Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is Our Science Fair?

Our Science Fair is a free easy-to-use online tool that helps you put together a fantastic science fair event for your school. When you create an Our Science Fair account for your school, you get a free website that is all about your school's science fair. The website will have an address (URL) such as http://HillValleyElementary.oursciencefair.com, and it will include several professionally designed, but customizable pages. It has a home page is where you can publish general information about your science fair, such as date, time, requirements, volunteering information, etc. The website also includes a registration page for students and parents to enter a project for your science fair, an order form for them to purchase supplies such as display boards, and a photo upload page for them to submit photos to be included in the slide show. Be the hero and kick off your fair today!

Q: What do I get if I use Our Science Fair?

You get several things. First and foremost, you get a free website where you can publish information about your school's science fair (here is an example). The website includes pages for students or parents to sign up for your science fair, order supplies (e.g., display boards), and upload their photos. You also get the convenience of having all the student registration information in a spreadsheet-ready format so that you never have to type it in yourself. Parents get the benefit of being able to sign up and order supplies online and pay by credit card, eliminating the need for paper forms and checks. You may also use these sales as a no-hassle fundraiser for your school (or PTA / PTO). Finally, you will receive a complimentary slide show DVD including the photos that were submitted by the students and parents. Check out our advantages to find out more.

Q: This seems like a big change for our school, and I'm nervous about it. How can I be sure this won't backfire and make me look bad?

Firstly, we're more than happy to chat with you on the phone. We'll answer any questions or concerns you may have and help you make the right decision for your school without pressuring you in any way. So definitely contact us if you are unsure about something. For communities where most parents already have an internet-connected computer at home, this is really not a big change for them. They will appreciate the convenience of being able to register for your science fair online rather than having to fill out a paper form. For teachers that also have easy access to an internet-connected computer, they will appreciate the ability to see all of their students' science project information (title, requirements, etc.) in a single online view rather than having to sift through 20 or 30 papers. (Of course, they can always print out the data if they prefer a hard copy.) So, in general, we believe that Our Science Fair will be a welcome and refreshing change for your school, and that you won't need to be nervous about it.

Q: What kinds of schools do you work with?

We work with elementary schools, middle (junior high) schools, and high schools. We work with both private and public schools.

Q: How much does Our Science Fair cost?

It is a completely free service, and there is no advertising anywhere on the main site or your school's Our Science Fair site.

Q: Why is Our Science Fair free?

It is free because we want to support a great science education for all school-aged children. We know from experience that hosting a school science fair is a great way to encourage kids to explore their world on their own using scientific methods and techniques. We also recognize that many schools have a tight budget and cannot afford to spend money on services that are seen as merely adding convenience. Therefore, we decided to make Our Science Fair free. We cover our own expenses through the sales of project display boards and other supplies to parents. We do not post online advertisements anywhwere on our site or your school's Our Science Fair site (because we think that would be annoying).

Q: It sounds like Our Science Fair allows you to collect data about our students. What are you going to do with that data?

We do absolutely nothing with that data. We do not share it with anyone and we do not sell it to anyone. Please read our privacy pledge for more information. The data that your students/parents enter through your school's Our Science Fair website is yours. It is only accessible to you (the science fair coordinator) and any teachers or staff at your school.

Q: What about regional or state science fairs?

Currently, Our Science Fair is targeted at school science fairs. However, if you are in charge of a regional or state science fair, and would like to use this service, you are welcome to contact us directly to discuss whether we can help you.

Q: What if I start using Our Science Fair, and then later change my mind?

You may stop using Our Science Fair at any time, and there is no penalty for doing so. Simply remove any links from your school's main website or your newsletters that point to your school's Our Science Fair website.

Q: What if our school doesn't have a science fair?

Start one this year! A science fair is one of the best ways to encourage scientific exploration at an early age. A school science fair doesn't have to cost you anything, and doesn't have to be difficult or complicated to organize. If you use Our Science Fair, then a lot of the difficult parts are taken care of for you. You'll need to find out if you can use your school's cafeteria or gymnasium one evening, and you can lay out cafeteria tables for the students to display their projects. Many science fairs these days are non-competitive, so you don't even need to find judges.

Q: How much money can my school raise by using Our Science Fair?

This largely depends on the size of your school and the level of participation in the science fair. You raise money by choosing a higher sales price for the items that are available for purchase to parents of the students. You keep the difference between the base price of the item and the sales price. For example, suppose the base price of the project display board is $4.50, but you choose to sell them for $6.50. Then you'll earn $2.00 each time a parent purchases a display board for their child. If 150 parents decide to purchase a board, then you will have raised $300. You can find out the base price of each item once you create your account. All sales are handled through your school's Our Science Fair website which gets created for you automatically, so you don't need to do anything.

Q: What kinds of items can parents purchase on our school's Our Science Fair site?

We are continually trying to improve our service by adding new items to the list. At present, we offer project display boards, project header boards, and slide show DVDs.

Q: What forms of payment can parents use to purchase supplies?

Parents may pay for supplies by writing a check to your school or PTA/PTO organization. They may also pay online using any major credit card or an existing PayPal account.

Q: If parents pay for supplies by check, who do they make the check out to?

The checks should be made payable to your school or your PTA/PTO organization that is running the science fair. You will process those checks and deposit them into your own account. Our Science Fair will deliver the supplies to your school for you to distribute to the students. Then, once your science fair event has taken place, Our Science Fair will send you an invoice for the amount that you owe to pay for the supplies (the base price).

Q: If parents pay for supplies by credit card or PayPal, who receives the money and how do we get our portion?

In the case of a credit card or PayPal transaction, Our Science Fair receives the payment directly. Then we send your school (or PTA/PTO) a check for the amount that is above the base price of the item (for your fundraising effort).

Q: When and how do supplies get delivered?

Supplies, such as display boards, get delivered to your school, so that you can distribute them to the students in their classrooms (or however else you may choose to distribute them). The delivery schedule can be configured by you, but we make every effort to ensure that supplies are delivered early enough that students have plenty of time to use them for their projects. Typically, in order to reduce shipping costs, we wait until an entire carton is full before we ship it to you. However, as your science fair date approaches, you can certainly request a partially-full carton to be shipped (at no additional charge).

Q: What are the shipping costs?

The cost of shipping the supplies to you is already included in the base price of the items that are sold. So there is no additional cost to you for shipping and handling.

Q: What if our school already has a website?

Perfect! After you create your Our Science Fair account and website, you should add a link from your school's main website to your Our Science Fair website. That way, students and parents will be able to easily find information about your science fair and register for it.

Q: What if our school already has its own science fair website?

Many schools already do, and this is fantastic! Use your existing science fair website as the main site where students and parents go to get all kinds of information about your science fair. Then add a link or button labeled "Register for the science fair!" from your site that leads to the registration page on your new Our Science Fair website.

Q: How customizable is our school's Our Science Fair website?

Most aspects of your Our Science Fair website are customizable. You can customize the banner image that shows up at the top of each page. Typically this banner image would show your school's logo or a photo of your school. You can also customize most of the text that shows up on each page of the website. You can also customize the sales price of each item as well as delivery options and payment options. But the best way to find out what's possible is simply to create an account and play with it yourself!

Q: How can I stay up to date on announcements and new features?

You can subscribe to our blog, or simply create an account so you will receive our regular email newsletters.

Q: I still have more questions. How can I get answers?

We are very willing to spend time answering all of your questions. You can email us or call us using the information on this page.