Parenting

How Do I Choose a Science Fair Project?

By Terri Thompson

What is your first thought when you get that science fair notice?

Does your heart stop and your stomach sink?

Or, do you get a burst of excitement?

I’ll admit, many times I get that stomach sinking feeling.

But, not matter if your dreading it or are excited, you’ve got to get started.

And that first step is to make a decision. How do I choose a science fair project?

Are you asking yourself, "how do I choose a science fair project"? Here are some great tips and steps to help you choose the perfect project.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed. There are so many ideas from books full of science experiments to thousands of ideas on Pinterest.

Where do I start?

Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.

How do I choose a science fair project?

To help you choose the perfect science fair project, ask yourself these questions.

Is is age appropriate?

The first thing you need to consider is the age of your child. There’s nothing worse than picking out a project that is too hard and complicated.

You don’t need a complicated project. You’re most likely not going to make a new discovery, invent something, or solve a previously unsolved scientific question in elementary school.

That’s not the point. The point is for your child to ask a question, do an experiment, and make a conclusion. They’re going to learn a lot if you keep it simple.

Look at age recommendations in books and on blog posts to find out if this is a good fit for your child’s age.

Is it do-able?

You also want to make sure the project is do-able. Do you have the space, time, and money to do your project?

Find something that works for your family and your resources. You don’t want to choose a project that takes weeks if you have little free time. There are plenty of great science fair projects that can be done in a short amount of time.

If you only have a small space, make sure the project is something that you can do in the space you have.

Don’t set yourself up for failure. Evaluate your project to make sure it’s do-able.

Is it easy to illustrate?

Remember, when you do a science fair project, you will need to create a display.

Make sure your project is easy to illustrate with photos and illustrations.

You’ll also need to display your question, your steps, and your conclusion.

Will you have enough illustrations to make an awesome display?

Does this science fair project fit your child’s interests?

You want your child to be excited about this project, right?

So, follow your child’s interests when you choose. You want something that they’re curious about or something related to one of their passions.

You can choose a music project if your child loves music.

Or try a sports project if they are passionate about sports. For example your hockey fan would love this Hockey Science experiment.

One year, my daughter did a project all about ice cream! Follow any interest, big or small, that your child is excited about.

If your child is unsure about what they want to do, have them fill in the blanks with these questions.

I wonder if…

What happens if…

Their answer will most likely make a wonderful project.

Does it fit the guidelines?

Before you completely nail down your idea, read through the science fair guidelines that were sent home.

Does your project fit in the guidelines?

Can you follow all the rules with your idea?

Each science fair will have different guidelines. It’s very important to make sure your idea will work.

Are you ready to choose?

I hope I’ve answered the question, “how do I choose a science fair project”.

Remember, it doesn’t have to be complicated. Just ask yourself:

Is it age appropriate?

Is it do-able?

Can you easily illustrate it?

Does it fit your child’s interests?

Does it fit the guidelines?

If you answered yes to all these questions, it’s time to fill out that form and get started with your science fair experiment!

You can find some fun science fair activities here:

Chemical Reaction Science Experiments for Kids

Winter STEM Activities for Kids

Fun Kitchen Science Experiments for Kids

Fairy Tale Science Experiments at Science Sparks

Great science resources:

If you’d like to consult a book for a fun science fair idea, here are some of my favorites:

A great way to enjoy STEM with your family

Wouldn’t it be so much fun to get STEAM family activities delivered to your inbox? I think so! That’s why I’ve created this fun series, STEAM Family Fun, to be delivered to your inbox. After going through all the letters in STEAM each week with a fun activity devoted to each, you’ll start receiving a fun STEAM activity once a month. (And I’ll also pop up in your inbox occasionally if I’ve got other fun things to share.)

Fill out the form below to start receiving STEAM Family Fun in your inbox.

The Best Parenting Resources in One Bundle

By Terri Thompson

As adults, we’re pretty awesome at a lot of things.

We tackle big challenges in our careers, our finances, and our health. We build impressive things. We write legal documents. We manage teams and conferences and estates and classrooms.

But when it comes to parenting, we often feel surprisingly unsure whether we know what we’re doing at all.

You’ve been there too, right? That’s why these parenting resources from the Parenting Super Bundle are a must-have.

Disclosure: This post contains Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for more details.

For six days only, you can get your hands on a package full of parenting resources to help you rock this parenting gig even more, for the most affordable price ever. (Seriously, just wait until I tell you the price.)

This brand-new bundle includes 35 ebooks, 10 eCourses, 23 printables, 9 workbooks, 2 audios, and 1 membership site. Check out all the resources below!

Amazing, isn’t it? I don’t often jump for bundle deals, but this one was just too valuable to pass by.

These top-quality resources cover everything you need to make parenting feel less stressful (and more fun!)… chore charts, discipline methods and ideas, strategies for tough challenges (for kids and for parents), printable craft ideas, homeschooling helps, and so much more.

Plus, the resources are perfect for kids of all ages. You’ll find toddler resources, preschool resources, school-age kid resources, and even some resources that are great for tweens. No matter what age group you parent, you’ll find enough resources that add up to well-above the bundle price of $29.97.

Some of my favorites resources are:

Cooking Around the World by Debbie Madson
120 Math & Literacy No-Prep Games for K-2 by Anna Geiger
Nurture Art: How to Develop a Joyful Art Practice With Your Children by Cathy James
Funny Mom Joke Pack: Make Your Kids Laugh Every Day of the Year by Jill Riley
Random Acts of Kindness Cards for Kids by Lauren Tamm & Rachel Norman
Plus, my own ebook, 31 Ways to Practice Spelling Words.

And those are just the tip of the iceberg. I know you’ll find something you’re interested in.

Plus, this bundle of parenting resources comes with over $100 worth of bonus offers from companies you’ll love.. One of my favorite bonuses are 10 free audio stories from Around the World Stories. So aweseome!

You sort of need to see it to believe it, but the package includes 80 digital products and it’s worth over $1270! You can find the complete list of parenting resources in this bundle at this link.

Besides being so incredibly helpful, one of the things I like best about the bundle is the price. By offering it for a short time only, they’re able to give you access to over $1270 worth of amazing products for a whopping 98% off!

Here’s how it works:

Visit the Parenting Super Bundle website, take a quick look at all the goodness that comes in this package, then click the “Get my copy now!” button to go through their simple and secure 3-step checkout process.
You’ll receive an email with a login to their online access portal, where you’ll begin downloading your eBooks, signing up for your eCourses, and redeeming your free bonus offers.
Use their Getting Started Guide to pick the topic you want to tackle first and give you joy in your parenting journey!

The most important detail, though, is that this bundle is available for just six days! After Monday night, August 14th, the sale ends and you’d have to buy all of these products individually.

I’d hate for you to miss out, so click HERE to learn more or buy the bundle.

It’s even backed by a 100% happiness guarantee, so you can make sure it’s right for you.

As you already know, parenting is amazing and difficult. Enjoying it even on the craziest of days is not impossible.

You don’t need to be a perfect parent to raise great kids, but if you (like me) could use a little help, learn more or get your bundle HERE.

(Psst… the bundle goes away at 11:59 pm Eastern on Monday, August 14th, so don’t wait!)

Free Printable 2017 Calendar

By Terri Thompson

It’s time.

That new year switch in my brain has been turned on. Lately, I’ve been clearing out excess paper and even cleaning up digital files in order to get ready for the new year.

I love a fresh start. Don’t you?

And a fresh start always comes with a brand-new calendar.

I always had a hard time find exactly the kind of calendar I want. I’m looking for simple. I want the right size. And, I want it to be pretty. I never could find the type I wanted, so I began making my own.

Keep reading to grab your own copy of my free printable 2017 Calendar.

Keep organized with this free printable 2017 calendar. It prints vertically and fits perfectly on a clipboard or in a pretty binder.

Disclosure: This post contains Amazon Affiliate link. Please see my Disclosure Page for more details.

Why do you need this calendar?

It’s simple and uncluttered. You won’t find any holidays, moon phases, or anything else that can clutter up a calendar. We all have different dates that are important to our families, so there is plenty of room to personalize it yourself.

It’s vertical. So many printable calendars are horizontal. I couldn’t find many options for vertical calendars. I love this design because it’s easy to clip on a clipboard or to punch with a three-hold punch and add to a binder.

It’s free. No need to leave the house. Just download and print. If you need a family calendar and a personal calendar, just print two copies. How much easier can it get?

Click the link below to get your calendar. If you have any problems downloading, please let me know.

PRINTABLE 2017 CALENDAR

It’s time to get a fresh start for the New Year with a fresh calendar. Be sure to download yours today.

A New Place to Hang Out: The Parent’s Coffee House

By Terri Thompson

How often do you get to meet up with friends? For me it’s not too often, especially since so many of my friends don’t even live in the same town.

But, even if they do live nearby, it’s a struggle. You’ve got to work around work schedules, school, activities, child care – planning can be next to impossible.

That’s why some friends and I got together to create a virtual space where we can hang out at anytime. You can stop by whenever your schedule will allow and never have to worry about childcare.

This new community, the Parent’s Coffee House, is located over on Facebook. It’s a private group, so you’ll have to request to join. But don’t worry, we’ll add you if you request! It’s set up to allow you to ask questions and converse without all your Facebook friends seeing what you write. They would only see if they are also in the group. And, if you know of any friends who would love the group, please invite them to join. Everyone is welcome.

Click here to join the Parent’s Coffee House.

We hope to create a thriving community that’s both fun and helpful. What will we talk about?

Parenting issues
School issues
Homework help
Learning activities for your older kids
Family adventures
Books
And just about anything that you want!

Do you want to join? We’d love to have you. I look forward to getting to know you better and have some conversations with new friends. Let’s have coffee together soon!

Come join a new community for parents where we'll talk about parenting, school issues, family fun, after school activities, and more.

Printable 2016 Calendar

By Terri Thompson

All I want every year is a pretty vertical calendar I can clip on a clipboard. It doesn’t sound like too much to ask, or so I thought. I remember last year putting my Google skills to the test to try to find one I liked. It was tough. I never did find on that I liked. Maybe I’m too picky.

This year, I didn’t even bother searching. I convinced myself that I could do this myself. It can’t be that hard. Or so I thought….

I won’t bore you with the details, but as you can see, I did it. I created the simple and pretty calendar of my dreams and I’m sharing it with you.

Disclosure: This post contains Amazon Affiliate links. Please see my disclosure for more details.

I kept things simple. Each month is on a separate page. It’s a great at-a-glance calendar. Use it to record important dates. Keep track of school events and school holidays. Label important birthdays so you don’t forget!

I agonized for awhile about whether or not to include holidays, but in the end, I left them off. I wanted this calendar to work for anyone in the world. There were just too many holidays to include for everyone (cause I wanted to include as many as I could) that I was afraid the calendar would get too cluttered and wouldn’t be useful for you. I’m leaving it up to you to include all the dates that are important to you.

Use the link below to download and print your calendar. Print on card stock for durability and clip it on a clip board for ease of use. I hope you enjoy it!

Click here for your 2016 Printable Calendar.

I hope this is the exact calendar you’ve been searching for to. I know I’m happy not to have to go on a Google search.

Parenting

How Do I Choose a Science Fair Project?