Chapter 23: The REAL THING. Running your experiment!!!!! “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5

Introduction You have done a wonderful job of preparing for your experiment but now you must DO IT. This is a very fun part of the science fair. TAKE TIME and don’t rush. DO IT RIGHT so you don’t have to do it over.

Starting that Practice Experiment! It is time to run your real experiment. Be sure to record progress in your journal on a daily basis as you work on your project. Don’t rely on your memory. Have the journal right next to you as you work. Write down your exact procedure as you do it so you record it exactly right. If you make any unexpected changes, make sure to note the changes. You should tape all graphs and charts into the journal if you need to record them on a larger piece of paper. Make sure you add plenty of notes to help you remember what happened with each subject. Remember! Collect every bit of data that you can, even if you think you won’t use it. It is usually impossible to get it later without redoing your experiment

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words. Pictures are a great addition to your science fair display and you need to take a lot of them as you work! They help illustrate your procedure, show that the work is your own, and create a more interesting presentation on your poster.

Picture Guidelines Things you should include in your pictures: Photos of you conducting your experiment but no faces. Photos of your subjects participating in your project, especially animals. Photos of any items you built to complete your project. Photos of the results. Before and after photos are especially helpful. Drawings of your work are a super addition! Things you should never include in pictures placed on your poster: Photos of any human faces that participated in the study. Photos of any surgeries or unpleasant procedures. No nudity or illegal activities. Nothing that reveals the identity of you or your subjects. Photos of any prizes or awards that were associated with the project.

Remember to write in your prayer journal and scientific notebook!! When you are finished with your experiment, carefully look through your journal. Do you see anything missing? If so, go ahead and make a note that you missed it and add it in.