Optional Science Fair Entry (K-4):
The Asotin Science Fair, Student Expo, and Science Night is May 18th. We would
like to invite your child to do a science fair project to be entered in the Science
Fair. This project does not need to be elaborate and can be simple and easy to
complete in a short period of time.
Step #1: Find a topic.
The following are some examples of science fair questions:
1. Does the height of a ramp affect how fast a matchbox car goes?
2. Do different brands of bubble bath make taller bubbles?
3. What soil type do worms prefer?
The internet has lots of great ideas for science fair projects. We also have many
science fair books at the school if students would like to look at a book.
The following are great websites:
 Science Buddies has a topic selection Wizard at http://bit.ly/fL4rcP
 Discovery Education:
http://school.discoveryeducation.com/sciencefaircentral/
Step #2: Complete this planning guide and do the experiment.
DON’T FORGET TO TAKE PICUTURES!!
(They are not mandatory, but they look good on the display.)
Step #3: Create a presentation board
After completing the experiment and filling in the information on the planning
guide, make a display to show off the experiment. The last page of this packet has
an example format.
Science Fair Planning Guide
Name ______________________________
Background: In a short paragraph answer questions #1-6
1. What is your topic?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
2. Why are you interested in this topic?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
3. Why is this topic important to you?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
4. List some of the things that you could test about your topic:
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
These different things that you could test are called variables. You may only change one
variable in an experiment. All of the other variables must be kept the same.
5. What is the one variable that you would like to test (manipulated variable)?
__________________________________________
To test this variable you must have a control and an experimental treatment. Everything
between the two treatments must be kept the same except for the one thing that you are
testing.
6. List at least two things that are kept the same between your two treatments (controlled
variables).
_____________________________ _____________________________
Question: ____________________________________________________________________
Hypothesis:___________________________________________________________________
Materials: List the materials that you need to conduct your experiment.
______________________
______________________
______________________
______________________
______________________
______________________
Procedure: Make a numbered list of how you will conduct your experiment.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Data:
Make a simple table to record the data. Below is an example. Some experiments will only have
a treatment and a control and some may have repeated trials. It just depends on the type of
experiment.
Result
Treatment
Control
Results:
Make a simple graph for the experiment.
Conclusion
In a short paragraph answer the following questions:
1. Was the hypothesis correct?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
2. What was the highest data point?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
3. What was the lowest data point?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
4. What was the difference between the low and the high (use words like faster, slower,
bigger, smaller, etc…)
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
5. What would you do differently if you did this experiment again?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Example Experiment: Matchbox Cars
Background:
My science experiment is about the speed of matchbox cars. I collect
matchbox cars and I am interested to see which one goes the farthest after
going down a ramp. I could test the weight of the car, the size of the wheels,
or the shape of the car. In this experiment, I am going to test the weight of
the car. When I do my experiment I will have all of the cars go down the
same ramp and the ramp will be the same height every time I run a test.
Question: Will the weight of a matchbox car affect how far it will travel after
going down a ramp?
Hypothesis: If I use a heavier car then it will go farther after going down the
ramp.
Materials:
Light matchbox car
Medium weight matchbox car
Heavy matchbox car
Three books to hold one end of
ramp
Ramp
Ruler
Procedure:
1. Stack three books and make a ramp for the cars.
2. Place the lightest car at the top of the ramp and let go.
3. Measure how far the car went after reaching the bottom of the ramp.
4. Record the distance.
5. Repeat steps 2-4 for the medium weight car and the heavy car.
Data
Light Car
Results
3 feet
Medium Car
4 feet
Heavy Car
5 feet
Results
Distance in feet
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Light Car
Medium Car
Heavy Car
Conclusion:
My hypothesis was correct. The car that went the farthest was the heavy car at 5
feet. The car that went the shortest distance was the lightest car at 3 feet. The
heavy car went 2 feet farther than the light car.
If I were to do this experiment again, I would use a steeper ramp. I would also try
more cars. Next time I would like to test a different brand of car.
Making the Presentation Board: Use a small Tri-fold Board
Write up the experiment following the directions in the planning guide. Place the different
parts of the project on the board. The following is an example format.
Title
by: Student Name
Background:
Materials:
Picture or Drawing of Experiment
Question:
Procedure:
Results Table
Hypothesis:
Picture
Graph
Conclusion