A science fair project is a complex activity that requires the coordination and completion of several mini-projects/activities.
The first mini-project/activity that you need to complete is to select a topic. The topic needs to be interesting, topical and feasible.
The next activity is to start a science journal. This journal will help you to organize your ideas, to collect observations and to take notes about your experiments.
The third step is to conduct background research. This can be done through field observations, research in the library or research done online.
The fourth step is to complete the scientific method. This step can be further broken down into several steps to make it easier to handle.
The final step is to produce your deliverables, the report and the visual display. The report will have a section dedicated to each step in the scientific method. The visual display will reflect the information in your report. You can also add three dimensional visual aides to enhance your presentation.
Over the years of hosting a science fair contest online I have found that most kids need to have their work checked by the teacher before moving on to the next step. They get stuck writing an accurate hypothesis, which is the foundation of their project.
Madeline Binder, M.S.Ed