Younger children love discovering new things. An experimental science project is one way to tap into this trait. Begin by helping your child research sweeteners like sugar, corn syrup, aspartame and honey. Have him record any important information in a science project notebook. Assist your young scientist in developing a hypothesis based on what he discovered from the research, and record it phrased as an if/then statement in the science project notebook. Help your kid figure out a way to test his hypothesis. Examples include baking several batches of cookies with a different sweetener to discover which one tastes the sweetest, or serving pitchers of lemonade made with different sweeteners at a class party to see which one his classmates think is the sweetest. Make sure that your child writes the materials needed and the steps of the procedure along with a table to record his findings in his science project notebook. Once he has reviewed the data, help your him write a conclusion that summarize his data and back his findings up with scientific facts. Assist your child in creating a display that includes a tri-fold board with every step of the scientific method and a sample of each sweetener he used to test his hypothesis.
Five-, 6- and 7-year-olds enjoy grouping and identifying objects. An insect collect allows your little one to do both while learning about the natural world. If your child is sensitive, let her know ahead of time that this project does involve killing bugs. Otherwise, begin by helping your young naturalist set up a field laboratory complete with a science project notebook, a collection net, a euthanasia jar with a nail polish remover-soaked cotton ball, an insect classification manual and a display board with T-pins to mount the specimens. Once all preparations are complete, help your child collect, euthanize, classify and mount each specimen. Be sure that your child records the location, date, time and conditions of each collection site. Help her translate the information into maps and graphs that better illustrates the data. At the science fair, have her post her information on a tri-fold display board along with her science project notebook, and the collected insects, displayed and labeled inside a glass-covered case.
Making scientific models is one of the best ways for young elementary students to grasp abstract concepts. However, don't let your child fall back on the grossly overdone foam ball model of the solar system. Have him try modeling the abstract concept of animal adaptation instead. Begin by helping your child research on seals in the Arctic Ocean. Be sure that he records all of his observations in his science project notebook. During the research process, persistently ask how seals live in icy water. After a while, your young researcher will discover that a thick layer of fat called blubber protects the sea lion from the elements. Once he identifies blubber, help him create a model of its effect on seals with a bucket of ice water, vegetable shortening, rubber bands and one extra-large and one small pair of rubber gloves. Help your child drop 4 tablespoons of shortening into one of the extra-large gloves. Have him put on both small gloves and place one hand in the shortening-filled glove. Secure the outer glove with rubber bands. Let him to place both hands into the bucket of ice water and decide which hand is warmer. Afterward, have him record his findings in his science project notebook. Help your child create a tri-fold display board that outlines his research and the construction of the model. On the day of the science fair, instruct your child to place the display board behind the model and the science project notebook.