A few Science Fair Project Ideas

Regardless of your grade level, you can come up with great science fair project ideas using the weather as a topic. For instance, younger kids can do a science project illustrating cloud information.

Older kids can write a research paper, establish a scientific proof or do a more advanced experiment.

Meteorology makes for an interesting topic, encompassing a wide range of science knowledge and skills. Call it a gold mine for science fair project ideas.

The most popular topic for a science project is air pressure. Getting the facts about atmospheric pressure is part of understanding how the weather can be predicted.

Did you know that the weight of the air on an area about a foot square totals a ton? Fortunately, we have the same amount of pressure inside our bodies pushing back out - so we don't collapse!

So, here are some science fair project ideas that involve atmospheric pressure experiments.

This first one is quite dramatic! Take a cheap wooden yard stick that you don't need. You'll also need one full sheet of newspaper. Lay the yardstick on a kitchen table so that half is sticking out over the floor. Then lay the sheet of newspaper over the half of the stick that is on the table.

Now, strike the yardstick hard with your hand. You might think that the yardstick would fly up and throw the paper into the air. Instead, the yardstick will break. How? Because of the weight of the air on the paper holding the opposite end of the yardstick down.

Good 4th grade science fair projects

Here's another meteorology experiment that illustrates air pressure. Fill a gallon milk jug one-fourth full of very hot water. Screw the lid on tightly.

Now let the jug sit for several hours until the water cools off.

What happens is that the air inside the jug is hot to begin with. Heat causes the molecules of air to move more quickly and to spread out. When the air cools off, the molecules will contract and the air pressure on the outside of the jug will force the jug to partially collapse.

Meteorologists measure the air pressure by using a barometer. They can predict changes in the weather by the changes in the barometric pressure.

When the barometer drops, meaning the atmospheric pressure has dropped, it is likely that a stormy system is coming through. Wind happens when low pressure areas and high pressure areas push up against each other.

But then it blows sideways - go figure!

The study of the weather provides a lot of neat science fair project ideas. Atmospheric pressure is just one weather topic you can explore through a science project, but with a little imagination, you can come up with a lot more!

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