Science Fair Project Ideas

MarsCS

One of my wife's friends has a son in 5th grade, he's 10, that want's to make a robot for a science fair project. My wife wants me to step in and help him to make sure he learns something. His parents are, how do you say... not very concerned with his education. If his father is the only one helping him he will end up with a cardboard cutout of a transformer, and some kind of made up BS on a cardboard display. His parents actually would like me to help after my wife talked them into it. Does anyone have any ideas, I am not sure what would be appropriate for this age group. Does anyone have any suggestions???

Mike Green

A BoeBot or SumoBot or Scribbler would be very appropriate. The BoeBot has the most educational material available for it, starting with the "What's a Microcontroller?" tutorial and continuing through the "Robotics with the BoeBot" tutorial. Pretty much any of the projects in the tutorials could be used as the basis for a science fair project. If he gets interested, he can go a very long way with a BoeBot. If he's not that interested, he can at least do a good quality project.

SRLM

If you are going to provide guidance, make sure you know the material to perfection before you try and teach him. Remembering from my own fifth grade days, I had my own agenda and that including not working on anything longer than about an hour. My dad even gave me a BS2 (as I discovered years later), yet no instructions or dirrection. Now that I know how to program the thing, I'm ready to return to that long ago project. Anyway, my suggestion: keep it in small steps with material that you understand.

MarsCS

Thanks for your input... I am not sure if this is even gonna play out 'cause his parents have this idea that I am gonna be able to stop by one night for a few hours and it'll be done. Who knows what will happen. The science fair is October 14th and I have not even had the chance to talk to him or his parents.

Thanks again,