â Â Â creating engineering projects
    â€¢Â Â Â testing and improving the performance of existing products
    â€¢Â Â Â building models to explain what is happening
    Experimenters find out things for themselves. Inventors design and make things that will solve problems. Inventors like to think outside the box! Both types of scientists like to collaborate , or work with other scientists who are interested in the same topics.
    Where do you find an idea for a science project? How do you find the information you need to understand your topic? Curiosity is the key ingredient! Here are some tips to get you started.
    First you need to choose a particular science category to study. This will help you pick the main idea for your project. Decide if you want to experiment with food, plants, chemicals, or something else.

    If you are working with a group, make sure everyone helps find a project topic.
    TRY THIS!
    CATEGORIES OF SCIENCE
    Take a look at these science subject areas and choose one that interests you.

    BIOLOGY: anything relating to life, including cells and DNA
    ZOOLOGY: all about animals in the zoo and in the wild, how they behave and grow.
    BOTANY: how plants grow, gardening, seeds
    MICROBIOLOGY: very tiny organisms such as bacteria, algae, or viruses
    CHEMISTRY: molecules, acids and bases, solutions and mixtures, chemical reactions
    EARTH SCIENCE: anything in our environment: rocks, ocean, weather, volcanoes
    ASTRONOMY: stars, planets, the night sky, galaxies, comets, meteors
    ENTOMOLOGY: every type of insect, from ants to zebra butterflies
    PHYSICS: study of matter and energy
    ENGINEERING: designing and making structures and machines
    FOOD SCIENCE: healthy eating, burning calories, testing foods, food spoilage
    ECOLOGY: food webs, plant and animal communities
    Now you need to research what is already known about your topic. Time to be a detective—library and Internet to the rescue!
    Reading about what other scientists and students are studying is a good place to find project ideas.
    â€¢Â Â Â Read science news in magazines ( National Geographic World, Science News, Kids Discover, Odyssey, Ask, Muse, Dig, and many more ).
    â€¢Â Â Â Read the section of the newspaper that reports science news.
    â€¢Â Â Â Look on the Internet for projects that have been done in the past.
    â€¢Â Â Â California State Science Fair
www.usc.edu/CSSF/
    â€¢Â Â Â Science Hound: All Science Fair Projects
www.all-science-fair-projects.com/
    â€¢Â Â Â Watch TV shows with science themes ( Bill Nye, The Science Guy; MythBusters; DragonflyTV; NOVA ).
    â€¢Â Â Â Find a book on science fair topics.
    TRY THIS
    Once you have a general idea of the areas of science that interest you, visit www.sciencebuddies.org . This site has a feature called “Topic Selection Wizard,” which lets you answer questions about your interests. Then it matches you with possible science fair topics.

    What topic did science Buddies recommend for you? Do you agree with this recommendation?
Consider This
    It is a good idea to avoid some kinds of science project topics. Here are a few examples:
    â€¢Â Â Â CONSUMER PRODUCT TESTING: Which paper towel is