Science Fair Discussion Starters


Discussion Starters - Educational Innovations NewsletterWhy are science fairs important?  What makes the science fair process valuable?  It’s an excellent question and a good way to start a class discussion about this time-honored tradition.  First and foremost, why DO we ask our students to work on a science fair project year after year?   The answer, in a nutshell, is to help them learn how to think like scientists.  Scientists find answers to questions that interest them.  In other words, your students simply need to ask themselves, What do I want to know more about?

Read the rest of this entry »


Science Fair Lesson – The Scientific Method


Lesson - Educational Innovations Blog

What is the scientific method?  It’s one of the stepping stones your students need to cover before starting any science fair project.

As this helpful primer from Science Buddies states, “Whether you are doing a science fair project, a classroom science activity, independent research, or any other hands-on science inquiry, understanding the steps of the scientific method will help you focus your scientific question and work through your observations and data to answer the question as well as possible.”

Read the rest of this entry »


Science Fair TV


EI TV - Educational Innovations BlogWhether you’re a science teacher, a parent, or just a science buff, you probably know plenty about how rewarding—and stressful—a science fair can be.   If you’re looking for the best way to communicate with your students about the steps involved in developing a science project, we’ve got you covered.  Each of the videos below explains how to plan and execute a great science fair presentation.

Enjoy!  If you find a video on science fairs that you’d like to share with us, please leave a comment!

Read the rest of this entry »


All about Science Fair Judging


By Dr. Maille Lyons

Judges are the “referees” in the sport of science fair. As with most refereed sports, the losing teams will often blame the referees for failure and, in some cases that is accurate.  In other cases you just got beat.

Since there is no appeal process, no coach’s challenge, and no instant replay for review, the science fair judges’ decisions stand (and will not be explained no matter how much you beg…). SO KNOWING THAT, your project must be well executed and well communicated so that the “bad calls” are minimized.

Read the rest of this entry »


You Said It! Science Fair Product Reviews


You Said It! Product Reviews - Educational Innovations NewsletterA science fair project is made of researching, planning, experimenting, analyzing… and of course, choosing the right materials!  That’s where Educational Innovations comes in.  We specialize in materials that really bring science to life—uniquely memorable, phenomenon-based products.  Whether your students want to perform science fair experiments on density, thermodynamics, ultraviolet light, electricity or anything else, we are your resource.

If you have a favorite science fair experiment or product, please let us know in the comments section below!

Read the rest of this entry »