Science fair projects involve collecting, analyzing and presenting data. Students should select an interesting topic as this will inspire experimentation while simultaneously giving them practice presenting to an audience.
A scientific log is a step-by-step list of all your activities related to an experiment, as well as any scientific questions and hypotheses you have for it.
Sponge Rock Experiment
Nothing excites kids more about science than hands-on experiments! These engaging activities allow students to connect their studies to real-life applications while fostering creativity and critical thinking – perfect for classrooms, science fair projects, or homeschooling environments.
This project examines how different forms of stress affect sedimentary rock structures. Students build model rocks of various shapes in order to observe how each form of stress impacts these rocks structures.
This experiment introduces children to density through an engaging experience. Fill one glass of water with freshwater and another with saltwater; observe as an egg sinks in one, yet floats in the other to demonstrate density; higher densities indicate more material is packed into an object.
Chalk Water Experiment
Students can gain insight into chemistry and matter through this easy, fun experiment. Kids will get a feel for what happens when chemical changes take place in fluids like water and vinegar.
Chalk is comprised of calcium carbonate, and when exposed to acidic solutions like vinegar it dissipates into solution causing similar effects as when limestone statues and buildings exposed to rain becoming increasingly acidic are exposed.
Students should observe and record their results, taking note of which one reacted faster. Students will likely notice that crushed chalk reacted more rapidly due to smaller particles reacting faster with vinegar than larger pieces did, providing an excellent opportunity for exploring how size affects reactions.
Sundial Experiment
The human sundial experiment is an engaging hands-on science activity that teaches students about Earth’s rotation and time, shadow movement and how to use shadows to tell time.
To complete this experiment, find a safe outdoor area in full sunlight and make a sundial using Crayola Giant Sidewalk Chalk. Draw a circle, evenly spacing out marks for every hour of the day along the edge, mark its center mark, then stand inside of it at various times during the day with one student standing inside at various times and having their shadow traced by another student in turn.
Ask your students to identify and explain any trends they observed (i.e. longer shadows when sundown occurs and shorter ones at other times of day).
Milk Plastic Experiment
If you’re searching for an exciting way to demonstrate Newton’s second law of inertia, this fascinating science experiment will make an impressionful statement about it. Similar activities were used before synthetic plastics came along – creating old milk plastics such as casein plastic (casein plastic, Galalith and Erinoid).
Your students can participate in this kitchen chemistry experiment and turn milk into plastic-like substance by applying heat and acid. Casein protein will react with vinegar to form curd.
To conduct this experiment, you’ll need skim milk, vinegar, baking soda and a strainer along with a microwave. Try altering your percentage of fat for different results by changing up or down in terms of milk volume.
Catapult Experiment
Students will construct a catapult and use it to measure the distance of cotton ball’s flight. They will observe how changing force (angle) affects its velocity – this will enable them to understand Newton’s laws of motion that are used when designing airplanes or amusement park rides.
Kids participating in this experiment will assemble a “beam” out of five craft sticks and two rubber bands. For this activity, cut notches into the ends of two craft sticks before tying a rubber band around them and positioning a pile of sticks between these two craft sticks to form the “beam.” This project can help build children’s spatial skills as they learn about different materials while building structures using science experiments!
Stretch a rubber band between the throwing arm and base of the catapult to add tension. This will cause cotton balls to fly further.