Whether your favorite middle or high-school student is interested in the demonstrating the greenhouse effect (with shoeboxes, soil, and plastic food wrap), sympathetic vibration (with a couple of soda bottles), or the breathing rate of goldfish, former science teacher Janice VanCleave provides helpful advice for designing experiments to impress judges at the science fair. In the first section, the author explains the importance of understanding the scientific method, selecting a topic, identifying its category, research, overview, experimental data, project summaries, the display, and presentation and evaluation. The second part of the book offers project ideas for 35 science fair topics within the categories of astronomy, biology, chemistry, earth science, and physics (more…)

From an apartment-rail hummingbird feeder to a backyard bat house. . .from a butterfly-friendly window box to a nest full of baby swallows. . .here are simple instructions for creating inviting, easy-to-make feeders and havitats that will attract insects, birds, squirrels, bats, frogs, and other small creatures. Many of the projects use recycled materials. These enjoyable science-based activities are accompanied by attractive illustrations and amazing anecdotes, facts, and insights (more…)