Science Fair Projects

[owen8739]

What is the best way to get students excited about their science fair projects?

They get very frustrated coming up with project ideas. I have tried a few sites such scienccefairprojectsstore.com to get ideas and books but I still can't get the students excited to be involved.

[Hal.]

Just an idea , group the students/school with foreign students/schools to work together on projects through internet communication media .

[Brainteaserfan]

What is the best way to get students excited about their science fair projects?

They get very frustrated coming up with project ideas. I have tried a few sites such scienccefairprojectsstore.com to get ideas and books but I still can't get the students excited to be involved.

If you're from the US, look up "Science Olympiad". It's pretty neat.

Edited June 19, 2011 by Brainteaserfan

[Genecks]

Kids aren't graduate students.

So, I don't even a middle-schooler to have a firm grasp of the scientific method.

I'm sure they can be taught, but I don't expect most school systems to have children embedded with that knowledge.

With that said, most children might have a science topic they are fascinate with, but lack expertise on how to narrow their perspectives.

 

I think it's up to the educator to present a realm of topics (biology, math, physics, chemistry, etc.), and then try to get the student to pick a kind of feasible experiment (perhaps even replicate a simple one; or find a twist on a simple one). To find a way to get the students to narrow their interests.

 

When I was a kid, most of the experiments I did were related to physics and electronics. I also messed with experiments that had to do simple things around the house.

 

Then again, times were great. You had awesome cartoons revolving around crazy biology/genetics. You had MacGyver (inventive thinking). You had Mr. Wizard on television for kids... So, I can definitely see how today's youth aren't as inspired as much by scientific knowledge and possibilities.

Edited June 20, 2011 by Genecks

[Brainteaserfan]

Kids aren't graduate students.

So, I don't even a middle-schooler to have a firm grasp of the scientific method.

I'm sure they can be taught, but I don't expect most school systems to have children embedded with that knowledge.

With that said, most children might have a science topic they are fascinate with, but lack expertise on how to narrow their perspectives.

 

I think it's up to the educator to present a realm of topics (biology, math, physics, chemistry, etc.), and then try to get the student to pick a kind of feasible experiment (perhaps even replicate a simple one; or find a twist on a simple one). To find a way to get the students to narrow their interests.

 

When I was a kid, most of the experiments I did were related to physics and electronics. I also messed with experiments that had to do simple things around the house.

 

Then again, times were great. You had awesome cartoons revolving around crazy biology/genetics. You had MacGyver (inventive thinking). You had Mr. Wizard on television for kids... So, I can definitely see how today's youth aren't as inspired as much by scientific knowledge and possibilities.

 

http://scioly.org/wiki/Experimental_Design

 

I had to do this in middle school. If you wanted to do well in this event, you had to have a firm grasp on the scientific method.

[TonyMcC]

Do you get excited and enthusiastic about any ideas your students propose? IMO enthusiasm and excitement are catching!