From biology to chemistry to physics, these exciting science fair projects will help students of all ages make an impression at their next school fair. Each experiment is rated according to difficulty and materials requirements so you can select one suitable for your class.
Use this interactive, hands-on demonstration of meiosis (cell division) to show your students. Plus, it doubles up as an excellent dessert!
Spherification
Spherification is an intriguing technique that allows you to form semi-solid, spherical liquids. This process works by encasing them in a gel-like membrane made of sodium alginate derived from algae. Spherification can be used in various applications from creating visually appealing fruit juice orbs to adding an original touch to cocktails.
This science fair project can also serve as an excellent introduction to molecular gastronomy for students. If you want to know more, take a look at the Science Buddies Store Spherification Kit!
This kit provides all of the essential materials and tools for starting spherification. Materials included are syringes, droppers, containers for water solutions, precision scales and molds.
Hydraulics
Most airplanes utilize hydraulic systems for controlling brakes, landing gear and movement of wing flaps. These systems take advantage of PascalaEUR(tm)s law which states that an increase in pressure at any point within a fluid will create an equal and opposite force at every other location within it.
Students will enjoy exploring this intriguing concept by creating their own hydraulic lift from easily available materials, and testing different wheels and balloon sizes on their model car to see how they affect its speed.
Osmosis in Eggs provides students with an ideal way to study how different factors, like salt and sugar, influence the osmotic process. Additional 7th grade science fair projects for 7th graders may include simple wave machines, Linnaeus’ Taxonomy creation process or light effects on bacterial growth.
Snakes
At their first science fair in elementary school or competing nationally against top students, children must find something that piques their interest as the starting point for a creative project. This could include something they read or observe around them that catches their imagination.
Snakes possess long forked tongues with special scent-detecting structures known as Jacobson’s organs in their mouth roofs that allow them to pick up scents. Wonderopolis provides more information on these slithery animals and their unique senses.
Try blowing bubbles of different temperatures as an engaging, easy experiment for 7th graders to explore static electricity. 8th graders could test fertilizer runoff’s effects on plant growth. Teleidoscopes make an interesting optical experiment to show children how light refracts through the eye, too!
Cars
As a hands-on project that can be modified in many ways, have your students create their own car models out of paper and tape. As they experiment with different wheel sizes and balloon shapes for an enjoyable exploration of engineering design and kinetic energy.
Encourage kids to build their own pulley using materials found around the house for an engaging experiment on gravity and force, or try this classic buoyancy experiment where an egg rises and sinks as part of this classic science fair project.
Utilize these 7th grade science fair ideas to introduce students to biology, chemistry, physics, earth sciences and more! Sure to stimulate curiosity among even the most inquisitive minds – not to mention classroom demonstrations and experiments that will keep your class engaged!
Batteries
A battery is a group of cells connected by chemical reactions that produce an electric current that passes through an external circuit. Each cell contains an anode and cathode as well as some form of electrolyte to conduct electrons from their source to their destination. Batteries may either be single-use or rechargeable depending on user preferences.
Batteries are used in an assortment of devices ranging from hearing aids and wristwatches, to powering telephone exchanges and computer data centers. You can learn about batteries by building your own lemon battery or by creating an electricity generator out of plastic bottles filled with salt water.
Students interested in discovering chemistry can perform hands-on experiments using copper plates and vinegar or create edible batteries from cabbage juice. Other interesting chemistry experiments involve layering liquids in a density tower or creating glowing density towers.