Do's and Don'ts
For Safety
Do check with your parents/teachers to see if what you plan on doing is safe or not, before you actually do the experiment. Be safe!
Do check with your parents/teachers to see if what you plan on doing is safe or not, before you actually do the experiment. Be safe!
Don’t use mold in any experiment – it can be dangerous!
Designing and Working on the Experiment
Designing and Working on the Experiment
Do let us know by the registration form due date that you are interested.
Do get permission before you study people or bacteria.
Do come up with an idea for an
experiment that tests or compares something.
Do start early and plan enough time for all the steps in the Scientific Method Worksheet.
Do research online or at the library. Make sure to write down where you got your information. Put your references on your display
Do take pictures that show how you did the experiment, and what the results looked like.
Do write your results neatly so you and the judges can read them later. The notebooks help judges understand what, when, and how you did things.
Do think about what happened and why.
Do repeat the experiment if you think you had a problem with your procedures
Do remember that an unexpected result is interesting, and can win a science fair.
Don’t miss the Open House
Don’t use humans or bacteria or anything dangerous without prior approval. Don’t use animals at all.
Don’t just build a volcano model. This looks cool, but has no hypothesis.
Don’t wait till the last minute to do your experiment or make your display
Don’t take pictures of anyone’s face, unless you can cut out or cover the faces later.
Don’t forget to write everything in your notebook.
Don’t assume things
Don’t get frustrated if an experiment doesn’t work like you expected.
Don’t worry if you don’t get the “answer” you expected. That’s science!