Science fairs don’t just give kids a sense of the scientific process–they give them hands-on experience! Explore topics such as magnetism and water with these engaging projects!
Make a powerful impactful statement about music with this eighth grade experiment on how music affects plant growth! Or create an easy yet thought-provoking project by making a lemon battery.
Spherification
Spherification is a popular molecular gastronomy technique that transforms liquids into bite-sized spheres for drinks and desserts that burst with flavor upon entering your mouth. Use this process to craft drinks and treats that provide maximum enjoyment!
Food spherification experiments require gelling agents such as sodium alginate. Other possible options include carrageenan, pectin or agar agar; sodium alginate has proven particularly successful at both direct and reverse spherification processes and can tolerate higher temperatures before melting away.
Conduct experiments with different foods and liquids, paying close attention to how acidic they are. Be sure to allow for adequate rest time between drops.
Hydraulics
Construction sites and car manufacturers alike utilize hydraulic systems made up of cylinders, pistons and valves to transfer force between ends of an object or machine. Hydraulics make it possible for machines to lift massive loads using pressure applied at low input.
Learn about Hooke’s law with this entertaining science fair project that utilizes household materials to measure weight. While this requires patience and physics expertise, this activity will satiate kids’ inner physicists.
Magnets and mud make a fascinating combination, especially when combined into this magnetic mud recipe from STEAMsational. Students can test how different fertilizers affect plant growth through this earth-friendly science project.
Elevator
Apart from the excitement of participating in a science fair, kids gain important STEM skills such as experimentation, hypothesis testing and data analysis. By participating in high school science fair projects students can hone their research and problem-solving capabilities while gaining hands-on experience using scientific method.
Kids who love tinkering will delight in this hydraulics project, while animal enthusiasts can test whether cats have different chromosomes in each coat or explore how music impacts plant growth. Sports fans may also enjoy performing an experiment that compares electrolyte levels among various sports drinks.
Snakes
Snakes are an integral part of ecosystem, playing an essential role in keeping small animal populations under control and maintaining balance within it.
Snakes track prey using pit holes located just in front of their eyes that sense heat, as well as bones in their lower jaws that detect vibrations from running rodents. Snakes are commonly found across Africa, Western Asia and most tropical and subtropical America.
Kids can learn how snakes capture prey using this engaging science fair project, which features a model snake and simple experiments.
Cars
Students eager to delve deeper into the science of motion can participate in exciting STEM projects that center around cars. These car experiments use model vehicles as platforms for exploring concepts like kinetic energy, force and action and reaction.
Students can isolate and alter variables to make a geyser burst the longest with this innovative science fair project idea from Steve Spangler Science. Students may also discover what color attracts ants with Bright Hub Education’s Ant Study; or use National Geographic Kids’ experiment on Rust Formation for another fun experience!
Batteries
Batterys transform chemical energy into electrical energy and provide power for many of the things we use every day, from hearing aids and wristwatches to phone exchanges and computer data centers. Their sizes range from individual miniature cells used in hearing aids and wristwatches all the way up to large banks providing standby power backup.
Little Bins for Little Hands has created a simple homemade battery experiment for kids to learn the fundamental components and chemical process that power batteries, and can expand this study by testing how different brands and types perform at various temperatures.
Roller Coaster
Roller coasters are high-speed railways with steep inclines and descents that offer passengers an exciting thrill ride. Students can explore how its forces keep it upright with this interesting science fair project!
Students interested in becoming future forensic scientists can learn to identify fingerprints with this awesome science fair experiment and put that knowledge to use solving crimes as part of an eighth grade science fair project.
Scientists typically begin their projects by reading up on a particular subject and gathering observations about it, making observations themselves, or by making observations around them. Youngsters can emulate these practices with these exciting science fair experiments that require minimal household supplies.