Participation in the Science fair is voluntary and FUN!

See details on requirements and suggestions from the Austin Regional Science Fair here:

http://sciencefest.org/elementary/elementary-parents-students

Importantly, these projects are NOT allowed:

No student in the Elementary Division will be allowed to design and conduct any science project that
involves:
• projects where the student has grown mold or bacteria of any kind (no moldy food studies etc.)
• firearms, explosives or discharge air pressure canister devices (i.e. potato guns)
• causing pain, suffering, sickness or death of an animal
• any activity or substance that presents a danger to the student or the environment, including hazardous
chemicals or radioactive materials

Ideally, a science fair project should reflect your child's interests and be fun to do. Any subject or topic can lead to a question. What kind of soap makes the largest bubble? What sidewalk paint or chalk will last the longest? Will different kinds of paper make paper airplanes fly differently? Can you kick a frozen soccer ball farther than one at room temperature? What's the best way to get the most kernels popped in a bag of popcorn (microwave or stove?) Googling can lead to some great ideas and Laura's library has a shelf of books filled with science fair ideas - along with other shelves filled with all sorts of kid fun topics that range from making candles to building Legos. See this video for an introduction to finding ideas:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBuH1b0Dqm0

Each project will be categorized as an EXHIBIT or an EXPERIMENT. An exhibit is a model or description. An experiment is answering a question by doing something in two (or more) different ways and comparing the results. Example: Building a solar panel and showing how it works is a demonstration. Building two different kinds of solar panels and comparing which gathered more power is an experiment.

Kinder, first, and second grade projects will be reviewed and given personalized certificates and ribbons as well as the science fair t-shirt.

Third, fourth, and fifth grade projects are eligible for the Austin regional science fair and should be EXPERIMENTS in order to gather the most points. Projects will be judged by an independent panel (no relations to BCE) of scientists and the top projects will be invited to present their poster at the Austin Regional Science Fair (Saturday, Feb 23rd) held at the Palmer Events Center. Each poster will be judged on the following categories:

Title - Clear and relevant title
Problem - Does the project ask a testable question?
Definitions: Student explains the meanings of the scientific words in their project
Hypothesis: The student predicts what their results will be and why
Background: The student has read and researched their topic and presents it clearly
Materials: A list of all the material needed to perform the experiment
Procedure: A complete list of all the steps taken to perform the experiment
Results: Detailed results, including graphs or tables
Conclusion: The student's interpretation of the results and why it happened that way. What they might do differently next time!
References and Acknowledgments - A list of books, websites, and people that helped them along the way.

For any questions please email: sabitha_rajan@yahoo.com