The Telegraph reported that, “Britain is bracing itself for one of the coldest winters for a century with temperatures hitting minus 16 degrees Celsius”. So how does the cold winter work out for science projects? Well since temperature can be quite crucial to some science experiments there are a number of science projects which work out better in winter than in summer.

For instance if you are looking to freeze liquids for a project, it may help to have a naturally cold atmosphere around. One great science project is to make a mock cave with stalactites and stalagmites. You can use water or any other chemical to make this entertaining science project. While other fluids may be more stable at a higher temperature, water works well in winter.

Of course this project will not be possible using water if the science fair project is being held in summer. For one very simple reason, the water will melt and there would be nothing left to show. Other experiments in the winter can use the natural resource of snow. How about designing the ideal sleigh as your science project? You could use different materials and designs. Then check the sleighs for efficiency.

Not only would you have a whole lot of fun doing this experiment, it would also make a good comparison study in your project report. You could exhibit the best model along with the others in you display. Are you looking for more ideas? Here’s more help for your science project. Remember that winter is a great time to do some experimenting on your own. Just be safe.

We have five senses and they help us to perceive the world around us. The truth is that without these senses we would be no better than the rock out there in the garden. It makes no difference to the rock how hot the sun is or how cold the snow is. However because of our senses we can feel the heat and appreciate the cool breeze on the skin.

Do you feel chilled when an ice cube is placed on you skin? That again is the magic of senses. Imagine going to the bakery when they have just finished baking a fresh batch of bread. That aroma of freshly baked goodies hits your sense of smell and triggers instant hunger pangs. Or at least a little craving for a fresh sweet bun.

Not all the senses can be pleasant. Remember that trip to the  emergency room? The smell of disinfectant and the prick of the needle as you got that tetanus shot? These are sensations as well, even if they are ones that you do not much care for. That’s why we tend to indulge our senses with pleasant sensations so that we feel good.

When your parents want you to tone down the music system or television, they are actually trying to calm their sense of hearing. Sounds make for interesting sensations. This is a great experiment with sound. Give it a go to see just how effective your sense of hearing is.

The air around us is what makes it possible for earth to sustain life. The air is every present and you can feel it every time it moves as breeze. If it is faster we call it wind. It is this air that we can use for a number of science projects. It is easily available at any time of the day or night, no matter where on earth you are.

Now you know that air is around us all the time, yet you can’t see it. So how do you know for sure that it exists? You can prove its presence by blowing up balloons. The content inside is air, if you release the air inside it will loose the shape that it has taken. A balloon changes its shape and stretches to  accommodate the air that is being filled inside it.

Also if you light an incense stick you will see some smoke. Now if the air around the incense stick is disturbed the smoke will make different patterns. Try blowing lightly at the smoke to see what form of waves you can make in the air. If you blow too hard the smoke might disappear all together.

Why does that happen? It happens because the air replaces the smoke at a very fast rate. So though the smoke is there it can’t really be seen.  This hot air balloon experiment is great fun. Try it out if you have some time.

We have five primary senses. These are the sense of sight, smell, hearing, tasting and feeling. Each of these senses is essential to our experience of the world. They are all related to a part of the body as well. We see with our eyes, smell with the nose, hear with our ears, taste with our tongue and feel with our skin.

So how do we use these in a science project? If you think about it, without the senses there would be difficulty in doing any science project. For instance if you were unable to see the water being turned into ice, how would you know that putting it in the freezer would change its form from liquid to solid?

Again if you were unable to hear, how would you know that the motor of the toy car is running? Or if you were unable to smell how would you know that the cake is cooking in the oven. If you think about it all that you do is related to one sense or the other. The way we live is dictated in a large manner by how effective our senses are.

That’s why the blind, or hearing impaired live in a different manner than us. They are challenged each to to experience the world in the way we do. It is a constant struggle for them to navigate the world with one sense missing. Try going without using a sense for a day to see how dependent you are on it.  Here’s one project that will belie your sense of sight.

We live on a planet which has an atmosphere. That is nothing more than the air around us. It is because of this air that we can breath and live on earth. It is this air that is absent on the moon and so the moon has no life. The atmosphere around us is made up of different elements.

There is oxygen, naturally as it allows us to breath and live, but there are also other gases such as nitrogen, and other material such as dust particles that make up the atmosphere. All these components of the atmosphere tend to put some pressure on us.

In fact when you stand you have air pressure acting on you on all sides. The body also exerts some pressure with the same force so you can stand and not get swayed by the air pressure. This is true of any substance that you see around you. Ever imagine what would happen if the air pressure was more than the pressure the substance you create?

How would the item react? Will it shoot out into outer space? Or will it react in some other way? You can conduct your own experiments and find out. Here is a link to a fun science project that you might enjoy doing.   These cans can be quite entertaining. They also give you the answer to the air pressure equation.

Gravity is the pulling force that the earth exerts on us all. It is the reason why we don’t fly off the earth as well. The gravity on the moon is very much less than that present on the earth. That is because gravity is dependent on the mass of the body. So it is easy for astronauts to jump big distances with small leaps on the moon.

In space there is no gravity at all. That is why when an astronaut comes out of his space craft he tends to float around with no direction to his drift. There is no wind in space to blow him around either. So he uses his own jet engines to propel himself around.

You don’t need to be out of this world to experience gravity, the lack of gravity and to have fun with it. Kids use gravity in games every day. Here’s a few things that they do. You might already be doing a few of these activities and not know that you were employing gravity. Or you may find a fun new game to play. Check it out and think up of more things that you can do with your friends.

Remember all objects exert some amount of gravity. The one which has a bigger mass will have a bigger gravitational force. That is why the sun pulls the planets around it and the planets can pull the satellites. In this case size does matter quite a bit.

Science projects need some forces to act. Any working model will need some energy to make it go. This can be electrical energy provided by a wire and a plug, or mechanical energy provided by physical action being repeated or kinetic energy borrowed from a moving object.

What is gravity? It is the pull of the earth on all things that are on its surface. Everything experiences gravity, from your glass of water to the ball you play tennis with. That is why no matter how high you throw some thing it is still bound to come down again. That is the force that is always available to you no matter where you stand on earth.

So why not harness this power and make a science project . You may want to explain why a pencil will fall to the earth if dropped point facing down, but balances on your finger when you put it mid way lying down. Although it would be possible to do more complex experiments as well. A waterfall using a pump would seem like a good idea.

If you are not interested in getting wet, try out this experiment here. It may be more to your taste. All that matters is that you try and harness this ever present force of the earth in your science project. You can come up with a way to test the acceleration of different objects of different weights due to gravity as well.

Try using a video camera with your parent and calculating the time it takes for a feather, a coin, a ball and a bottle of water to fall to the ground. The end results may surprise you.

If you have noticed some people are great with words and can express themselves really well. They have no problem coming up with flowery language to put on the display board of their science fair project. On the other hand they usually are not too good at crunching numbers. This means that they prefer not to do too many complicated calculations as part of their science project.

Have you wondered why this is so? It has to do with which side of your brain rules you. Roger W Sperry was an American psycho-biologist who did some  research in 1960 and came up with this theory. He said that the brain was divided into two main portions. The left side which is logical and objective and the right side which is emotional and subjective.

As you can guess the people who process the information thrown at them with the left brain are more likely to be the one who can handle mathematical calculations and logical flowcharts well. Plus the people who use the right brain to process information will be more likely to design beautiful display boards and use eloquent language.This does not mean that you can do only one and not the other.

Many people can use both skill sets with ease, but they find one set easier. So when you sit down and think about it, you will realize that you too are better at one type of information processing. Once you know which side of the brain you use more, the subject or the objective, you can pick out a complementary science project. That way you will be playing to your strengths and will find the project easier to do.

If your Grand Ma had mentioned to your Grand Pa that she wanted to honeymoon in a hotel in space, he surely would have thought that she was crazy. It was not possible for a human being to imagine flying in the sky in a commercial airline jet at that point. Yet with some experimentation and a lot of science projects later, the experience of flying has become quite common place.

Now although it is still rare, many human beings have been to space and back safely. So it is quite likely that the next generation may think of heading for a holiday to outer space the same way that we think about flying to Europe or China. Already the Space Station is up and running and a company is planning to accept its first paying guests to a space hotel  in 2012.

The Galactic Suite Space Resort as it is named will cost you around $5 million for a three day space stay. This does include a two month training on a tropical island before you are shot into space. This is a huge step forward to space tourism. Naturally it would not have been possible without the many science projects that went into outer space exploration.

Even the simple Velcro has proved a great find for space explorers. So you never know what will come in handy from a basic project. To make the impossible dream a reality it is necessary to start small. You never know when your science fair project today, will be the cornerstone of a new invention tomorrow.

A question we get a lot around here goes something like this: “My kid needs a project, but we’ve got soccer, gymnastics, homework, and chores every day… we need a good science fair project and QUICK!”

Unfortunately, I don’t have an easy answer for this.  Most folks are still trying to cram a week’s worth of activities into a mere 24-hours, and then wonder why they have trouble coming up with great science project ideas.  It’s a miracle if dinner’s even on the table on soccer night.

Science fair projects can feel this way a lot.  They are usually something added ON TOP OF all the other stuff you have to do – homework from math, extra credit assignments from spelling, extra books to read and report on… and the last thing you need right now is yet another project, only this one is going to be judged.

So how can you survive this stressful science season and still enjoy the process? Well, I generally don’t think as well under pressure as I do when I am free to be creative and enjoy the process.  And one of the most powerful ways to generating great content (and projects) is total immersion.  Here’s what you can do to really make the process enjoyable and educational:

1. Slow down. Schedule time in your week where you can sit with your project for at least a couple of uninterrupted hours.  To get your creative juices flowing and allow for side-tangents, this is the minimum amount of time you’ll need to get the most out of your efforts. This means no phone calls, internet surfing, computer games, or iPODs.  Your mind is totally free to focus entirely on the task at hand.
2. Banish perfection. Take the stress out of trying to find the perfect project and focus rather on what you find interesting.  Bugs or brain cells? Rockets or robotics? Lasers or llamas?  Once you have a ballpark idea on what you want to learn more about, then you can start gathering your information.
3. Start a journal. Even if your kid’s not a writer, it’s important to start logging what you’re finding interesting so you can go back and research more if needed (it’s also a great start to your report’s bibliography).    For non-writing kids, use a video camera to capture the sparkle in their eyes as they delve into their project.  Use still photos to paste into your journal as you go.
4. Get help. Start tapping into resources you already have around you.  You don’t  need to re-invent the wheel, but you do need to make significant progress on your project.  Success always leaves clues, so look for kids that won last year and find out what exactly they did to make it to the top (if that’s your goal).  Chances are it had little to do with the official “topic” of study but rather the way they went about it. Find other local clubs in the area that would be helpful to you, from local astronomical clubs to airplane pilots to the tech at the pharmacy… they can all help steer you in the right direction.

So there you have it – time saving tips for your science fair project season.  While initially these tips may seem to take more time than they save,  you’ll find that the focus and clarity you get in return will be worth tenfold.

Happy Experimenting!