A useful science fair project can be made out of an experiment that you decide to conduct. However the crux of the matter says that the experiment should do something useful such as answer a specific question. It does not have to be a complicated question that no one has ever answered before.

You can happily leave such complicated stuff and experiments to professionals, but is it not possible for you to come up with a question about something around you? A question that can be answered by an experiment that carefully monitors data? You can do something as simple as watching and recording to saplings grow in different parts of the house.

The basic question here would be something as simple as do plants kept in a sunny room grow faster and healthier than plants kept in a room without a window. Now get the two identical plant saplings and get started with keeping a record of their growth each week. Keep all the data ready in your journal to make attractive charts and graphs.

Study all the differences that appear on the physical aspect of the plants. Record any specific incidents that caused a spurt of growth for a particular plant. And there you have it a great comparative study in plant growth answering a specific question. It may not be an exciting science project but it will be a useful one to prove a fact.

The presence of different types of charts and graphs on the display board at the science fair exhibition help the judges understand just how much effort you have put into your science fair project. That does not mean that you can just pick out any odd charts at random, they must be related to your project.

The best thing to do is to use the data that you have collected in your journal over the period that you built the science fair project to make your own charts and graphs. You can make charts with visuals of how the experiment worked out. You can use your hypothesis to cover one chart as well. Use any visually appealing diagram for the charts.

You will have to be a bit more careful when it comes to the graphs. Different types of graphs are used to represent different kind of data. For instance – A bar graph is used when compare quantities. A line graph can be used to show progress of individual parts of the experiment over a specific time frame. Then a circle graph to show parts of a whole. Charts and graphs help organize your data and present it in an easy to understand manner for the science fair judges.

A journal is any notebook in which you record what data you collect.  You can keep a journal for any purpose. It can be a record of your progress with whichever activity you choose. It is advisable to keep a journal when you embark on your long journey of making a science fair project.

It will make it easier for you to keep track of ideas that you have and information that you collect if you keep a regular journal. If you have chosen an experiment based science fair project, a journal is invaluable. It will help you record the information from each subsequent experiment with accuracy.

You can then use the data that was generated in the various experiments to make charts and graphs as visual representations of the experiment that you conducted. These visual aids can be used on the display board at the science fair. The journal itself must also be part of the display on the final day.

This will help the judges trace your journey in the science fair project that you will present to them. Naturally there are chances of not keeping up with the journal due to getting side tracked. So you must avoid this. Remember the more organized you are the better the chances of winning that Science Fair medal.

Prepare yourself mentally and physically for the challenge of presenting the science fair project that you have labored over in the best possible manner to the judges. For this you can do a few preliminary preparations that will go a long way. Here’s how to gear up for the big day.

Read the guidelines given for the oral presentation carefully. Take into consideration how much time you will have and what all you need to cover in your speech. Be relevant and be through. You can start making your remarks in notebook and file away good quotations that you can use as well.

Remember you need to write and practice the speech so that you do not need to refer to any paper while you give the presentation. Time the speech to see that you are not overshooting the time allowed. Have a trusted friend help you rehearse if you have any fears of public speaking.

Also be prepared to field any questions related to the science fair project that the judges or any of your classmates and friends may have for you. The data to support your answers must be available in your abstract or journal. Then you will be able to give a killer oral presentation for your science fair project.

Presentation is more likely to get you that prize at the science fair than the kind of project that you have. It is very important that you project all that you have done in the project correctly to the judges to be eligible for their prize shortlist. Here is how you go about doing it.

Get a tri fold board from the local stationery shop. This will give you three rather than one display surface to work with. Place you experiment material in the area between the tri board unless its a working model. Then demarcate a separate area to demonstrate the model.

Your abstract or report should be placed on the table titled properly. Along with it also place the journal in which you have been making entries all through the experimentation stage. This allows all the data that you collected to be part of the final presentation unobtrusively.

Now using the data from the journal design charts and graphs that you can put up on the tri board display. The board should also display the title of your project prominently followed by the hypothesis that you made. This should be followed by information on the steps you took to test it and all the material that you used.

Once your display is all set work on the oral presentation. Have a script but be ready to answer questions thrown at you as well. After all the science fair judges are looking at how well you know the subject besides how well you have showcased it.