Narrowing down ideas

[jean chapin]

Hi - I am writing for my 10 year old daughter who is trying to narrow down her science fair ideas. Last year, she won 2 in our district for "who has the dirtiest hands - boys or girls?" She did gross cultures and loved it. This year, she wants to do another on one of our hobbies...ballet, kayaking or rock climbing but is struggling to come up with a good topic. Any guidance you can give me to help her narrow it down would be appreciated!

[Ken]

Try thinking about some of the tools or techniques used in your hobbies. Are there different types of these tools that could be scientifically compared? Comparing different kinds of paddles comes to mind (what aspect of the paddles you would compare would take a bit more thinking).

Or, is there a tool or technique used in your hobbies that you would like to see improved? Perhaps you could do an engineering project to see if you could design something better. (Our Web page "Engineering and Programming Project Tips" might help you think about this direction. It's at https://www.sciencebuddies.org/mentorin ... ring.shtml

Good luck.

Ken -- Science Buddies Staff