As a teacher when you have to read through dozens of science fair reports you tend to get overwhelmed at the effort that some students put into their science projects. Some of them do a really stellar job with their reports.  At the same time it is easy to spot the lazy ones who have copied down the theory from a book and finished the report without adding any insight of their own.

To make a report interesting for the teacher to read, it does need to have more than the theory behind the science project that you have submitted. A few illustrations will help. And believe me if you have drawn them yourself, it does fetch a more favorable result. Even if its not as neat and tidy as a print out will be. Although it will take up more time.

Also make sure to add how you went about the project.The way you experienced the theory of science in practice is what doing the project is all about. That makes it even more interesting reading for the teacher, as she is able to gauge how much you gained from doing the science fair project.

Keep it focused and don’t ramble on about unrelated details. Just remember writing a science fair report is not difficult. Just keep the basics in mind and write what you know. Here’s an article that might give you some ideas to keep the report you write interesting. All the best writing that science fair project report.

Given the state of the education system these days many parents prefer to home school their children. There is an ongoing debate about just how good or bad this is. It is believed that children may miss out on social interaction, and organized activities if they are home schooled. Yet there is also the fact that children can learn in a secure and loving atmosphere if they are taught at home by their parents.

Naturally the debate is still out and no way near a conclusion. Home schooling is becoming more popular as more parents decide to follow the system. If your parents have been home schooling you, may be one of the things that you miss is having an organized science lab where you can do experiments.  If you think you are restricted by the lack of a lab, think again.

You have the whole house to do your experiments in. There is a lot more that you can do at home than what you can do in school. All you need is the right set of ideas to get you going. Remember experiments are all a way of reinforcing whatever theory you have read. So any activity that helps you practice that theory is in fact an experiment that can be a science project.

Now think of activities that you can do at home easily. Things that are fun to do and that you enjoy can also be turned into experiments. Even something as simple as blowing bubbles can be part of a science project! No kidding. Here is how you can make the bubbles you blow a part of a science experiment. I am sure you will have a lot of fun doing it, just make sure a parent is supervising.

While it is best not to use heat in your experiments unsupervised as it is very dangerous, you can do a few simple science projects with an adult present. Infact it is important to respect the destructive properties of heat. It is not just the flaming fire that can be dangerous.

While a bonfire must command your respect, you must also be careful with other heating appliances around the home. I’m sure you have felt your fingertips scorch when you retrieve a hot toast from the toaster. Or scalded your tongue when you sipped some hot chocolate. Even when you can’t see the flames, heat can cause you pain. So do be careful when handling anything that heats up.

Here a special mention must be made to a gadget that has entered each home. A microwave. Yes it is a convenient appliance, but it is also one that must be used with great care. If you have heated food or fluids in the microwave you will know just how much heat it can generate in a short amount of time. You need to use mitts or oven gloves to get the containers out as well.

Naturally it will not be possible to lug a microwave oven to school for a science fair project, but you can do some experiments at home.  Here’s an experiment you can try out at home. Again remember that dealing with heat is dangerous. So make sure that you have an adult with you when you try this one out.

Writing a science fair project report need not be a tedius task. As long as you have a clear lay out in mind you can finish the report in 15 minutes. No I am not joking. 15 minutes is all the time that the report content will take. How you decorate and present the report may take more time.

So how does one write the science fair report in 15 minutes? For starters don’t attempt to write the report before you make the science project. The entire theory that you apply in the project will go into the report. So it makes sense to finish the experimenting and make your science project.

That way you already know the theory and how it translates in practice. Now you can sum it up easily in your own words. You don’t have to think of ways to make the book language seem less formal. It will also be easier to add relevant diagrams .  After all a circuit diagram is much simpler to make once you have actually made the circuit.

Now that you have all the theroy in, throw in a flowery introduction and a conclusion. The content of your project report is ready. Now proof read it, and type it out to take print outs. Then get a good folder to put the report into. If you must use specific folders that the school provides, even better.

The whole process will not take more than the 15 minutes that I said it would. For more ideas take a look here. I am sure you will have no problem what so ever with the report after that. So once you have the project ready, set the clock to time yourself as you write out the report.

Science is a collection of natural laws. Things that always happen the same way. there is no change in the process if you do it today, tomorrow or a week from now. A prime example of a natural law is gravity. It is ever present and never changing.

If you throw a ball down from the top of the stairs it will hit the ground. If you throw a ball out of the window, it will still head for the ground. Even if you hoist the ball up into the air standing on the ground, the ball will eventually quit soaring and hit the ground.

Similarly the rain and snow will fall from the skies to the ground. There is no way that the water in the stream near your house will suddenly decide to flow up into the sky like reverse rain. Now you may point out that  water does go up into the sky as water vapour.

That is another natural law. Evaporation is different from gravity. The gravitational pull is active on evaporated water vapour as well. It is because of the Earth’s gravity that the gaseous envelop, that we call our atmosphere, is found around the planet.

Gravity is a great tool to use in a science project. It is present everywhere. The conditions are more or less consistent and you can do very imaginative and interesting experiments based on the principle of gravity. Read this post here to get a few pointer about what else you need to include in your science project.