Choosing a topic is any student's first step to starting a science fair project. Some fairs or schools may have specific guidelines or requests for topic selection. These may include a predetermined theme or particular scientific content area, such as cell biology, the solar system or chemical reactions. If the fair invites a variety of projects, start with a science textbook for general grade level ideas. This content will be age-appropriate in terms of learning skills and ability to understand information. Choose a topic that personally interests the child. For example, if the elementary student enjoys collecting rocks, a geology project may be a good fit. Find specific ideas for different subjects and project steps or guides online from science and fair websites such as the All Science Fair Projects, Science Buddies or Cool Science Projects.
Elementary school science fair projects on biology may include more-focused areas of study, such as botany, zoology or cellular biology. Younger elementary students may want to try a simple zoology animal project involving observation and data collection or a more descriptive based activity. Another option is a life cycle project in which the student observes and charts an animal's growth from the start. Frogs and fish are easy to handle, age-appropriate creatures that allow students to see what happens from the egg stage through the animal's life. The child can make a pictorial chart that depicts each stage, take photos and post them to a trifold board or write a brief description. A similar project topic for grade school science fairs is a plant life cycle activity. Students can chart the plant's growth while investigating factors, such as light, water, temperature and soil/growing materials.
Young students can explore acids and bases, reactions and more, through simple chemistry science fair projects. These topics may include more-specific ideas such as making crystals, a pH litmus paper experiment, saltwater evaporation or making mixtures. For example, kids can grow their own crystals for show at a fair with salt, sugar, Epsom salts or even alum. Students can mix one of these items with water, and then soak a string or piece of yarn to begin the growing process. The completed project can include photos, predictions, observations and background information on crystals and chemical compounds.
Physics-based science fair projects can range from simple magnet and gravity ideas for younger elementary students to more complex experiments on motion or even surface tension for older kids. The student can conduct some basic background research on the physics principle that she will be investigating. Look through class textbooks, age-appropriate, non-fiction, science books from a local library or online at physics sites such as Physics.org, Rader's Physics 4 Kids or the Science Spot Kid Zone. Use the information from the background search to shape the experiment and presentation for the science fair.