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my 3rd grader wants dinosaurs or sharks
Posted: Fri Sep 09, 2011 5:33 pm
by 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 ????????

Re: my 3rd grader wants dinosaurs or sharks
Posted: Sun Sep 11, 2011 10:23 am
by 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