Things You'll Need:
- Science fair project notebook
- Pen or pencil
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Step 1
Examine your choices. Science fair project topics are usually divided into earth, life and physical sciences. Select nature, animals or inanimate things like matter and energy for your topic.
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Step 2
Decide what interests you. You're going to be intimately involved with this project for many months, and you will have to work through trouble spots and deal with obstacles to prove or disprove your hypothesis. An easy experiment with plants, for instance, will seem like torture if you have no interest in plants.
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Step 3
Brainstorm ideas based on your interests. Think about TV shows, movies and stories you enjoyed that brought up something scientific you always wondered about. Jot down all ideas that come to you without judging if they're dumb or smart.
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Step 4
Use a cluster map to explore ideas further. Write the idea at the center of the page. Draw lines away from the center circle as if you were drawing a sun. Then draw circles at the end of these lines and write words you associate with your main idea inside these circles.
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Step 5
Do preliminary research on the ideas that really attract you. Ask yourself what you can prove or disprove with the idea, what visuals you can include in your science fair project display and if you can organize the information into some kind of chart or graph. Your answers will tell you if you've got a good topic.
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Step 6
Talk to friends about your ideas once you've narrowed it down. Find out what they're doing. Discard an idea if a friend is doing it and if you think he'll get too competitive. Or choose it if you think a little competition will keep you motivated.
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Step 7
Talk to parents and teachers once you've chosen your topic. They'll help you organize your materials and guide you through creating your hypothesis. Proving you're right or wrong is the fun part of a science fair project!
