my 3rd grader wants dinosaurs or sharks

[Sarah Coleman]

so my first question is which topic do you think would be better and the second is how do i help him do it without it being way over his head ????????

[donnahardy2]

Hi,

It’s great that your son has an interest in doing a science project. Third graders vary greatly in their ability to do a controlled experiment, so you may need to adapt a project to your son’s abilities and interest. At this age, the most important thing is to do something that is interesting to the child and hopefully learn something about a scientific concept while having a little fun.

Here is a project on analysis of owl pellets that could be really fun for a third grader. The analysis of the owl pellets is similar to the process used in an archaeological dig used to study dinosaurs.

https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... p015.shtml


Here’s an experiment on hydrodynamics of shark fins that would be easy to do:

https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... p015.shtml


Here’s an idea for a more challenging project that might work if your son is a swimmer and has access to a swimming pool:

https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... p052.shtml

You can also look through the Science Buddies project guide and look for the easy projects with a difficulty of level 1-3. In my experience with third grade boys, basic physics (racing cars) and electricity projects work well.

Good luck! Let us know if you need more information.


Donna Hardy