If you have ever wanted to find out why something works the way it does, or why sometimes it works one way and other times it does something different, or how you might improve something you do all the time to make it better, and then played around with it, you have done an informal science fair project. Any time you play around with something to see what happens, try this, try that you have really done an informal science experiments at home.

Little kids do this all the time when they are playing in the sandbox, or playing at the beach. How wet does the sand have to be to make it so when you fill a bucket with sand, and flip it over it won’t fall apart?   Your favorite recipe is something over time you experimented with until you found the perfect combination of ingredients and tricks of the trade. Even when mowing the grass you experiment with the fastest or the coolest patterns you can make.

What makes these a science experiments at home, even if it is informal?

Believe it or not, if you ended up with a solution or an answer, it was either dumb luck or you followed the scientific method. You questioned, you made predictions, you might have read up on the topic or talked to others to gather information, then you experimented and figured out you had to change only one variable at a time to see which one made the difference. Eventually you came up with a conclusion. With these kinds of things you prove yourself right by doing it again and again and having it turn out OK. (I don’t know about mowing the lawn, I think that is a never ending battle, and a really just a great excuse to get out of the house!)

Limiting the variable or in every day people language changing only one thing from one time to the next is the core of any valid science fair experiment, otherwise you don;t know which thing makes the different size of buckets or those beach toy things. Do the plastic ones work better than metal? Eventually as you get older you can take one look at the sand and know if it is right for building. What a great starting place to create home science projects!

When you make your favorite spaghetti dinner, you will add different things to the sauce in different quantities until you get it just right. In our house it involves a can of beer, a dark heavy one is best and we let the alcohol cook off. You nd up with a thick, rich flavor (that does NOT taste like beer!)  Another experiment was which kind of pasta we like best. (vermicelli)

The never ending lawn experiment is always fun as each time you start out, you make a plan. This time I will go around in circles, or this time I will go from the inside out, or back and forth, with the goal of course to not have to go back and catch any blades you missed. You can try time of day, or how high or low you put the mower, and if it makes a difference with how often you have to mow. Never ending and always the best excuse to get out of the house!

When you children are young, their first school science fair experiments will be some fun simple things like seeing if different size and shape ice cubes take longer to melt, or which cereal stays crunchy the longest. Just like the informal science experiments at home you have been doing on your own without realizing it.

Ready to get your copy of these two science experiments at home, and three additional fun, science projects to do at home for fun or for their elementary school science fair? You can get with one click on this link!

Years ago (before I was a mom), I worked as a technical consultant for a large chemical company that, among other things, produced chemical test kits.  Even though I didn’t have children, I knew exactly when the science project assignments were coming out.  I received calls from all over the country asking many of the same things:  “Where can I find a cheap, reliable test for lead?”  (You can’t.)   “How much is a spectrometer?”  (More than you want to spend on a science fair project.)  “Do you sell any test kits without chemicals?”  (I preferred to answer that one with silence.)  These calls came from parents of two types:  (a) those that were genuinely unaware of the cost, hazard and knowledge of such prefab kits and (b)  those that regarded money as no object as long as little Susie or Johnny could get a good grade.

Well, I’ve been called many things in my life (some of which I don’t care to repeat in an open forum).  Coupon Lady.  Junker (not to be confused with junkie). Penny Pincher.  And my favorite—-Queen of Cheap.  I decided that there has to be ways to do quality science projects and keep costs to a minimum.    So, here are some thoughts on creative ways to produce quality science projects without breaking the bank.

1.  Consider the cost BEFORE choosing a project.   Make sure you look over the list of required components.  Are you going to have to buy almost everything new?  Don’t forget to allow some money for producing the final product (if you aren’t crafty and don’t have a supply of cardstock, glue, & accesories, remember that you’ll be buying some stuff to make a project board).  If the project you want to do requires five variables that you will have to purchase at $10 each, you might want to move on to a more budget friendly idea.  Have your young scientist brainstorm on ideas that can be done using everyday household “stuff.”  Personally, I think of a new science project almost every time I do laundry or cook supper (the effect of time on stains, home remedy stain removers, water temperature, boiling points, surface area, etc.)

2.  Make it a game to see how little you can spend on the project.  Perhaps you can incorporate it into the theme  and subtitle accordingly.  For example, “Cheap Heats/Building a solar heater without spending a dime”  This is particularly great if you are doing an experiment or demonstration on something like recyling.  Let the entire assignment be a lesson on budgeting, especially if you have a child in middle school or older!  Can you do a project using only resources at home/borrowed/donated?  How about five dollars?  Ten?  Make it fun!!

3.  Know or learn where to shop.  This can be time consuming, but extremely cost-effecctive.  Many, if not all, of your materials can be found at local thrift stores.  Depending on your area, you may have a plethora of “junk” sources right in your backyard–Salvation Army, Goodwill, Habitat for Humanity, and many local ministries as well.   Also, yard sales are a great resource.  The typical rule of thumb for yard sale prices is 1/8 of the original sales price (so it pays to know the value of things).  Often, you can get people to donate stuff if they know it is for school.  Whether you are shopping at thrift stores or yard sales, don’t be afraid to ASK for deals and/or freebies.  Finally, the internet is a great resource for hunting out great deals.  Craigs’ List is a neat tool for finding local deals.  If a parent or someone you know is on websites such as facebook, you can put out a request…”looking for 2 yards of fabric for science fair project” or “need three different brands of sunscreen…”  You’ll be amazed at the response!

Hope this helps you create a great science project without having to sell an organ!  Happy deal hunting!

Cecilia

PS:  Want an inexpensive way to launch your budget friendly science project?  Consider 24 Hour Science Projects.  There are some excellent ideas with very easy to find (and inexpensive) components!!