First Time to the Science Fair

You are in for a treat.  It really doesn't matter what grade your student is in, he or she will need your help, guidance and your nurturing.  First, you need to make sure you know the rules and help the student to be sure the rules are followed.  In most cases, you may be the student's only mentor.  That means working with the student to help with complicated tasks, or sometimes providing assistance in laying out the project plan.  It is imperative that the student does the work and the experiment, that he/she has done a good job with literature search, and has kept a good notebook.  Showing interest throughout the project and advising regarding board layout and color scheme will help the student tremendously.  Don't forget, Doctoral students all have advisers help them along the way.  Why not help your student as well!  But, never slip up and say "we are doing our project".  This should in no way be your project, it must be the student's project; from idea and hypothesis or problem statement through to completion.  Yes, it is a balancing act. When is too much help being given?  That is a judgment call you or the mentor must make.