A Jack o' Lantern made for the Holywell Manor Halloween celebrations in 2003. Photograph by Toby Ord on 31 Oct 2003. Source: Wikmedia Commons

Giant four-foot spiders climbing the sides of houses, carved pumpkins perched along stairwells of houses, ghosts dangling from eaves, and R.I.P. stakes in lawns here and there bring tidings of all things Halloween. And though Trick or Treat for Unicef boxes did make their way home, there is little doubt that after trick-or-treating there will be candy, candy, and more candy to sort and count and trade and barter... and eat.

The same will be true in many houses, and stories of Halloween bounty will filter through the halls and into classrooms on Monday morning. Understandably, candy is contraband at most schools - for eating. But I've got a list of short-term Science Buddies' project ideas that can parlay the contents of a trick or treat bag into concrete science that's fun to watch, fun to contemplate, and fun to test.

With candy as a starting point, there's something sweet about these short-term projects, for sure. Covering a range of principles and concepts from math and statistics to adaptation and habitats, nucleation, perspiration, humidity, chromatography, and more, there's surely something here with which to treat your students. Dip in and have fun. No costumes required!

• M&M Survival Challenge (Science Buddies' difficulty level: 1-3)
• Keep Your Candy Cool With the Power of Evaporation! (Science Buddies' difficulty level: 2-3)
• Coke® & Mentos® - Nucleation Goes Nuclear! (Science Buddies' difficulty level: 2-3)
• M&M Math(Science Buddies' difficulty level: 3)
• Candy Chromatography: What Makes Those Colors? (Science Buddies' difficulty level: 5-6)

Looking for something a bit more involved and longer in duration that can carry you into the next round of sweet treats? Check out Fast Food: Can Peppermint Improve Reaction Times? (Science Buddies' difficulty level: 8).

If you try one of these with your students or family, please let us know how it goes!

Note: A core team of scientists at Science Buddies work on an ongoing basis on the development of science fair project ideas that are grounded in real-world science and current events and are engaging. Working to excite a wide range of students, our scientists often work on projects that uncover and highlight the science that underwrites even everyday activities. Each month, we'll be asking one of our scientists "What's your favorite project idea from the ones you've recently authored and why?" With each monthly Scientist's Pick, we'll give you a behind-the-scenes look at what our scientists are thinking when they come up with the ideas they turn into project ideas for Science Buddies. We'll find out why they picked a certain project or problem to explore and why they enjoyed a certain project. We're kicking off this new blog feature with a pick from staff scientist, Michelle Maranowski. ~ Science Buddies' Editorial Staff

Project: Popping an Ollie: How Skateboarders + Physics = A Really Cool Trick
Scientist: Michelle Maranowski
Science Buddies' Difficulty Level: 4

Have you ever seen skateboarders in your city? The way they balance on a small plank of wood, dodging and weaving around obstacles, is amazing. I have always been fascinated by the skill, stamina, and strength that skateboarders exhibit. Most adults that I know find skateboarders kind of annoying and think of skateboarding as a silly hobby.

I spent some time with a typical skateboarder, Jonathan Perez, and I realized that for skateboarders like Jonathan, skateboarding is more than a hobby. Jonathan is passionate about skateboarding because he believes it is an art form. He also believes that his hobby has improved his balance and focus.

After watching Jonathan jump and spin, I realized that while there is art to skateboarding, the sport also demonstrates physics at work. I thought that writing a project on the physics of skateboarding might interest a lot of students who think that science has no application in real life and just belongs in the laboratory.

In the project "Popping an Ollie" we look at the how to do the most basic trick, the Ollie, and the physics behind it. The Ollie is the first step in more complicated tricks like the 360 kick flip. Some of the forces that act on a skateboarder are gravity, the weight of the skateboarder, and the force of the ground pushing back up on the skateboarder. In "Popping an Ollie," the skateboarder experiments with how his or her speed affects the height and the distance of the Ollie.

~ Michelle

If you enjoy skateboarding, try this Science Buddies project along with the other skateboarding project in the Sports Science section of Science Buddies.

In his second "Road to the Science Fair" blog entry, Chicago-based guest teacher-blogger Brian shared questions raised as he met with staff and colleagues to talk about their upcoming science fair. Brian was prepared with an impressive set of well-considered and solid answers. He and his school are well on their way to organizing their first fair!

One of the things Brian mentioned is that he and his colleagues have decided to allow students to enter Rube Goldberg Machines in the school science fair. Named after a famous cartoonist whose work often depicted detailed and convoluted machines designed to perform simple, ordinary tasks, Rube Goldberg Machines are fun to watch and demonstrate the principles of simple machines and chain reactions. These often complicated contraptions are laden with a certain amount of "wow" factor and an equal proportion of suspense... will that component strike at the right speed and right angle and right moment to trigger the next event in the sequence?.

Movie buffs likely remember Rube Goldberg-like machines from films like Robots, Edward Scissorhands, and even, going way back, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Several years ago, a Honda car commercial called "The Cog" amazed viewers with two minutes of meticulous and very-well filmed domino-like effects that resulted in the car being started and rolled off a platform. The tagline: "Isn't it nice when things work?"

Not all science fairs allow Rube Goldberg inventions. If you have students interested in Rube Goldberg Machines, we at Science Buddies encourage you to explore science fair projects that appear in our Mechanical Engineering areas of science. We have a number of project ideas that introduce relevant concepts and yet encourage the development of a working hypothesis and completion of the steps of the Scientific Method.

Here are just a few to get you and your students started thinking about the mechanics involved in solving ordinary tasks:

• Gears-Go-Round! (Science Buddies' difficulty level: 4)
• Rubber Bands for Energy (Science Buddies' difficulty level: 3-6)
• Bomb's Away! A Ping Pong Catapult (Science Buddies' difficulty level: 4-5)
• Soda Straw Robot Simulator (Science Buddies' difficulty level: 4-8)
• Give Yourself a Lift: Lightening the Load with Pulleys (Science Buddies' difficulty level: 6)
• Roller Coaster Marbles: How Much Height to Loop the Loop? (Science Buddies' difficulty level: 6)

Science fair projects in the area of Civil Engineering area are also excellent for students who love to "build" things.

Hi. This is Brian again... a science teacher in Chicago and guest blogger at Science Buddies this fall as I work to help organize our school's first science fair.

What I'm discovering is that when you decide to run a science fair, you have to have some clear goals and objectives.

According to Science Buddies' "Guide to Planning a Science Fair," the first two steps in planning a science fair are to set the date and set the goals.

The goals for my school's first science fair are pretty simple:

1. Get all students to participate in some way.
2. Help them have as much success and fun doing science projects as possible.
3. Try to involve other subjects as much as possible in supporting the students.
4. Build towards better and stronger projects so our students can have success at the national level.

Getting Teacher Buy-In

Now, I love the idea of a science fair, which you probably guessed because I'm writing this blog, and I have this belief that all science teachers should be super excited about the idea of a school science fair as well.

That is not always the case.

Tuesday was my first opportunity to talk with the other teachers at the school about our science fair. In preparation for meeting with them, on Monday I sent copies of two Science Buddies' resources, "Teachers guide to Science Projects" and the "Your Question Handout" for students.

In the meeting on Tuesday, I got some typical resistance:

1. how much class time is this going to take up?
2. how are we going to get the students, especially our low income students, the resources they need?
3. when are they going to get into the lab?
4. what if the projects are not high quality enough?

I was ready with some answers.

How much class time is this going to take up?

Help them choose the topic in class, but otherwise it is up to you how much time you use in class to work on science fair projects. If you have available class time or need to fill a few days, let them do research in class. Science fair projects are supposed to add to education in the classroom not displace it. It's a good idea to have check-in assignments for the students to complete. This shows they are working on their projects and allows you to ensure no one gets left behind. They can complete those worksheets or check-in logs on their own.

How are we going to get the students, especially our low income students, the resources they need?

Where there is a will, there is a way. And many projects don't cost that much. Here in Chicago, the district actually has micro grants that students can apply for to get their projects funded. Using DonorsChoose is another option, if you plan ahead. All communities have resources you can access for your students to enable top notch projects without breaking the bank, but you often have to start the projects to qualify for resources.

When are they going to get into the lab?

At my school, it is my job as a department chair to be in the lab after school. I think lab time is the best time to build relationships with students that will pay off in the classroom. Pick a day and stay until 4:30 to help your students in the lab each week. It will pay off more than grading papers or making Powerpoint presentations.

What if the projects are not high quality enough?

Who cares? Right now they are not doing any projects. This is a time for them to build the skills of life-long learners. Even if they do a super basic project, they stand to learn something. Eventually, I believe, the projects will get better.

So, I think right now everyone feels pretty good. We came to a few decisions, as well. We decided to allow group projects especially for our ELL and SPED population. We also decided to allow students to build Rube Goldberg Machines as science fair projects. Such projects are not completely science-based, but they involve applied Physics and Chemistry.

Next week, I'm going to try to get into each teacher's classroom for one period to help him or her use the Topic Selection Wizard to find projects with students. Teachers can then use the Topic Selection Wizard with the rest of their classes.

I'll be back in a few weeks to let you know how it goes!

~ Brian

The above video is from NASA's coverage of the LCROSS impact the morning of October 9, 2009.

This week, we'll be looking skyward as we await the impact of the LCROSS satellite and hope for sight of the plume on the morning of October 9. But next week, our attentions will spiral back to Earth for "Earth Science Week 2009," October 11-17. Organized by the American Geological Institute and sponsored by a range of geoscience organizations, including the U.S. Geological Survey, NASA, the National Park Service, and the AAPG Foundation, the annual "Earth Science Week" aims to promote geosciences and to educate students, teachers, and families about the importance of being stewards of the Earth.

The theme for "Earth Science Week 2009" is "Understanding Climate." From daily NASA videos to a webcast in which oceanographers talk about their careers, "Earth Science Week 2009" promises a diverse array of Earth-centered activities and information.

The following Science Buddies' short-term science fair project ideas may prove useful as cornerstones for climate-related discussions and in-class projects with your students that tie in with Earth Science Week:

• How Does a Wind Meter Work? (Science Buddies' difficulty level: 2)
• Home Sweet Biome: How Do Plants Grow in Different Environments? (Science Buddies' difficulty level: 3)
• The Reasons for Seasons (Science Buddies' difficulty level: 4-5)
• Do Warmer Seas Make Stronger Hurricanes? (Science Buddies' difficulty level: 7-9)

There are three contests students can enter as part of Earth Science Week 2009: a photography contest, a visual arts contest for K-5, and an essay contest for grades 6-9. For more information and specific contest rules and deadlines, please visit the Earth Science Week website.

School is back in session, and that means science projects are underway. Already in my house there has been excitement over the various states of water. And as the information trickles home and what has been learned is demonstrated and relayed and put to use and tested again and again, I can't count how many times I have found a cup of water left in the freezer as an experiment. Similarly, several days in a row, a cup of water was left bedside to see if bubbles formed on the surface overnight. When there were no bubbles, I heard, "My experiment didn't work, but that's okay." Add to that a newfound awareness of solid shapes, the parts of trees, and a wealth of knowledge about hedgehogs, and it's been a very full first month of kindergarten.

With science projects and science fairs already taking shape in classrooms, Science Buddies is in the process of scheduling volunteers to answer questions in our Ask an Expert forums.

The Science Buddies Ask an Expert forums offer personalized help to K-12 students (and their parents) with questions about science fair projects. From fielding questions about formulating hypotheses to helping with the identification of variables to troubleshooting an experimental procedure, our team of Experts helps make science projects less frustrating and more rewarding. With each student we help at Ask an Expert, we hope we are fostering enthusiasm for science and increasing science literacy.

Volunteers at Ask an Expert include both Experts working in scientific fields, teachers, and advanced high school science students interested in performing community service by helping other students with their science fair questions and projects.

To find out more about volunteering with Science Buddies, please visit: www.sciencebuddies.org/volunteer. If you are a teacher and would like information you can distribute to your students, please let us know.