What is the best way to get students excited about their science fair projects?

They get very frustrated coming up with project ideas. I have tried a few sites such scienccefairprojectsstore.com to get ideas and books but I still can't get the students excited to be involved.

Just an idea , group the students/school with foreign students/schools to work together on projects through internet communication media .

What is the best way to get students excited about their science fair projects?

They get very frustrated coming up with project ideas. I have tried a few sites such scienccefairprojectsstore.com to get ideas and books but I still can't get the students excited to be involved.

If you're from the US, look up "Science Olympiad". It's pretty neat.

Edited June 19, 201114 yr by Brainteaserfan

Kids aren't graduate students.

So, I don't even a middle-schooler to have a firm grasp of the scientific method.

I'm sure they can be taught, but I don't expect most school systems to have children embedded with that knowledge.

With that said, most children might have a science topic they are fascinate with, but lack expertise on how to narrow their perspectives.

 

I think it's up to the educator to present a realm of topics (biology, math, physics, chemistry, etc.), and then try to get the student to pick a kind of feasible experiment (perhaps even replicate a simple one; or find a twist on a simple one). To find a way to get the students to narrow their interests.

 

When I was a kid, most of the experiments I did were related to physics and electronics. I also messed with experiments that had to do simple things around the house.

 

Then again, times were great. You had awesome cartoons revolving around crazy biology/genetics. You had MacGyver (inventive thinking). You had Mr. Wizard on television for kids... So, I can definitely see how today's youth aren't as inspired as much by scientific knowledge and possibilities.

Edited June 20, 201114 yr by Genecks

Kids aren't graduate students.

So, I don't even a middle-schooler to have a firm grasp of the scientific method.

I'm sure they can be taught, but I don't expect most school systems to have children embedded with that knowledge.

With that said, most children might have a science topic they are fascinate with, but lack expertise on how to narrow their perspectives.

 

I think it's up to the educator to present a realm of topics (biology, math, physics, chemistry, etc.), and then try to get the student to pick a kind of feasible experiment (perhaps even replicate a simple one; or find a twist on a simple one). To find a way to get the students to narrow their interests.

 

When I was a kid, most of the experiments I did were related to physics and electronics. I also messed with experiments that had to do simple things around the house.

 

Then again, times were great. You had awesome cartoons revolving around crazy biology/genetics. You had MacGyver (inventive thinking). You had Mr. Wizard on television for kids... So, I can definitely see how today's youth aren't as inspired as much by scientific knowledge and possibilities.

 

http://scioly.org/wiki/Experimental_Design

 

I had to do this in middle school. If you wanted to do well in this event, you had to have a firm grasp on the scientific method.

Do you get excited and enthusiastic about any ideas your students propose? IMO enthusiasm and excitement are catching!