How can you tell if a moving object is accelerating? Why are pulleys used to lift objects? Can you observe weightlessness in everyday situations? Using easy-to-find materials and the scientific method, you can learn the answers to these questions and more. If you are interested in competing in science fairs, the book contains lots of great suggestions and ideas for further experiments.

This book reflects its authors' many years of experience in elementary school teaching, pre-service and in-service education in science, and substantial work in science curriculum development. It is derived from, informed by, and directly linked to both the Benchmarks for Science Literacy and the National Research Council's National Science Education Standards. No other methods book integrates standards to this degree. Written with the idea that students "learn science by doing", this well respected author team focus on the constructivist approach and the integrating of science with other elementary academic subjects.

"The hands-on approach to science fairs"--Cover.

Ideas for hands-on science fair projects in the areas of space, earth, machines, plants, and time.