ALCOTT ELEMENTARY PTSA SCIENCE FAIR 2024

General Information:

1. All students in grade KG-5 are eligible to participate!
2. The purpose of the science fair is to encourage scientific curiosity of young minds, giving our students a platform to share their experiments, research findings and present science reports in a formal format to boost their confidence in learning. 
3. Students will be required to prepare and submit their reports and presentations in advance to ensure a fair assessment as per each grade level. Special awards will also be presented to exceptional talent at the whole school level. 
4. Please register by sending your idea in an audio or a video format by April 5th. A link will be provided after registration is complete.
5. A separate link will be sent out to upload a picture of a prepared science report displayed on a trifold board. Deadline for the upload is April 19th. 
6. May 8th is the date of the main event when all students will display their formal science reports on a tri-fold board and perform an experiment and/or present research data where presentation of an experiment is not possible.
7. Data entered in pre-submissions prior to May 8th, quality of work in the science report and materials, as well as other aspects like independence of the student’s work, originality of the idea, sustainability, creativity, preparedness and more will all be reviewed.
8. A jury will determine the winners.
9. Please refer to helpful links at the end of this page and kindly follow the guidelines.
10. Have fun!

 Exhibit Rules:

1. Students have to come ready with the project (see details below) on Wednesday, May 8th, 2024 at 3:30pm to the Alcott Elementary School gym. Projects may not be dropped off at school before the event.
2. All projects should include a display tri-fold project board which is self-supporting. Display board should not exceed standard tri-fold project board size (no wider than 36").
3. The display should convey the science report and method of the experiment, i.e. the project's objectives, evidence, and outcomes. Please use visual aids like labels, colors and highlighting on the data, graphs, charts, and tables etc. to separate and present information clearly.
4. All exhibits must be constructed by the students at home. Parents, teachers, or any technically trained professional may help with advice and guidance, however, please note that the student's ability to manage their project on their own will be assessed with live questions during the fair and graded accordingly.
5. If an experiment is deemed too dangerous or hazardous or is submitted by multiple students, you may be asked to consider another project for a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone.
6. No hazardous or dangerous chemical substances, such as caustics, acids, highly combustible solids, fluids, or gases in pressurized tanks may be displayed.
7. No live disease-causing organisms that are pathogenic to man or other live vertebrates may be displayed. No live specimens of any kind may be displayed.
8. No microbial cultures and fungi, living or dead including unknown specimens may displayed.
9. No syringes, pipettes, or similar devices may be on display.
10. No electrical apparatus.
11. No food, either human or animal, may be displayed unless contained in a SEALED container and properly labeled.
12. No large, fragile, potentially messy, or hazardous items.

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Example: Freezing Water

Consider how the scientific method applies in this simple experiment with freezing water under two different conditions.

Define Purpose: I want to know if water freezes faster on its own or with sugar added to it.

Construct Hypothesis:   One hypothesis is that there will be no difference in how long it takes the water to freeze, whether it has sugar added to it. The alternative hypothesis is that there will be a difference in the freezing time between the two scenarios. What do you predict will happen?

Test Hypothesis and Collect Data: Fill two identical containers with the same amount of room temperature water. Add a measured amount of sugar to one of the containers. Place the two containers into the freezer. At regular intervals of 15 minutes, open the freezer and observe the status of the water in each container. Continue until both have completely frozen. Write down the time it took for each container of water to reach a fully frozen level.

Analyze Data: Look at the time it took for each container of water to freeze. Did the water with sugar added take a significantly longer or shorter amount of time to freeze?

Draw Conclusion: Based on the results of your experiment, come to a conclusion as to whether water with sugar freezes faster, slower, or at the same rate as water without sugar added.

Communicate Results: Report your findings in the form of an oral presentation. Share what you did and your data with written charts or diagrams. Was your hypothesis correct? What did you learn? 

Ideas

If you need help getting started, check out these links for ideas.

Education dot com (https://www.education.com/science-fair/?q=elementary-school)

Home Science Tools(https://learning-center.homesciencetools.com/science-projects/by-grade/elementary/)

Science Buddies (https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/science-projects#browseallprojects)