The skills for designing and developing a Science Fair Projects are not intuitive. It takes training, which involves instructions and practice, practice, and more practice over a period of time. No one would expect the child in the photo to be able to throw strikes, or pitch it to any base with accuracy and speed. Instead, the child would be trained over a period of time. You can tell that his training has already started. Look at how he is touching his hat, much like pitchers do. He appears to be concentrating. We accept the fact that athletes much have skilled instructors to train them. We accept the fact that Olympians must Practice… Practice… Practice. Yet, the current constructive-project based education philosophy is that kids don’t need training, they just need to be guided so that they discover on their own. The low performance scores across America lets us know that this is not working.
Its not the robotic steps of the scientific method that you want kids to know, instead your objective is to train kids to think critically. In other words, you want to train them so that they have the skills to develop their own science fair project.
There is a problem with this objective and it is that the kids must have the cognitive ability to think about abstract concepts, and logically test hypothesis. Piaget said that the development of these abilities begin at approximately age eleven. Thus, most kids in elementary do not have the cognitive ability to design and develop a science fair project that meets International Science Fair Rules.
I am not saying that Elementary and Middle School Kids should not be assigned science projects. Instead, I want to encourage science projects, but only if the processes required are age appropriate and are taught and practiced. For kids to acquire a full range of knowledge about processes, such as those for developing a science fair project, the most effective way to do so is to use the “Oldie Goldie” practice of repetition. With this said, lets get started.
I. Exploratory Experiments
I suggest you b
egin with a simple Start with an Exploratory Experiment, which is an experiment performed to collect information about a topic. An exploratory investigation can be an experiment, a model, or a collection. The purpose of an exploratory experiment is to discover information about some phenomenon. (Phenomenon: A fact or situation that is observed to exist or happen, especially one whose cause or explanation is not understood).
I have written books with exploratory science experiments. One set called Incredible Science Experiments containing 4 books and in all provide more than 800 exploratory experiments. For your convenience, I have provided a link to where you can find out more about the books.
Example Exploratory Experiment
Soaker
Purpose: To observe water absorption by a paper towel.
Materials
saucer
shallow baking pan
1/4 cup (63 mL) of tap water
red food coloring
paper towel
Procedure
1. Place the saucer in a shallow baking pan.
2. Pour one-fourth of a cup of water into the saucer.
3. Add 3 to 4 drops of red food coloring to the water. Stir.
4. Fold the paper towel in half placing the short sides together.
5. Lay the folded paper towel on the baking pan with one end of the paper touching the colored water in the saucer.
6. Observe and note any movement of the red water through the paper towel.
Results: The end of the paper towel quickly soaked up some of the red water. The colored water continued to move through the paper at a slow rate.
Why?
Paper towels are designed to absorb liquids. Absorption is the ability to take in a liquid and hold it.
The part of the paper touching the liquid soaks up the liquid. In other words the paper absorbs the liquid.
More Research
Paper is made of wood fiber, which is cellulose. These fibers form small narrow spaces in paper towels. The red liquid moves though these narrow channels. Since the paper is laying horizontal, gravity is pushing down equally on the paper. So, gravity is not the force pushing the water through the spaces.
Q. What causes the water to move through the paper?
A. The answer is a combination of two forces, cohesion and adhesion. Working together these two forces can push a liquid through narrow tube. This movement of liquid due to cohesion and adhesion is called capillary action.
Cohesion is the attractive force between like molecules.
Water molecules have positive and negative charges. The hydrogen are positive and the oxygen are negative. Unlike charges attract each other, thus the positive hydrogen of one water molecule attracts the negative oxygen of another water molecule. This force of attraction is called cohesion and this force of attraction is strong between water molecules.
Adhesion is the attractive force between unlike molecules.
Paper is made from plant fiber called cellulose. Cellulose molecules are made up of many monomers linked to form a long chain. Notice in the diagram that on one end of the cellulose is an oxygen. This negative oxygen attracts the positive hydrogen of a water molecule. Again, unlike charges attract and pull these unlike molecules. The force between different types of molecules is called adhesion.
Capillary Action
The combination of the force of attraction between the water molecules (Cohesion) and the force of attraction between the cellulose in the paper and water molecules 
(Adhesion) creates Capillary Action. Capillary action is the ability of a liquid to flow in narrow spaces without any assistance. In other words, just because of cohesion and adhesion, the red liquid flows through the narrow spaces formed by cellulose in the paper towel. The water molecules clink to the cellulose fibers forming the walls of the spaces in the paper and at the same time the water molecules clink to each other.
The diagram shows cartoon water molecules holding on to each other, which represents cohesion. Two of the cartoon molecules of water are walking on the walls of the tube formed by cellulose fibers. Notice the dip in the surface of the water. This curve is call the meniscus and is caused when water molecules at the surface climb up the walls of the tube, but molecules spanning the gap between the walls sag. The cartoon represents the adhesive attraction of the water molecules to the cellulose wall in the paper towel as well as the cohesive attraction between the water molecules.
II. Brain Storm: Listing Variables
Now that kids have an understanding of why paper absorbs water and why water moves through the paper, its time to revisit the Exploratory experiment. You want to encourage kids to ask inquiring questions about the exploratory experiment. The goal is to list variables that might affect the results of the experiment. Variables are things that might change experimental results.
Inquiry Question
You can kick off this brain storming activity by asking an inquiry question, such as:
1. “What might affect how fast the colored water moves through the paper?”
2. Another way of saying this is, “What might affect the rate of capillary action through the paper?
or
3. How can the experiment be changed to cause the red water to move faster through the paper?
This question identifies a measurable results, rate of capillary action or how fast the water moves. In other words, the science fair project will be about the rate of capillary action in a paper towel. The rate of capillary action could be timed.
Now it is time to identify variables that MIGHT change the rate of capillary action in a paper towel.
Possible Variables:
1. different brand of paper towel;
2. different color of food coloring;
3. different temperatures of the colored water;
4. different angle of the paper towel
5.different thickness (number of folds) of the paper towel
6. ETC………
III. Write a Science Project Question
Use one of the variable to write a question related to the inquiry question about the exploratory experiment. At this point, students may have a long list of variables, but remind them that only one can be used.
Examples:
1. What affect would different brands of paper towel have on the rate of capillary action through a paper towel?
2. What affect would different colors of food coloring have on the rate of capillary action through a paper towel?
Point out that each question identifies a Cause and an Effect.
The Cause is called the Independent Variable.
The Effect is called the Dependent Variable.
At this point, have students to write questions using the remaining variables on the list. After each question, have kids to identify the Independent Variable and the Dependent Variable.
III. Write a Hypothesis
A hypothesis is a prediction about the results of the experiment. A hypothesis is often called an educated guess, which I think describes it very well. You are guessing what will happen, but it should never be a wild guess. Thus, it is called an educated guess. Take one of the questions as an example:
What affect would different brands of paper towel have on the rate of capillary action through a paper towel?
Well, what do you think the answer is? Do you think different brands of paper towel will affect how fast the water moves through the paper? You have to have something to base your hypothesis on.
Think About It:
1. What causes the water to move through the paper? Capillary action.
2. What two forces are resulting in capillary action? Adhesion and Cohesion
3. Which of these two forces might be affected by using a different brand of paper towel? Different paper will not affect the attraction between water molecules–Cohesion
But, different paper might affect the attraction of water to the paper–Adhesion.
You now have facts to base your hypothesis on.
Example Hypothesis:
If……………………………………………………….then…………………………………………………
1. If some brands of paper towels absorb water better than others, then the brand that absorbs water the best will have the fastest rate of capillary action.
2. If paper towels absorb water differently, then the best water absorber will have the fastest capillary action rate.
3. If some paper towels absorb better than others, then the best absorber will also have the fastest capillary action rate.
4. If paper towels vary in ability to absorb water, then as the ability to absorb water increases the rate of capillary action will increase.
5. ETC……………………………..
IV. Design an Experiment to Test Your Hypothesis
You can use the basic procedure from the exploratory experiment. You need to make some changes. Know that you are not bound to follow the procedure of the exploratory experiment. In fact, you may decide on a time saving way to test the different brands of paper.
Purpose: To determine if the brand of paper towel affects the capillary action rate in a paper towel.
Materials
saucer
shallow baking pan
1/4 cup (63 mL) of tap water
red food coloring
paper towel 5 or more different brands of paper towel (If the size of the individual paper towel sheets vary, you must cut all the sheet so that they are the same size.)
pencil
ruler
science journal
stop watch
Procedure
1. Place the saucer in a shallow baking pan.
2. Pour one-fourth of a cup of water into the saucer.
3. Add 3 to 4 drops of red food coloring to the water. Stir.
4. Select one of the paper towel brands. Separate 5 sheets of toweling. Fold each paper towel sheet, fold the paper towel in half placing the short sides together.
Note: This is a reminder that the size of all the paper towel sheets for each brand tested must be the same. 
5. Use the pencil and ruler to mark a line across and 3-in from the end of each of folded paper towel.
6. Use the pencil and ruler to prepare a data table in your science notebook.
5. Lay the folded paper towel on the baking pan with one end of the paper touching the colored water in the saucer.
6. Observe and note any movement of the red water through the paper towel.Immediately start the timer and stop the timer when the first streak of red coloring reaches the line on the paper.
Note: If it takes a long time to reach the end mark, then change your instructions so that the distance to the stop line is shorter.
7. Repeat this experiment 4 to 5 times using the same brand of paper towel. Record the time for each in the data chart.
8. Repeat this experiment using paper towels from different brands of paper.
IV. Results
The results of each experiment should be recorded in your science journal. Use a data table for each brand.
V. Conclusion
1. The objective of the experiment is to test the accuracy of your hypothesis. So, start your conclusion by stating your hypothesis.
The objective of this experiment was to determine if different brands of paper towels have a different rate of capillary action.
2. Now give a brief description of how you tested the paper towel.
Using equal size paper towel sheets from each of the brands of paper towels……..etc…….
3. Next give a brief description of your experimental results and state if the results did or did not support your hypothesis.
My experimental results showed that ………………………………………….., thus the results …(did or did not) support my hypothesis.
4. If your experimental results did not support your hypothesis, then you need to give possible reasons.
VI Display
Follow the rules of the science fair when preparing your display. Remember, your display represents your work. It should be neat and organized.
I suggest that you look over this sample science fair judging sheet and prepare one for kids.
It helps to know how the display is going to be judged.
