Stumped for an idea for a school science fair project? Your kids can use these ideas. (Originated from Knight-Ridder newspapers: John Bordsen of The Charlotte Observer)

Paula Anderson, Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader; Gail Stewart Hand, Grand Forks (N.D.) Herald; Robin Doussard, San Jose Mercury News; Jean Prescott, The (Biloxi, Miss.) Sun Herald; Ronda Haskins, (Boulder, Colo.) Daily Camera; and Paul Saltzman, Miami Herald.)

 
    Knight-Ridder Newspapers 
    It happens around this time every year: The teacher sends home a list of sample projects for the school science fair. And each year, it's hard to find or create one that will make your mental light bulb glow ... one different enough to galvanize attention. 
    You probably know what they're working on at the neighbor's house. Now, here are some neat projects that kids have created around the country. 
    Most were done by grade-schoolers; the complexity of a couple clearly shows them to be projects of older students. With variations, any of these can be made more intricate or otherwise suitable for middle- and high-schoolers. 
    All were ``safety checked'' by Shirley Linker, science curriculum specialist of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in North Carolina. She's a big fan of student fairs, by the way: ``I'm always surprised by what students dream up. And everyone should be aware of how such projects show children's creativity. Their potential is amazing.'' 
    These experiments come from students at Villa Heights Elementary School in Charlotte, N.C.: 
    THE SCOOP ON ICE CREAM 
    In a nutshell: Find out which flavor of ice cream melts the fastest. 
    You'll need: Chocolate, strawberry and vanilla ice cream; three different brands of each flavor (total of nine types); three each: scoops, funnels and glasses; a timer. 
    What to do: Put a funnel in each glass. Measure level scoops of three of the ice creams, put one into each funnel. Measure the time it takes for each to completely melt into glass. Repeat the procedure, using different brands/flavors. 
    IS WEATHERPROOF GLUE WEATHERPROOF? 
    In a nutshell: Use different glues to make objects you can expose to different atmospheric conditions. Which glue works the best? 
    You'll need: Five different glues _ one of which is ``waterproof,'' according to its label; 20 to 30 popsicle sticks; a ruler; wood snippers; five small, identical weights; string; paint. 
    What to do: Build five identical bridges out of popsicle sticks, using a different brand of glue to hold each bridge together. Let all the glues dry. Paint each bridge a different color and record which color goes with which of the five glues. Use string to suspend a weight from each bridge, to make sure each can hold identical weight. Remove the strings and weights. Over the next week, simultaneously expose all the bridges to various weather conditions: Put them all in the freezer for a day; put them outside on a windy day and on a rainy day. Bring the bridges inside and retest each for sturdiness, using the weights and strings again. 
    OUT ON A SUNNY DAY 
    In a nutshell: Determine which kind of material best retains solar heat. 
    You'll need: Air, water, soil, pebbles, four 3-liter bottles, four one-hole rubber stoppers, four long thermometers, a can of flat-black spray paint. 
    What to do: Paint bottles black. When dry, fill each with air or water or soil or stones. Put thermometer in each stopper, with ``balled'' end of the thermometer immersed in the matter; put stopper in bottle. Put bottles in the sun. Check thermometers before sun goes down; check them three times after the sun goes down, at 2- or 4-hour intervals. Measure and record the temperature each time. Repeat the experiment at least 10 times to get reliable data. 
    These projects were mentioned by Susan Cline, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools science resource teacher at Charlotte Nature Museum. 
    JUICE, JUST RIGHT 
    In a nutshell: Find out which method of insulating juice boxes will keep your beverage coolest until lunch time. …