The Bowman PTO Science Fair is a non-competitive evening for Student Scientists in grades K through 5. Students design a project that answers a hypothesis through an experiment or demonstration, working individually or in small groups. There is no judging: every student is met by a Visiting Scientist and awarded a ribbon.

The fair runs once a year. Dates and registration open each winter and are announced in the PTO newsletter. For anything else, email sciencefair@bowmanpto.org.

A sample science project exhibit.

1. Register Online
All students are welcome and encouraged to participate.

Groups
You may work individually or in small groups. Group sizes are limited to three students. If you are working in a group, the group just needs to register once. Your group should choose one member to register for everyone.

2. Choose an Area of Interest and a Problem
You may already have an idea or a topic of interest that you’d like to investigate further. Or perhaps you need some help getting started. Either way, check out the Science Fair Resources page for links to museums, websites, and books to spark your imagination. There are so many potential topics that oftentimes the hardest part is narrowing down your selection to a very specific question. The “problem” is the scientific question to be solved. It is best expressed as an open-ended question, which is a question that is answered with a statement, not just a yes or no. For example, “How does light affect the reproduction of bread mold on white bread?” Be careful to limit your problem. The more specific your question is, the easier it will be to conduct your experiment.

Experiment vs. Demonstration
Traditionally, a science fair is for experiments, but you can do a demonstration if you would like. An experiment asks a question and tests outcomes by varying a single element in the experiment. For example, “What is the effect of salt on the boiling point of water?”  You would then conduct your experiment by varying the amount of salt in the water and recording your results. Another example is “What size wheel rolls fastest down an incline?” Your experiment would consist of testing an object with different size wheels.

A demonstration shows a particular single effect, such as “The production of carbon dioxide by mixing baking soda and vinegar.” For the Bowman Science Fair, you can do either an experiment or a demonstration of something you think is interesting. However, we encourage you to ask a question and do an experiment.

3.  Formulate a Hypothesis
After posing a simple question and doing some research, scientists usually formulate a hypothesis. A hypothesis is a “best guess” or a prediction of what the outcome of the experiment will be. This “best guess,” along with your background research will help you decide how to design your experiment. Your hypothesis is not always “the right answer” so try not to get hung up on choosing one. It is just an informed “guess.”

4.  Conduct Your Experiment or Demonstration
Do your experiment or demonstration at home. Remember to stick to your method and record your results. The results of your experiment may be totally unexpected. This is okay. After your experiment is done, you will compare your results to your original hypothesis.

5.  Reflect and Draw Conclusions
The conclusion is a summary of the results of your experimentation and a statement of how the results relate to the hypothesis. Your conclusion may or may not support your hypothesis.  In your conclusion, you may also indicate what you might have done differently or what you might do if you were continuing your research.

6.  Create Your Exhibit
After you have done your experiment at home, you should create your exhibit for the fair. Your exhibit should show visitors what you did and what the results of the experiment mean. In addition to having a display of your experiment, you should have some written material describing your work. A tri-fold, stand-up cardboard display can be used to make your display. The size of the display area should not be larger than 36” high by 48” wide. It should be folded vertically so that it stands up. You can purchase a display board from office supply stores or make your own. Visit the FAQs page for suggestions on where to purchase a display board. You can bring in materials you collected or used in your experiment or your demonstration materials to enhance your display. Bring items that will help you explain what you did and add interest to your exhibit. You can put these on the table in front of your presentation board, and refer to them while talking about your experiment. Remember, no messy or hazardous displays or demonstrations, and there will be no access to electricity. Your whole display must fit within a 30” x 30” space.

We suggest that you organize your display board in the following manner:

Please leave a 4” x 4” square of open space in the top right hand corner of your display board. You will receive a sticker at check-in on the night of the fair to identify your project so that our Visiting Scientists can find you.

Your display board should contain the following elements:

a.  Problem
b.  Hypothesis
c.  Procedure
d.  Data
e.  Conclusion
f.  Future or Next Steps

7. Set up your Exhibit
On the day of the fair, the exhibit room(s) will be available for setup starting at 6:40 PM. Please arrive promptly so that you’ll have time to find your location and setup your exhibit. Exhibits will be displayed from 6:55 PM – 8:15 PM so that students, friends, and family can see the exhibits. Each student needs to stay by their exhibit during this time to explain the exhibit to the visitors. Visitors will have lots of questions and will be very curious about your exhibit, so be prepared to explain what you did, how you did it, and to answer questions people have. A visiting scientist will stop by to hear about your experiment and award you a ribbon. Exhibits will not be judged.

A Note about Adult Participation
Parents should help as much as needed, but remember that it is the student's project. Students will get more out of the science fair if they do it primarily themselves. They will need supervision if their project requires cooking, heating, flames, sharp object, chemicals, or other potentially dangerous objects. Please keep in mind that no hazardous or messy displays will be allowed at the fair itself. You may wish to review the science fair rules.

Contact Us
If you would like more information, or are interested in volunteering to help make the Bowman Science Fair a success, please contact us at sciencefair@bowmanpto.org.

1. You must be enrolled in Bowman Elementary School (grade K through 5) to participate.

2. No dangerous chemicals or materials should be used in your project. Absolutely no poisonous chemicals, heaters, flames, high voltages, or hazardous materials will be allowed in the displays at the exhibit. Remember that children of all ages will be visiting your display and will be interested in your project.

3. No messy displays or demonstrations are allowed.

4. There will be no access to electricity at the fair. Therefore, no plug in (110V AC) devices will be allowed in the displays at the exhibit (they can be displayed, but they cannot be plugged in.)

5. No live animals are to be used as subjects during your presentation.  Your project can be about an animal(s) but you cannot bring a live animal to the Science Fair.

6. No humans are to be used as subjects during your presentation.  Your project can be about humans but you cannot use a human as a subject in the Science Fair.

7. Your display for the fair must fit within approximately a 30” W x 30” D area. You will be sharing a table with other fair participants.

8. The organizers and Bowman School reserve the right to disallow or prevent the exhibition of any display, which is dangerous or poses a safety risk in their opinion.

9. An adult must accompany the student at the Science Fair during the time of the exhibit in the evening

10. If you have food involved in your display an adult must remain at the exhibit during the time of the science fair to ensure the safety of all students.

Contact Us
If you would like more information, please contact us at sciencefair@bowmanpto.org.

Looking for some ideas or help getting started with your project?

Libraries
Check with the librarians at Bowman School and at Lexington’s Cary Memorial Library for research books and other resources.

Museums
Visit the Discovery Center at the Boston Museum of Science and speak with any of their scientists for ideas.http://www.mos.org/discoverycenter/aotm

Visit the Science Discovery Museum in Acton for ideas and inspiration.
http://discoverymuseums.org/hands-exhibits/science-discovery-museum

Websites
http://www.mos.org/discoverycenter/aotm
This Boston Museum of Science website features different activities each month and all the previous activities are archived. These activities or experiments are designed for toddlers up to age 8.

http://www.tryscience.org/
This organization is supported through a partnership between IBM Corporation, the New York Hall of Science, and the Association of Science-Technology Centers, and science centers worldwide.

http://kids.niehs.nih.gov/science/index.htm
This site is great for projects about the environment or weather.

http://www.sciencebuddies.org/
This site contains numerous ideas for science fair projects.

Books
Here is a small sample of books that might be helpful in thinking about your science fair project:

• The Everything Kids’ Science Experiments Book: Boil Ice, Float Water, Measure Gravity-Challenge the World Around You! by Tim Robinson
• Prize Winning Science Fair Projects for Curious Kids by Joe Rhatigan and Rain Newcomb
• So You Have to Do a Science Fair Project by Joyce Henderson
• Janice VanCleave’s A+ Science Fair Projects by Janice Pratt VanCleave
• Janice VanCleave’s Guide to More of the Best Science Fair Projects by Janice Pratt VanCleave
• 101 Great Science Experiments by Neil Ardley
• 365 Simple Science Experiments with Every Day Materials by E. Richard Churchill, Louis V. Loeschnig, Muriel Mandell and Frances Zweifel
• Naked Eggs and Flying Potatoes: Unforgettable Experiments That Make Science Fun by Steve Spangler

Q:  How do we register for the science fair?
A:  Registration for the fair is done online.

Q: Where does the Science Fair take place?
A: The Science Fair is held in person.

Q: What time should students participating in the fair arrive?
A: Student scientist should arrive at 6:45pm.

Q: On the night of the Science Fair, do student scientists have to wait in line to check-in for their table assignments and name tags?
A: No, this does not apply to the Science Fair. We will send table assignments a few days prior to the Science Fair so that on the night of the Fair, student scientists can arrive at Bowman and walk directly to their table where they will find their name tags and project number.

Q: Will there be judging at the science fair?
A: There is no judging. This is a non-competitive, fun science fair. Each participant comes up with his or her own experiment or demonstration, and is awarded a ribbon by a Visiting Scientist.

Q: What is a Visiting Scientist?
A: Visiting Scientists are volunteers from the Bowman community who share our enthusiasm for kids doing science.  A Visiting Scientist will briefly chat with each student about his or her exhibit, ask questions and give feedback, and then award each student a ribbon.

Q: Where do I get an exhibit board for my child to create the display?
A: Any office supply (Staples) or craft store (Jo-Ann’s, Michael’s, AC Moore, Playtime in Arlington) carries these boards.

Q: My child is a kindergartener. Is it realistic for a kindergartener to participate in the Science Fair?
A: Absolutely! A lot of Bowman kids begin Science Fair in kindergarten. Even if your child does not yet know how to write, you can still participate by doing the dotted letter thing on lined paper and having him or her trace over it, then glue the pages onto the display.

Q: Can my child do an experiment with siblings or a friend?
A: Yes, students are welcome to work in a small group. Groups should be no larger than 3 people. Before registering, select one student to be responsible for registering. During the registration process, there will be fields to enter all group members’ names, emails, grade and teacher.

Q: May I come to the fair even I didn’t have time for a project?
A: Yes! Everyone at Bowman will be able to view the Science Fair presentations online this year. Come support your fellow students.

Q: My question wasn’t answered. Who can I ask?
A: We’re happy to help. Please contact us at sciencefair@bowmanpto.org.

We are in need of science minded people to act as visiting scientists during the science fair. Your role is to review the exhibits and award the students ribbons for participation. Please fill out the Visiting Scientist Form if you are interested in participating.

We ask that our Visiting Scientists review the following points before the Fair:

•  Please arrive by 6:45 PM. You will be assigned a list of students to speak with and given ribbons to award. Your packet should be in order with the younger grades before the older. Please review the exhibits in this order so our younger scientists can get home earlier.

•  For each name on your list, visit the appropriate exhibit and identify the student scientist. You may have to come back if your student seems to be missing at the time. If the student is talking to someone else, please politely interrupt and gently state that you are the Visiting Scientist and that you’d like to hear about the exhibit. “Hi. My name is Dr./Mr./Ms. So-and-so and I’m a Visiting Scientist. Please tell me about your science project.” Visiting Scientists take priority.

•  Defer judgment. A Visiting Scientist’s role is to ask questions, offer insights, and speak words of encouragement. There will be a wide range of subjects, quality, confidence, pride, and evidence of adult help on projects. None of these factors should be judged or qualified. This is all about curiosity, imagination, and fun. We are there to encourage kids to be interested in science.

•  You should feel free to ask questions and encourage a dialog with the student scientist. Some won’t have answers to these questions. Here are some sample questions, but feel free to make up your own:

Explain your project and the results.

Did anything about the project surprise you?

Did anything go wrong during the experiment?

What would you do differently if you could do the project over?

What would you be interested in testing if you could do it over?

•  Everybody wins. Talk to the students about their project. When you are done, let them know what a great job they did and award each student with a ribbon for participation.

•  Try to spend no more than 5 minutes at each exhibit. Sometimes it takes time to find the exhibits and students, and students at the end of your list may have a hard time waiting. Your efforts to stay focused and to try to finish as early as possible are appreciated. As the fair takes place on a school night, many of the students may need to be rushed off to bed.

•  If you can’t find the exhibit or if the student is not at the exhibit, move on to the next one and circle back. Some exhibit numbers may be out of order because an exhibit had to be moved.

•  Aim to finish at 8:00 pm so students can relax and roam for the last 15 minutes and check out the other exhibits.

•  If you finish early, seek out other Visiting Scientists to see if you can help with any outstanding exhibit reviews.

Contact Us
If you would like more information, please contact us at sciencefair@bowmanpto.org.