Science Fair Guidelines and Rules

General Rules:

●  The deadline for registration is MONDAY, FEBRUARY 24TH. The judging will take place at the Family STEM NIght on THURSDAY, MARCH 6TH from 5-7 pm. You must be present to have your project judged.

●  Projects will be set up and judged according to grade level. Students may work in pairs or in groups even if they are from different grades. A maximum of four students total may work on one project. (The exception to this are class projects.) The project will be judged based on the highest grade level of the members on the team.

●  Projects should be completed by the student. Parent support and engagement is welcome as long as the learning and work that takes place in the project is that of the student. (Please see the Guidelines for Parent Involvement section.) 

●  Keep it safe! No dangerous chemicals, nothing that is harmful to animals or people, and no explosives.

How to Participate:

Step 1- Choose a project

Choose a project based on your interests. Think about phrasing questions such as, “What is the effect of ____________ on ____________?”

For ideas, go to www.sciencebuddies.org. There you can fill out a short questionnaire that will help you to narrow down project ideas.

Step 2- Register online

Follow the link below to register. Registration is FREE! Please submit one registration form per project.

Be sure to register by Monday, February 24th.

Science Fair Registration 2025

Step 3- Run the experiment

What is the Scientific Method? 

The Scientific method is what scientists use to learn about things. 

It has four major steps: 

✔ State the problem. What is it that you want to find out? Example: Do plants need sunlight? 

✔ State your hypothesis. A hypothesis is a statement about what you think is going to happen in your experiment. Example: The plants in sunlight will grow better than the plants kept in the dark because plants need sunlight to grow.

✔ Record your data. Write down and/or take pictures of what happens when you try your experiment. NOTE: Keep track of your data. Sometimes it makes sense to put it into a graph. Example: Two daisy plants were purchased. One was kept in my bedroom window; the other was kept inside a foil covered toy box. Each plant was watered every other day. Each plant was measured every week. After four weeks, the one in my window grew an inch and made three flowers. The other plant shriveled and almost died. 

✔ State your conclusion. What happened? Was it what you expected? Why do you think it happened? What did you learn? Example: The plant in the light grew taller than the plant in the dark. This supports my hypothesis. I learned that light is very important for plants to grow and bloom. 

Step 4- Create a display

Size limit: 36” x 48” (this is a standard display board). It must stand on its own.

Include the following sections: Title, Problem/Question, Hypothesis, Materials, Procedure, Observations or Data, Conclusion. (Other optional sections may include: Research, Graphs, Pictures, etc.) Below is an example of a display board. This is just a suggestion for the layout.

No open flames, dangerous chemicals, or live animals allowed. 

If you need electricity, you must provide your own LONG extension cord. You will be limited to a certain area of the MPR. 

Step 5- Present your project to the judges

Judging will take place on Thursday, March 6th from 5-7 pm. You must be present to have your project judged.

Projects will be set up and judged according to grade level. The project will be judged based on the highest grade level of the members of the team. 

Have questions?

Interested in judging or volunteering for STEM Night?

Email Julie Rivard, Rolling Hills VP of Science

rhvpofscience@gmail.com

Guidelines for Parent Involvement

The Science Fair is designed to help your child develop the ability to explore and investigate a scientific topic in depth and use the scientific method. The process will allow each student to integrate writing, math, science and other curriculum areas. We hope the Science Fair will be a fun and unique way for your child to engage in learning and to explore science in more depth. All science fair projects should be grade appropriate and should be authentic work of the student. 

While the Science Fair is designed for your child’s benefit we wanted to share with you how much and what type of parental involvement and input is permitted. 

• Parents may assist their child in creating a visually appealing display. For example, parents may help with measuring, cutting, pasting, gluing and placement of work on display board. The work, however, should be that of your child. 

• The research, design, and investigation should be completed primarily by the student. The parent’s role is to provide the resources and direction necessary while also being a constant source of encouragement and support. While you are welcome to be involved we ask that you think about how much of the work is your child’s versus your work. Obviously, younger students need more support and help and this is to be expected. Again, the goal is to get your child interested and engaged in science and experiments, so use your judgment on the appropriate level of support. 

• Topic selection should be that of your child but parents are welcome to offer suggestions and encourage exploration of topics they might not consider. Again, please make sure the topic is grade appropriate. 

• Parents are welcome to proofread a student’s work, but corrections should be made by the child. 

• Questions? Contact Julie Rivard, Rolling Hills VP of Science, rhvpofscience@gmail.com.