While many students may not think much about poop, it is actually an interesting compound made up of food waste, bacteria and digestive enzymes. Poop’s composition is based on what the animal that produced it ate. Animals that are carnivores or omnivores have poop that has more nitrogen and odor producing molecules then the poop of herbivores do and because of this it smells a lot more and it is slower to degrade. Because of these facts it does not make a good compost material. Herbivore poop, on the other hand, is comprised of organic materials that break down quickly. It, therefore, makes a great composting material.
Students, or classrooms, that are studying ecosystems, biodegradability and/or environment issues, may want to explore the fascinating world of poop. Projects on this subject can range from ways to overcome the obstacles of using carnivore poop for compost to determining which types of plants prefer carnivore poop to herbivore poop. You can also design a project that looks at how much poop is produced in a given area based on the number dogs, cats, birds and humans.
Finding ways to handle waste products like poop is important for many reasons. First of all, healthy alternatives to old sludge ponds are needed to keep our communities safe from biological hazards. Next we don’t want to walk in a park filled with doggie landmines. Finally, starting a discussion with your students about managing pet poop can be used as a lead in to discussions about other waste science issues like landfills, recycling and the strategy of “reduce, reuse and recycle.”
As an educator you can introduce interesting topics like the science of poop to your students through easy science fair projects or science experiments. These in-class projects can then be used to inspire award winning science fair projects.
Tags: easy science fair projects, science experiments, science fair projects, science project
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Science experiments come in all shapes and sizes. When selecting a science experiment you don’t want to rely on the same tired old ones. To keep your kids or students excited about science, occasionally you have to work outside the box.
Finding new ideas for your classroom demonstration that are new, innovative and topical, means that you have to spend time researching science break throughs and science news. However, what I like to do when I am stumped for demonstration ideas is to brainstorm with my students to see what they are interested in, what science topics are impacting their worlds and what concepts they want to experiment with. During the brainstorming session I have one of the students act as the record keeper. They write the ideas on the chalk board or dry erase board. We then vote on the topics at the end of class to narrow down our options to the top five. I then use this list to focus my research and to come up with a new demonstration.
When researching a science topic to come up with a new in class demonstration or science project, I like to start by looking at the websites developed by government agencies, like the Department of Energy. These sites tend to offer the best free resources for teachers including multimedia downloads, lesson plans and other supplemental materials. I then supplement this information with other materials that I find online and in the school’s library.
In class science experiments are a great springboard for energy science fair projects. Visit this blog on Mondays and Friday to get new ideas for science experiments and to learn more about contemporary science fair projects and education.
Tags: energy science fair projects, project ideas, science experiments
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DON’T PANIC! THE COMMUNITY OF SCIENCE FAIR WIZARDS ARE HERE TO HELP YOU… TEACHERS, PARENTS AND TEACHERS WORLDWIDE!
 I know when its science fair time because e-ons of emails arrive every day from parents, students and teachers:
Will you send me a science fair project?
What is a good science fair project that my daughter can do for her 7th grade science fair?
Do you have easy science fair projects on your site?
Do you know where I can find ….
Well, now we have created a Forum for you to share your science fair experience, ask questions and get answers from each other. This is a blog for students, parents and teachers… a place for you to help each other.
Each post is monitored and will be posted after it is read by an adult. So please keep your comments honest, clean, and helpful. This is an educational site. The purpose of the Super Science Fair Projects blog is to help you to create the best science fair project on the planet! It is not a place to visit with your friends or to joke around. Those posts will be deleted.
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We look forward to your input.
Madeline Binder
Tags: easy science fair projects, elementary school science fair projects, good science fair project, high school science fair projects, middle school science fair projects, science experiments, science fair help, science fair projects, science fair projects blog, science fair projects ideas, science projects
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