But....What Do We Need to DO?
It's not as hard as you think. Below, you'll find the Brevard County Science and Engineering Fair Student Handbook that will give you all the information you can ask for. But, keep scrolling to get a quick break-down of what to do.
Don't forget to click on our Forms tab above to download and fill out all the county required forms. Hard copies will be sent home by your child's teacher. Projects will NOT be entered into our Science and Engineering Fair unless ALL forms are completed.
Don't forget to click on our Forms tab above to download and fill out all the county required forms. Hard copies will be sent home by your child's teacher. Projects will NOT be entered into our Science and Engineering Fair unless ALL forms are completed.
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STEP 1: Think of a TESTABLE Question
Think of something your child is interested in and will enjoy doing. Projects don't have to be fancy - they just have to be testable. This means you are CHANGING something (a variable) to see what happens.
For our example, we will use The Gummy Bear Experiment.
The testable question is: What happens to the Gummy Bears when I put them in different types of water?
It is testable because we can actively change something (the type of water) to see if it makes a difference in our results
For our example, we will use The Gummy Bear Experiment.
The testable question is: What happens to the Gummy Bears when I put them in different types of water?
It is testable because we can actively change something (the type of water) to see if it makes a difference in our results
STEP 2: Research your topic
Think about what you know about what you are testing and look up information to learn more about it. In our Gummy Bear experiment, we could look up the ingredients to Gummy Bears. We could also look up information about how materials dissolve or the effects of water on some of those ingredients. You want to research topics that will help you understand what you are about to do - and that will help you make an accurate hypothesis. Write down what you learned during your research in your log book. Make a note of the websites you visited or the books you used to add to your bibliography later.
STEP 3: Form a Hypothesis
BEFORE you start any testing, think about your research and form a hypothesis (an educated guess) about what you think will happen as a result of your testing. Your hypothesis should be written in an IF...THEN format.
For our Gummy Bear Experiment, our hypothesis is:
IF I place Gummy Bears in salt water, sugar water, and plain water, THEN, the Gummy Bears in the salt water will dissolve the fastest.
For our Gummy Bear Experiment, our hypothesis is:
IF I place Gummy Bears in salt water, sugar water, and plain water, THEN, the Gummy Bears in the salt water will dissolve the fastest.
STEP 4: Design an Experiment
Decide how you want to test your hypothesis. You will need to write down your list of materials and the procedure for the test like a recipe. Write this down in your Log Book as well.
Our Gummy Bear Materials List includes
20 gummy bears (4 of each different color)
4 small plastic cups
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons sugar
Measuring cup
1 cup of water (divided equally into the 4 cups)
Our Procedure is:
STEP ONE: Gather materials.
STEP TWO: Label cups, SALT, SUGAR, COMBINATION, and PLAIN
STEP THREE: Pour ¼ cup water into each cup
STEP FOUR: Stir in 1 teaspoon of salt into the cup labeled SALT
STEP FIVE: Stir in 1 teaspoon of sugar into the cup labeled SUGAR
STEP SIX: Stir in 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of sugar into the cup labeled COMBINATION
STEP SEVEN: Record the length and weight of each Gummy Bear and then place one of each color into each cup
STEP EIGHT: Wait 24 hours and then remove the gummy bears to observe, weigh, and measure
STEP NINE: Repeat Steps 1 - 8 four more times
It is important to remember to conduct the test at least FIVE times to gather enough data to make an accurate conclusion.
Our Gummy Bear Materials List includes
20 gummy bears (4 of each different color)
4 small plastic cups
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons sugar
Measuring cup
1 cup of water (divided equally into the 4 cups)
Our Procedure is:
STEP ONE: Gather materials.
STEP TWO: Label cups, SALT, SUGAR, COMBINATION, and PLAIN
STEP THREE: Pour ¼ cup water into each cup
STEP FOUR: Stir in 1 teaspoon of salt into the cup labeled SALT
STEP FIVE: Stir in 1 teaspoon of sugar into the cup labeled SUGAR
STEP SIX: Stir in 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of sugar into the cup labeled COMBINATION
STEP SEVEN: Record the length and weight of each Gummy Bear and then place one of each color into each cup
STEP EIGHT: Wait 24 hours and then remove the gummy bears to observe, weigh, and measure
STEP NINE: Repeat Steps 1 - 8 four more times
It is important to remember to conduct the test at least FIVE times to gather enough data to make an accurate conclusion.
STEP 5: Collect Data
Collecting data is the most important part. Data can be in the form of observations or measurements. All data should be recorded in the log book when it is observed or measured. Data should be collected as regularly as possible throughout the experiment in order to keep an accurate record of what is happening. You can choose to create charts as you go, or compile the data into charts when you are finished. That depends on how much data you are collecting and what is easiest for you.
In our Gummy Bear Experiment, our data is the measurements of the length and weight of the gummy bears before and after placing them in water - and the observations we may make along the way.
Data should be compiled in the form of charts or graphs. If your data involves observations, you should also include pictures if possible.
In our Gummy Bear Experiment, our data is the measurements of the length and weight of the gummy bears before and after placing them in water - and the observations we may make along the way.
Data should be compiled in the form of charts or graphs. If your data involves observations, you should also include pictures if possible.
STEP 6: Analyze the Data
Once you have run your test at least 5 times and have gathered data each time, it's time to analyze the data. This is when you look at all of the measurements you took and all of the observations you made - and you think about what happened and why.
In our Gummy Bear experiment, our data showed our gummy bears grew in length in the sugar water and plain water, but did not change in the salt water. In the salt water, we noticed our gummy bears hardened and became more opaque, while in the sugar water, the gummy bears got much softer, more translucent, and fell apart when we touched them.
In our Gummy Bear experiment, our data showed our gummy bears grew in length in the sugar water and plain water, but did not change in the salt water. In the salt water, we noticed our gummy bears hardened and became more opaque, while in the sugar water, the gummy bears got much softer, more translucent, and fell apart when we touched them.
STEP 7: Draw Conclusions
Once you've gathered all of your data and analyzed what happened, you're ready to draw conclusions about how your question was answered - and if your hypothesis was correct.
In our Gummy Bear Experiment, we thought the bears put into the salt water would dissolve faster. After our tests, we saw that the salt water gummy bears didn't dissolve. Instead, they hardened and changed color. It was the sugar water bears that got soft and spread out more. Although they didn't fully dissolve, we could run our tests again and leave them in for longer than 24 hours - and we would probably notice more dissolving.
Uh-oh! Our Hypothesis was wrong!! Does that mean we have to start over??
Of course not! The whole point of creating a hypothesis was to make an educated guess of what we thought would happen. It's ok if it didn't happen that way. Now we know!
In our Gummy Bear Experiment, we thought the bears put into the salt water would dissolve faster. After our tests, we saw that the salt water gummy bears didn't dissolve. Instead, they hardened and changed color. It was the sugar water bears that got soft and spread out more. Although they didn't fully dissolve, we could run our tests again and leave them in for longer than 24 hours - and we would probably notice more dissolving.
Uh-oh! Our Hypothesis was wrong!! Does that mean we have to start over??
Of course not! The whole point of creating a hypothesis was to make an educated guess of what we thought would happen. It's ok if it didn't happen that way. Now we know!
STEP 8: Put it all together
You've been writing everything down as you go - and keeping a log book of what's been happening - so this part is easy!
Go through your written notebook and create you science board. Transfer your question, hypothesis, materials list, procedure, data, (charts and graphs), results (written summary of your data), and conclusions (what you think about what happened) to the board If you have photos, add those to your board as well.
Charts and graphs can be computer generated - or can be handwritten neatly!
Go through your written notebook and create you science board. Transfer your question, hypothesis, materials list, procedure, data, (charts and graphs), results (written summary of your data), and conclusions (what you think about what happened) to the board If you have photos, add those to your board as well.
Charts and graphs can be computer generated - or can be handwritten neatly!
STEP 9: Turn it in and Celebrate!
You did it!
Check with your child's teacher about their specific due date and how they want everything turned in. All projects need to be turned in by December 7th. Our fair will be December 14th. Projects not turned in by the 7th will not be able to participate in our fair.
Check with your child's teacher about their specific due date and how they want everything turned in. All projects need to be turned in by December 7th. Our fair will be December 14th. Projects not turned in by the 7th will not be able to participate in our fair.
What Can't We Do?
Projects that are NEVER Allowed in BPS Elementary Science and Engineering Fairs
Students are never allowed to do projects that are clearly dangerous.
● Testing involving firearms, knives or other items that could be considered weapons in a school setting (e.g. a paintball gun, BB gun, bow and arrow, etc.) is not allowed.
● Testing involving fireworks or other explosives is not allowed.
● Testing involving controlled substances, prescription drugs, alcohol, and tobacco is not allowed.
● Microbial experimentation (involving microscopic organisms such as bacteria, fungi, etc.) using samples/organisms collected from the environment for the purpose of isolating, using for growing, and/or culturing is not allowed.
● NO projects involving mold or that produced mold, even if it was unintentional or
inadvertent, is allowed.
● Any project that could cause pain, distress, or death to the vertebrate is not allowed.
Interested in Robotics, Engineering, or Coding projects instead?
If you're up for the challenge of a more complicated project - or want to work with robots or computers - you can choose to complete a Coding or Engineering project instead of a basic Science Project. Information on how to complete this type of project can be found in the handbook at the top of this page. Have fun!