Yeah, I'm not fond of botany either.
Moonbear, I think you might be aiming too low with your science fair suggestions. Garrett here sounds more advanced.
I'm still trying to get a feel for what level Garrett is at. The project I suggested can be built up to something more challenging, or kept very straightforward. The problem with doing a biology project for a science fair is access to supplies. You can't just run down to the corner Radio Shack or hardware store and find everything you need. If he has access to a microscope, identifying bacteria isn't entirely trivial (that's college level microbiology). If he doesn't have access to a microscope, and he has to resort to counting plaques on petri dishes, then it's a bit less exciting. Incubating cultures is going to be difficult too. I thought adding an experimental component of comparing efficacy of different methods of hand-washing might be kind of fun. Though, it may turn him into one of those people paranoid about touching the handle on the bathroom door. For even more fun, he could sneak around the school cafeteria taking samples.
Where's everyone else around here? We could use some more suggestions. Even if it sounds far-fetched, if it seems fun, suggest it. It might trigger other ideas, or be more feasible than you think.
