Often times holidays that are not December holidays, come and go and no special mention is made of them. All the kids know is either they are off school, or there is no mail that day. Creating simple activities to do around all the holidays throughout the year is a way to make note of the day. A common thing to do is some craft project, or themed baking. Why not try one day science projects that center on something you associate with the holiday? This will give the children a hands-on fun activity to do, and help create positive interest in science as a way to observe the world around you.
Here are some random thoughts to show how easy it is to hook one day science fair projects to the holidays.
Valentines Day- You think about red and chocolate. A project that figures out how much red food coloring is needed to bake a red heart cookie that ends up being red and not pink, will hardly seem like science. Doing something with chocolate should always be a hit, like seeing if there is a difference between how long milk chocolate and dark chocolate takes to melt.
St Patrick’s Day- Of course you think green. So use the green theme and do a simple environment kind of experiment. You might try a blind fold experiment to see if people really can tell the difference between Green Eggs and Ham and regular ones.
Mother’s Day and Fathers Day- For one could be a longer than one day science projects since it is the beginning of the growing season. Plant a variety of seeds and compare the results on Fathers Day. Plant annuals some with and some without fertilizer and compare the difference on Fathers Day.
As you can see, the holiday becomes the jump start for a fun or even silly idea to explore. Fourth of July brings comparing home made burgers to store bought, Halloween can test out all kinds of gross and gooey substances to use as props for costumes, and Thanksgiving could include a test to see how best to make sweet potatoes not taste like a vegetable.
The idea is to make simple one day science fair projects a part of everyday life, and not something just for science class. This will also teach kids that science is everywhere and a healthy curiosity about science means you are aware of the world around you.
Here is a link to a great digital resource for simple, easy to follow 24 hour science projects, weekend projects and demonstration projects. Often these digital products cost less than what you would pay for a pizza. Go to my Blog!
One Day Science Fair Projects
Look for great Middle School Science Projects too!
Step by Step Blueprints for Students and Parents
http://24hourscienceprojects.blogspot.com
You could also try using some fun math games.
http://www.thesue-teaching-tips.info
My name is Sue Gnagy Fegan and I used a structured, sequential multisensory teaching approach for the past 34 years. I saw first hand the benefits of engaging students in productive, hands on activities to make learning more meaningful and more fun.