Steps to creating successful local and regional science fairs, guidelines for parental involvement, displays, event schedules--all here.

Find a healthy list of possible science fair projects for grades 1-3, based on simple research, observation, recording... all of the scientific principles can come into play with most of these display-type ideas.

Whether planning your own science fair, or participating in an already planned event which your students wish to enter, this checklist for teachers will help you stay on track and be prepared for the experience.

Besides finding ideas for science fairs, this site offers 
an excellent, brief article on why students should participate in these fairs in the first place. Several lab activities, suggestions for projects, and science fair links will help your class move ahead with their own plans. 

Numerous suggestions for grades 4-6 science fair projects--
as they suggest, avoid simply constructing display-type exhibitions at this age.

From those in the know; print these tips out for your students to read and understand before they take on any project.

Students can create a rather dramatic demonstration of static electricity at work with this activity. Have them also explain the principles of friction, attraction, and repulsion if they are to write it up as a science fair entry.

The resources offered at this site could be compiled into almost a complete unit on the praying mantid. Find anatomy, food, 
camouflage, lesson plan, food web, and extension activities.

PRAYING MANTIS PRINTOUT:
http://www.EnchantedLearning.com/subjects/insects/mantids/
Prayingmantidprintout.shtml    (COPY & PASTE)

Print these out for your students to color and identify body parts of the praying mantis, and read the accompanying information.

http://www.ed.gov/pubs/parents/Science/

BUILD A VOLCANO:
 http://freeweb.pdq.net/headstrong/vol.htm

 http://www.exploratorium.edu/science_explorer/
bubblebomb.html
 

Find fascinating and child-friendly facts and activities in these resources for young classrooms studying ocean life. Assessment guides are included.

UNDER THE SEA ART:
http://www.eduplace.com/rdg/gen_act/fishy/under.html

Your classroom (or at least parts of it) can turn into an underwater environment with these art activities, all created with simple materials. PreK-1.

DOLPHIN'S OCEAN WHEEL:
http://www.seaworld.org/OceanFriends/ofdolphins_
ocean_wheel.htm

Print out these templates for young students to color and assemble, and learn something of dolphin behavior.

COLLABORATIVE THEMATIC UNIT ON WHALES:
http://www.libsci.sc.edu/miller/whales.htm

Several different types of resources are suggested to complement this unit on the characteristics and behaviors of whales. Scroll down for classroom activities, including comparison charts, drawings, using given internet resources for research and compiling questions, whale stories, whale math activities, and more. For grades K-3.

BABY SHAMU SUIT:
http://www.seaworld.org/WhalesK3/shamusuit.htm

Click on the pattern link to find a template for creating a paper whale suit for your students, including flippers, flukes, and fins. Students will better recall various whale parts as they assemble and wear their costumes. Easy K-3 classroom project to compliment your whale unit.

WHALES AND OCEAN LIFE UNIT:
http://www.sillybilly.com/ocean.html

Third grade students will make comparison charts (or graphs)  on the different types of whales they have read about, and create an underwater diorama--instructions included. Various literature selections accompany the unit, which contributes activities to study ocean life across the curriculum.

MAKE A CONGLOMERATE:
http://members.home.net/kostek/kostek/conglomerate.html

With epsom salts, water, and gravel, students will be able to create their own conglomerate sample.

EROSION, EROSION, EROSION:
http://members.home.net/kostek/kostek/Erosion.html

Find several very effective activities for demonstrating the forces of erosion.

ROCK AND ROLL:
http://www.coreknowledge.org/CKproto2/resrcs/lessons/
499Rock.pdf 

An intensive, seven lesson unit for fourth grade examines plate tectonics, the forces of earthquakes and volcanoes, and igneous rock formation using various modeling and hands-on activities, including cupcake geology 

MILKJUG LANDFILL:
http://www.eecs.umich.edu/~coalitn/sciedoutreach/
funexperiments/agesubject/lessons/landfill.html  

Students will create their own mini landfills, deposit some 
lunch waste, and observe how toxins can leach through to 
groundwater.

CREATE A FOREST IN A JAR:
http://www.col-ed.org/cur/sci/sci63.txt

Students will be able to see successive habitats--a swamp 
proceeded by a forest, and relate their findings to real 
world changing environments.
 

FEATHERED FEEDERS:
http://www.baylink.org/lessons/feathered_right.html#grade

Students must learn to think like a bird, and infer which kind of food a bird eats by observing and classifying its beak and analyzing adaptations.

THE ART OF CAMOUFLAGE:
http://www.arts.ufl.edu/art/rt_room/sparkers
/camouflage/camouflage.html

After learning general and specific resemblance techniques 
that various animals employ to conceal their whereabouts, 
students will choose an animal and, using various artistic 
medium, they will develop an environment to camouflage their 
animal.
 

What a resource... bookmark this site as you can use it 
for lesson plans, activities, history of the space pro-
gram, and a multimedia adventure through the solar system.
 

EARTH AND MOON VIEWER:
http://www.fourmilab.ch/earthview/vplanet.html

View the earth and realtime day/night regions, from various 
latitudes, satellites, from the sun, or from the moon. Similar options are also available for the moon. 

THE EARTH'S OZONE LAYER:
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/CVisco/ozone.htm

High school students will use various online resources to measure and assess the ozone layer and its depletion at several locations around the globe. They will better be able to understand the ozone layer by examining the effects of UV radiation, and the amount reaching the earth's surface compared over time and location.

VIRTUAL EARTHQUAKE:
http://vcourseware5.calstatela.edu/VirtualEarthquake/VQuakeIntro.html

Students can interact with the virtual earthquake lab at Cal State, Los Angeles, to learn more about epicenters, seismograms, and Richter Magnitudes. They will be awarded a Virtual Seismologist certificate upon completion of the interactive activity. 

MINERAL SCAVENGER HUNT:
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/CVisco/minscav.htm

As an introduction to your minerals and/or earth sciences unit, have your students complete this mineral scavenger hunt at home--they will surely be surprised with the results they bring back to class.

THE SKYLINE OF NEW YORK CITY:
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/CVisco/skyline.htm

This page presents a fine exercise for students to assess and sketch the bedrock foundation of Manhattan.

GEOLOGY LABS ONLINE:
http://vcourseware5.calstatela.edu/GeoLabs/

As with the Virtual Earthquake site above under Integrating Technology, interactive labs for students are also available 
on rivers and dating techniques.

THE DYNAMIC EARTH:
http://pubs.usgs.gov/publications/text/dynamic.html

Contents of this book are available online and make great 
reading for geology or a research project on plate tectonics.

WATER SCIENCE CHALLENGE QUESTIONS:
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/sacsc.html

Challenge your students to research how much water it takes 
to grow a hamburger, or how many baths you can get from a 
rainstorm...

IT'S SEDIMENTARY, MY DEAR TEACHER:
http://nesen.unl.edu/teacher/activities/geology/journey_1.htm

High school students will take a professional scientific approach to their studies by creating a micro-environment, examining the sedimentation and glaciation process, and taking and analyzing core samples.

MAKE A ROCK:
http://nesen.unl.edu/teacher/activities/geology/wattnr.htm

Middle school students will gladly participate in this activity--they study rock types by making edible samples.

SHIFTING SAND:
http://nesen.unl.edu/teacher/activities/geology/shiftsand.html

On a centimeter grid, sand particles from a one centimeter square will be closely examined and graphed for composition.

LAVA FLOWS AND PYROCLASTS:
http://nesen.unl.edu/teacher/activities/geology/hands_onlava.html

How many volunteers will you get to help conduct this hands-on volcanic activity? Probably your whole class :

The web site of the award-winning science magazine for young readers, ages 10-16! There's a virtual classroom, links and activities for students and teachers.

A punch card system for identifying rocks and minerals works apparently, like a primitive computer--and with simple index cards and a hole punch, students can identify their minerals by the process of elimination of corresponding characteristics. The Canadian Rockhound offers further extensive resources of rocks and minerals (second URL above), while the Junior Rockhound (3rd URL above) contains educational material for the rock cycle, rock classification, and various geological topics.

This lesson plan for grades 3-5 demonstrates (with an apple) 
how the layers of the earth are composed, what the layers are composed of, and how a rock is formed. Students will also have a chance to create their own models.

Several experiments follow general plant knowledge to the more specific rainforest plants. Activities include imitating emergent trees, observing and analyzing mini-ecosystems, and manipulating various factors to determine plants needs and how a plant uses its parts. 

Animal habitats are investigated with select online resources chosen specifically for grades one and two. The class will create a habitat wall, and students will work in groups to design posters.

What role do density and gravity play in volcanoes? Using 
a jar, honey, a marble, and a cork, students will examine 
volcanic processes.

Explore how heat and pressure create metamorphic rocks--
hot off the griddle

Take a tour through your day--from the viewpoint of the 
minerals which make it up.

Students in grades PreK through 2 will become familiar with the characteristics of rocks and minerals with this exploration unit with dozens of activities across the curriculum.

SEDIMENTARY ROCK SNACKS:
http://library.thinkquest.org/J002289/snacks.html

Never before have sedimentary rocks tasted quite so good.
 

Elementary students enjoy this simple activity to grow and examine crystals using salt and water.

ROCK CYCLE SONG:
http://www.chariho.k12.ri.us/curriculum/MISmart/ocean/rocksong.htm

How do your early elementary students learn the different types of rocks? By singing this rock cycle song to the tune of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat".

Explore the life cycle of the mealworm with this five day unit for grade two. 

GRADE TWO MEALWORM JOURNAL:
http://www.wayland.k12.ma.us/claypit_hill/saylor/mealworms/
mealwormsonweb.html    (COPY & PASTE)

Take a look at the web pages developed by this second grade class for their mealworm project, exploring stages, experiments, a quiz, and general info on the mealworm.

Middle school students will focus on observation and analysis skills throughout each stage of the life cycle of a butterfly, a frog, or a mealworm. They will create a butterfly larvae house, an art museum, a script, and/or an interactive bulletin board and present their findings 
to invited guests/classrooms.

Seven modules consider comparison activities (between butterflies and moths), defense mechanisms, and each stage of a butterfly's life cycle in detail.

How does migration work to allow birds to adapt to their 
environment? What hazards might birds encounter to threat-
en their habitats and survival as they migrate? Students 
will create a story as they role play the character of a 
migrating bird, and chart its path as it makes its journey.

Journey North is another excellent Annenberg project, involving classrooms across the country tracking and recording migration data. Participation in this project is free; registration is required, and teachers' manuals (optional) do carry a fee. Right now Spring projects 
include tracking robins, orioles, eagles, humpback whales, and more. Also find projects and info on the signs of Spring, as well as monarch migration.

Students can choose from several topics to research in this lesson plan, including whale adaptations, a year in the life of a humpback whale, and whale communication among others. Students will also trace whale migration routes and create different types of classroom presentations with their findings.

How do birds navigate? In this excellent inquiry activity, students will investigate different methods of navigation, including compass, echolocation, visual landmarks, etc.

What is the caloric cost of migratory journeys? Students will have to employ math and graphing skills to determine the cost of energy.

Students from K-12 can participate in this online project whereby they will study, record, and submit data on the ecology of a nearby pond. No pond close by? No problem; use the Virtual Pond instead. Many resources here for teaching about ponds, for student debates, for discussions... all available at this site. You can participate with or without registering.

Research on salmon and their life cycles are accompanied 
by the creation of a board game on salmon migration patterns. 

Student research, creative writing, math, surveys, problem 
solving, art--all curricular areas are covered in this 
unit on birds, migration, and survival techniques.

From making a wave simulation machine, to tides, ocean levels, 
oil spills, evaporation, plankton--you name it, you'll probably find it at this site of ocean activities for the classroom, from NASA. Files are available in PDF format.

OCEANS--LESSONS:
http://www.mcps.org/ces/connect/ocean/lessons/lessons.html

How about a collection of 30 excellent lessons on ocean life and systems? Often related to literature, these lessons cover just about every aspect you might want to cover in your unit on oceans.

Not just playdough planet mobiles, but loads of PreK-1 activities are included on this page to explore the solar system creatively.

LEARNING ABOUT FROGS:
http://www.elko.k12.nv.us./northside/jumper.htm

First and second grade students will begin with "Frog and Toad Are Friends", design their own paper jumping frog, learn about the life cycle of frogs, and create a graphic and text report using Kid Pix.

Excellent pages to print out, color, and assemble in a butterfly life cycle book--each page is accompanied by text, and available in several different languages.Also included are instructions for raising caterpillars through each of the stages.

Specifically targeted to PreK classes, five lessons will explore caterpillars, life cycle, body parts, symmetry, and migration.

Three weeks of grade one lessons explore the life cycles of plants and chicks, with several diverse classroom activities--art, journaling, singing, much more.

To accompany your unit on the butterfly, use these center 
ideas to extend classroom lessons.
 

Beautiful photos of many different types of butterflies and their larvae can help your class to design their own butterfly pictures and understand the butterfly life cycle.

Find a print and color frog life cycle page, with 
text.

Student detectives will search out the journey of a monarch butterfly with internet resources. Grades 2-5; worksheets are included for each segment to guide students.

Follow the stages of the lady beetle life cycle, and have your students compare them to the butterfly.

Six lessons comprise this teaching kit on lady beetles, with several student activities and a completion certificate.

Find resources galore on butterflies to use in the primary classroom. Activities include butterfly puzzles and printable books, life cycle information, and butterfly and moth printouts.

A complete thematic unit explores all aspects of oceans and the life and systems they support.

OCEAN ACTIVITIES:
http://www.teacherfeatures.com/units/ocean.html

You will find many appropriate and creative student activities at this site to support your unit on oceans.

Print out copies of these pages for your students to color 
and create their own whale and dolphin book.

OCEAN DIORAMA:
http://www.EnchantedLearning.com/crafts/Oceandiorama.shtml

With a shoebox, a printer, and some very simple materials, 
elementary students will thoroughly enjoy creating their 
own undersea world.

With this lesson plan, early elementary students learn about the evaporation phase of the water cycle, and measure and chart the amount of water that has disappeared each day.

This excellent unit for elementary students begins with the dinosaurs :) and continues on to consider each phase of the water cycle, with high-interest charts and plenty of hands-on activities.

This very simple poster idea takes little to prepare, but is nonetheless effective at translating the water cycle for elementary students.

This site may be more appropriate for grades 3 and 4, but some good basic information is available for resources or outlining your lesson plan, including earth's water (and the water cycle), water basics, an activity 
center, and a picture gallery.

One of the best times to demonstrate another form of water 
is during the winter months, when, for our northern climes 
at least, snow is readily available. This site focuses on 
several activities for younger children to understand snow science and participate in hands-on, fun, snow activities at the same time. For those who enjoy sunnier latitudes, try the growing a snowflake activity or the paper snowflake art.

SPACE WORKSHEETS
  http://www.freeworksheets.com/fws/sub_cat2.
asp?cat=Science&sub_cat1=universe(COPY AND PASTE)

Early elementary students must distinguish images that would be found in outer space, and then color them in this printable worksheet.

An excellent unit with many creative activities, geared 
to grades one and two.

While labeled as a first grade unit, it can also be applied up to grade three--a complete unit for studying all aspects of the rainforest applicable to elementary grades.

If you are completing a unit on plants this year, you will not want to miss this simple project--and consider entering your graphs and displays into a science fair. Students will truly realize how much plants affect our lives as they conduct and record these activities.