Science Fair Project Tips: Part Five – Presenting the Project
The only thing you have left to do after creating a presentation board for your kid’s science fair project is to help him or her present the project at the fair. Some children are naturally gifted speaking in front of other people, and others are a little nervous about the process. Your child will probably have to explain his or her project to a class full of people, so you need to help him or her speak intelligently about the experiment. Here are some tips you can rely on for that.
Create Reference Cards
Your child should have some sort of speech memorized before the fair, but he or she will probably forget everything when the nerves kick in. That is where some simple index cards can make a big difference. Write down a simple outline for your child to follow in case he or she forgets something along the way. That way he or she will be able to speak about the project in a natural and conclusive manner.
Organize the Board
When you work on the presentation board with your child, you may want to set it up so that it is easy to follow. That way your child can basically use the board as an outline while he or she speaks. You should start from the left and work your way over, with the bottom right corner representing the conclusion for the project. You could reserve the wings for supplementary information if you want, or you could incorporate them with main section. That part is up to you and your child.
Practice, Practice, Practice
Have your child rehearse his or her presentation a few times with you so he or she gets used to explaining it to other people. If there is a time limit for the presentation, use a timer to monitor how long your child speaks. With enough practice and a little encouragement from you, your child should have a successful science fair project from start to finish.
Need help from the start? Check out some of our other science fair project tips for more information: