Kids Science Projects

Consider Grade Level

It's been a long time since you had to do a science fair project, and your last one might have been in high school while your child is now in sixth grade. The first consideration when you're thinking about a kids science project is what scientific concepts the child has already learned and what teachers are likely to expect from their grade level.

If you're trying to help your child come up with ideas for a science project, start by flipping through their current science textbook. This will let you know what information and concepts your child is likely to be familiar with.

It also will prevent you from picking a project that will require a lot of help on your part or that will seem way above grade level, suggesting to your child's teacher that he or she didn't do it alone.

Play into Your Child's Interests

Coming up with a science project should, of course, be a discussion between you and your child. Think about (or ask him or her about) the aspects of science that really interest them and see if you can come up with a science project surrounding them.

For instance, some children are really interested in insects. Your child could collect specimens from your neighborhood and keep track of their development.

If your child loves playing in dirt, the classic science experiment of growing pea plants under various conditions to determine which one grows best is great for young kids, while older kids could start a compost pile or study the effects of growing organic versus conventionally produced food. A study of global warming might be another good idea.

The key is not to push a project on a child just because it's something you're interested in or something you wish you'd been able to do as a child. If the project is geared toward their interests, they'll be a lot more enthusiastic about doing the work required.

Keep Them on Task

Science projects usually involve some kind of long-term experiment or a building project that you'll want to have done well ahead of the due date to make sure that it works. But kids, often like adults, are really good at procrastination.

Make sure your child doesn't leave his or her project until the last day by working with them to come up with a good idea and planning a schedule for what needs to be done when. This helps you keep them accountable.

If a project needs to be followed up on regularly (such as watering plants or feeding the insects), set up reminders for yourself so you can remind your child to do the work. Don't do it for them, just remember to ask them if it has been done. This will help them learn responsibility and hopefully ensure that there's something to be shown at the science fair.

Ideas for Kids Science Projects

If the right idea for a kids science project doesn't come to you immediately, there are tons of places you can look online to get ideas and information about science projects, such as:

• Science Club.org, which has projects categorized as simple, medium and advanced (for high schoolers and adults)
• Science Made Simple, which has sample projects and topics, information on the different types of science fair projects, the scientific method and more
• Kids Science Experiments, which has projects divided into categories such as gravity, pressure and temperature (these are mostly more experiments than projects)
• PBS Kids has experiments and projects in the categories of chemistry, engineering, the five senses, forces, life science, patterns, sound, structures and water.
• Science News for Kids has science project ideas in physical science, behavioral science, botany, computer science and more.