Nature Based Science Fair/Home School Project Ideas

Still a teacher at heart, as I explore our property looking at birds, wildflowers, the occasional lizard or snake, abundant grasshoppers and other wildlife, I find myself asking, "I wonder" questions.  It has occurred to me that these may make good, observation-based projects for some long term science projects (in other words, if your project is due in two days, this won't help, unless you want to start something today that you can use next year!!!!).

If you do decide to use one of these ideas, please let me know (I am after all, naturally curious!).  If you post your results on a website, please share that too, and we'll link to it!

All I am doing is posing questions, it's up to you to apply the scientific method (search the web for 'scientific method' or go to http://www.scientificmethod.com) to design your project!  Be sure to design your project so that you do no harm! 

Many of these are projects you can start and follow for several years, so please consider making your journal one that you will want to keep for a long time.  Which makes me wonder, what have student or back yard journals contributed to higher scientific studies?

Hummingbirds

What happens if you vary the 4 parts water to 1 part sugar ratio?

Where is the best place to hang a feeder?

Do hummingbirds exhibit a preference for feeder types?

Does the number of feeders impact the amount of 'fighting'?

Does the placement of feeders impact the amount of  'fighting'?

How can I keep ants out of the feeder?

How can I keep bees and wasps away from the feeder?

Will hummingbirds come to a feeder with no red on it?

If I hang a different feeder in the same place will it change how hummingbirds feed?

What happens if I plant "hummingbird friendly" plants near a feeder?

In hot weather, it is recommended that the syrup/nectar be changed every 2-3 days so that it doesn't spoil or ferment and harm the birds.  Does changing it more often impact the feeding habits?

Does using commercial nectars instead of homemade sugar water impact the feeding habits? (This is just a more scientific way of asking which nectar do the hummingbirds like better!)

Aviaries and zoos used to have trouble keeping hummingbirds on exhibit when they fed just sugar water.  How can you find out what else they need in their diet?  How you can supplement your feeders with that item?  Track what happens.

Are hummingbirds more loyal to a feeding spot or a feeder?

Wasps using your feeder more than the hummingbirds?  Try making your own "Wasp Be Gone" trap.

Butterflies

Look for connections between temperature and the kinds (species) and numbers of butterflies flying.

Test different types of butterfly baits, including sugar water (play with the strength, butterfly feeders recommend 20 parts water to 1 part sugar, which begs the question do hummingbirds and butterflies visit different flowers and are their nectars that different (20:1 vs 4:1) or did a scientist decide this based on their perception of what butterflies and hummingbirds need?), rotting fruit, rotting fruit with sugar water, baits found by searching online. 

Test location of baits, are more butterflies attracted at ground level, 1 foot, 2 feet, etc.

Suet Feeders

Which suet do the birds 'like' best?  Hint: Think of the wire cage as a grid.

Weather

Which TV meteorologist gives the most accurate forecast?

Wildflowers

Does growing under a power line make a difference?

Do individual flowers change color throughout their blooming life?

Does the mixture of insects and other critters visiting areas of wildflowers vary throughout the day, or over time (first day in bloom, second, etc.)?

Fire Ants

Find folk remedies (non-chemical) and test their effectiveness. In this case, do no harm may apply to yourself, from either the treatment you try, or getting to close to the ants!

Will the community of ants in one mound learn?  What do I mean by this?  We have a gate at the end of our drive-way that scrapes the ground when I open and close it, which we do frequently, but not regularly.  I noticed that a new mound had started in one of the scraped areas, so every time I opened or closed the gate, the mound was scraped down to the ground.  Did the ants rebuild it every time?  Would it have made a difference if I opened and closed the gate every day, week, only once a month?

"Dead" Trees

What role do dead trees or snags play in their habitat?  Think like a Crime Scene Investigator!

Pick a dead tree or log and chronicle its decomposition.

Does where a tree falls make a difference in how it is used and decomposed (think about what a pine forest looks like and where mesquite trees, for example).

Natural Succession

What would happen if you picked an area that is normally manicured (mowed, weeded, etc.) and let it grow?

What would happen if you protected an area that was normally grazed by cattle, sheep, goats, or deer?

Puddles

Chronicle the changes you see in natural puddles.  Compare and contrast the changes based on size, shape and/or substrate.  Can any puddle attract water insects like water striders?  How long does it take for mosquitos to lay eggs in water, or hatch out?  Are butterflies attracted to your puddle, and what are they doing?