Moving models always make good science fair projects. The motion involved makes the project more interesting to the judges and the general audience who comes along. the best part of the deal is that if it moves it is usually based on a good scientific principle that can be used effectively in the display part of the project.

This light weight model car is based on the Third Law of Motion as given by Newton. The law states that when a particle A exerts force on particle B, then the particle B exerts an equal force on particle A in the opposite direction. Which basically comes down to saying that every action has an equal and opposite reaction.

What all will you need to make the balloon rocket car? A piece of Styrofoam which is light weight and sturdy for the body of the car. Add some pins to serve as wheel axles and cut out some wheels out of the piece of Styrofoam as well. Make sure that you test the wheels and that they move freely.

Paste a straw down the center of the rectangular body piece of the car model.At one end of the straw attach a balloon that fits well and leaves no space for air to get out. The other end of the straw should jut out enough for you to blow air through the straw into the balloon. Now fill it up and let go. The car will move as the balloon wheezes out the air giving you a science fair project.

An elevator makes an interesting science project. You can set up a series of pulleys to have a model elevator running up and down a model building. You can even populate the building and elevator with dolls that can take a ride in the demonstration of just how the model elevator works.

What are you going to need? A cardboard shoebox to make the elevator. A larger cardboard box to fill in for the building. You can add some partitions in the larger box to make separate floors for the elevator to move to and from. You will need thread or some strong string that can be used to haul the model elevator up and down the model building.

To ensure that the tread moves smoothly you will need to use empty thread reels or spindles over which the thread or string can move and be wrapped properly. That way you will ensure that it does not get tangled up as you pull it up and down. You will also need to mark the thread at specific points so that you can run the elevator to specific floors in the mock building.

Once the basic mechanics of the elevator are sorted out you can now beautify the building and the elevator. Use poster paints to brighten up the science fair project. You can add trimming to the separate floors  making rooms with furniture or corridors with doors. Use your imagination and have fun.

So far everything that a robot can do is usually programmed into its memory banks by a human. It does not take a genius to realize that if the robot is faced with a problem that it has not yet encountered it will stop functioning. However the research done by some Japanese scientists on this particular science project may counter that claim.

These scientists have come up with a robot that can think, act and learn new behavior patterns. Then it will retain this new skill in its make up for the next time it encounters this problem. How does it find the solution in the first place? It uses the internet to get details and then sifts through them to find the correct answer.

So guess what? Human beings are not the only thing accessing Google these days. There are many projects which hope to see robots become companions for humans in the not so distant future. They can look after the elderly and even go grocery shopping for you besides fetch and carry stuff indoors.

The day may not be too far when the robots in your home will be able to fetch you a beer from the fridge, fold your laundry after taking it out from the washing machine and even possibly cook you a simple dinner. For the more science experiments that occur the closer we get to that future vision.

There is nothing as much fun as blowing bubbles. Big ones, small ones, a great many altogether. Its all a matter of how you twist the hand and blow the air.  And guess what this fun activity can also be turned into a science experiment project. All you need to do is take some notes while you are having fun.

Here’s how we will convert bubble blowing into a science project worthy of entry in a science fair. First we need a problem to serve as the hypothesis. So lets say we are looking for the bubble solution that makes the bubbles last the longest. Or you could be looking for the bubble solution that makes the largest sized bubbles.

Next you need to mix up three to four different types of bubble solutions. Vary the basic ingredients of the bubble solution in ratio to see which bubble solution makes the best bubbles as per your hypothesis. Make sure that you record all the bubble blowing attempts and measurements.

This data can be represented in a nice table highlighting which particular combination worked the best for your bubbles. At the science fair have two of the bubble solutions available for blowing bubbles as part of your display. Have the best and the worst bubble solutions as per your data on hand to illustrate the difference with ease. Can you think of a more interesting science fair project?

Have you ever driven into the majestic mountains. What happens as you go higher up in altitude? The misty light fog that floats over the mountains is an enchanting sight indeed. You wish you could hold it in your hands and know that it will never happen. Or will it? Now imagine being able to make that fog in a bottle. Its a simple project that even a five year old can do. Check out just how to do it below.

Get a long neck bottle such as an empty glass soda bottle. Now just fill the bottle almost half full with hot water.  You can get an adult to help you heat the water up on the hob. Once you pour in the hot water let it sit a few minutes, then empty most of the water out. Just leave about one inch of hot water in the bottom of the bottle.

Now get yourself an ice cube out of the freezer. And stick in the ice cube in the neck of the bottle. Remember that the cube should block the neck of the bottle. Before your very eyes the fog will begin to form between the water and the ice cube. Here you go, fog in your hands. Try another interesting science project.

There is nothing like a few science projects to make the summer holidays fun.Of course some of these activities are best done under adult supervision so make sure you have someone around.

Make your own Cloud – here’s how you can catch a cloud in a bottle. Pour some water into a two litre plastic bottle. Now light a match and drop it in to the bottle. You can get a grown up to help you do this. Now cover the lid of the bottle immediately. Squeeze the bottle for a while and you will see your cloud beginning to form inside the bottle.

Color your own Flowers – you are going to need a number of white colored flowers. Take your pick from carnations, gladioli, roses,or any other white flower of your choice. Now cut the stem of the flower diagonally. Place it aside. In a flower vase add some water and a spoon full of food color. Now stand the flower stem in the vase and leave it overnight.  The next morning you will find that the flower is no longer white. It would have taken on the tinge of whatever food color you used.

There are a number of other experiments that you can do. Stay posted for the next blog post with even more interesting science projects to do at home.

There are any number of science experiments that you can do at home. It has been proved time and again that a hands on approach to science results in better learning and retention. So if you read about a principle or theory you will remember it with some effort. But the minute you do a practical experiment based on the theory you will remember it with no effort at all.

That’s why hands on science experiments are a must. So what are a few such experiments that you can take on? There are many simple projects that need no elaborate set up, materials or extra learning.Further more each room in the house can give you a science experiment.

You can build yourself a baking soda volcano in the kitchen. Or do an experiment on buoyancy in the bathroom. You can use light waves from a lamp in the sitting room to prove that light travels in a straight line. As you can see the possibilities are many and endless.

All that is required is a seeking spirit and a curious mind. If you look at everything and wonder how it works you care well on your way to a hands on encounter with science experiments.

All of us have done some science projects at one time or the other. They are an inescapable part of modern education. However these formal science projects teach us more than the basic principle that they are based on. They teach us different transferable skills that stay with is long after these projects have been forgotten.

So what are these skills? The first would be the ability to make a prediction. One that is based on facts and consideration, not on a guess. This prediction is what serves as the basis for the hypothesis of the science project.

The next skill is knowing that if one variable changes the whole project can change. This cause and effect relationship is what helps us understand that if you change one thing the whole situation changes.

Then there is the skill comprehension. We read so many books, magazines, and articles to do the research for our project. We understand what is essential and leave the superfluous out. Then we get down to actually doing the science project.

Of course we also enhance our language skills and arithmetic skills if the project involves manipulating numerical data. Naturally these are skills that we put to use long after the science project is over.

The ever evolving science experiments in robotics have led to the discovery of a number of new technologies. There are robots who can lift heavy loads, like the industrial ones that South Korea builds. There are robots that can assemble a car like the ones in automobile factories owned by Hyundai.

There are robots that sing and dance karaoke like the Japanese robots that were showcased last year. There are robots who are part of the entertainment industry who stand in as dummies for humans a t times. There are robots that can perform surgical operations of the spine and make a huge difference in a handicapped person’s life.

Then there are robots who can sense the environment and take cues about actions to take from it. They have such advanced sensors that they can predict oncoming rain and make you carry an umbrella when you leave the building. There are robots that clean up huge buildings in no time at all.

There are robots that can have an intelligent conversation with you by answering your questions correctly. And there will be a number of robots who will do all this and more in the future. Robotics is the science of the future and they will have innumerable science projects of interest in the coming decades.

Building your own robot can be quite the science fair project. With each passing year you can work on additional features on either the same robot or a different more advanced model. There is only one way to get the robots to improve and that is by constantly upgrading them as technology improves.

There are people who develop robot collections and there are people who buy them. Recently Rick Newman was in the news for his fascinating collection of robotic gadgets. The man is currently said to have the largest robot collection in the world. His eclectic collection includes hobby robots, educational robots and a great deal more.

The man is working on a Halloween computer  lights, sound and laser show. Its going to take place in his own front yard and will last the full month of October. The spooky looking moving figures are all movie robots. And he’s also thinking about doing a re-enactment of MJ’s Thriller using the same robots later in the year.

Of course you can get in over your head if you have that many robots to deal with. Still its not a bad idea to begin your own robot collection with a few that you have built yourself. So for this science fair maybe you can build a spooky looking robot that can double up as a drink serving waiter?