Thursday 13- Science Fair Project Ideas

One thing I hated to do during middle school was science fair projects. I loved the doing it of it but my projects were always lame.
This is Gameboy's first science fair, in a way I'm dreading it and on the other hand; the control freak in me knows, I so want to take this over and kick some science fair bootie.
He came home with a list of 200 project ideas sure to "wow the judges". Some of these projects were so out there for a 4th graders concept that you know that a control freak parent was involved. Here's a listing of some ideas that I know I would have never thought about in 4th grade.

1. Does the surface of a tennis court affect the height that a tennis ball bounces? -Uhm ok. Does a 4th grader really think this way?

2. Does the length of a clocks pendulum affect its period? -I honestly didn't know clocks had a ahem... period.

3. How does the speed of a rivers current affect the size of the grains on the riverbed? -How does one experiment with this kind of test?

4. What difference do low-phosphorous fertilizers have on a lakes pollution levels compared with standard fertilizers? -I don't make this stuff up..I couldn't if I tried.

5. How does the type of string used in a can and string phone affect the phones ability to transmit sound? -Kids these days should not even know what a can and string phone is.

The rest of these are actually good ideas that actually helped "us" come up with a decent project idea that a normal 4th grader would think up.

6. How old does chewed gum have to be before it stops sticking to shoes? -This one sounds exactly like something Gameboy would ask. From my experience, I've stepped in some pretty old gum and it still stuck.

7. Does triple roll toilet paper rolls really last three times as long as regular rolls? -In our house it's probably the opposite..the more there is, the more you use.

8. Do gym shoes have more bacteria than sandals?

9. Which do people prefer: a booth or a table in a restaurant? -I prefer a booth myself if it's just hubs and I. It feels more personal and your more out of the way.

10. Does listening to rock music make you eat faster than listening to classical music? -Inquiring minds want to know..

11. Which toothbrushes last longer: ones with natural or nylon bristles? -I really wish I had the Internets and this list in middle school.

12. Does your handedness have any relation to which eye is stronger? -I'm a lefty myself..I'm in my right mind.

13. I'll leave you with Gameboy's idea for a science project.
He wanted his to do with a cookie recipe and whether a person could really tell the difference if a minor ingredient was left out. He thought of the "cookie idea" and I guided him on the recipe part and gave him the recipe. He decided we should bake a batch without salt and another batch without vanilla. We will then of course bake a normal batch to compare. Looks like we'll be cookie making fools. The blogger in me is all over this to blog on progress.