I just found out about a great resource for students about science fairs. It was created by a student, Kevin Temmer, as part of his community outreach project in high school and is an animated video that teaches students about the science fair. NASA, the National Science Foundation and National Geographic have featured this video.
You can view the animation here: http://www.schooltube.com/video/f0c0a7a0e5cd2646928c/Prepare-for-the-Science-Fair and it is embedded below. It is 15 minutes long.
The NASA profile on his animation can be viewed here: http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/science-fair-is-a-winner.html
Kevin's father shared this information with me because Kevin would like more students to view this to help inspire them to participate in science fairs and pursue science careers. It's also a good example of the kinds of projects that students can do outside of the typical assignments.
Share it with your students and colleagues.
Here is the video: