Science fair projects provide students with an invaluable opportunity to learn by doing, as well as develop communication and presentation skills and gain confidence when explaining their experiments to others.
This page presents several engaging, easy, and fun science fair experiments for kids that can be carried out at home, in the classroom or science fairs. Each experiment draws upon well-established scientific laws or observations.
Colored Sugar Water
Making colored sugar water with this hands-on science experiment is simple! Not only is it fun for kids but it is an excellent way to demonstrate osmosis while teaching about solutions, solutes, and solvents.
Experiment to see which kinds of water mixtures glow under black light with this fun experiment, and demonstrate to children how density affects objects.
Utilize this classic science fair project idea to demonstrate how a pulley system operates and emphasize the significance of engineering with this classic demonstration experiment. Furthermore, this demonstration serves to illustrate Newton’s law of motion as well as highlight engineering as important fields of study.
Sundials
Sundials are ancient timekeeping devices that utilize shadows to indicate the time. Constructed from a flat circular plate topped by an arm called a “gnomon”, it uses shadow cast by its arm called a “gnomon” to indicate time.
4th graders are equipped to move beyond testing their hypothesis and present the results in a clear, organized fashion, whether through presentations, charts or written reports.
Milk Plastic
Although “milk plastic” may sound contemporary, people used to produce most of their plastics this way before synthetic chemicals became widely available. In this chemistry experiment using milk to produce casein plastic which can be formed like clay.
This kitchen science experiment is an engaging way for kids to gain exposure to polymers. Additionally, they will learn that different liquids have different densities.
Saltwater Bubbles
Explore density and some chemistry with this engaging experiment that involves bubbly beauties! Perfect for helping students learn Boyle’s Law which correlates pressure with gasses’ volumes.
Discover how colors appear within bubbles with this fascinating science activity! Not only will your child learn about diffusion, but this project is suitable for children of all ages!
Wigglebot
Join in a hands-on engineering challenge as kids tinker and engineer wiggle bots! Witness as eyes widen as students use recycled bin components as well as additional TeacherGeek parts to transform dancing machines with writing features into dancing, scribbling machines.
Encourage kids to advance their work by documenting it visually on a display board. This will enable them to practice the Scientific Method while thinking critically about how their experiments might influence future research projects.
Pipe Cleaner Names
Pipe cleaners are an essential classroom supply and make for great educational experiments!
Kids will love twisting pipe cleaners into the letters of their name for this craft and math activity that helps reinforce shape names while providing practice with addition and subtraction.
This experiment helps students gain a better understanding of how magnets operate and can also teach them about temperature and which materials will melt under heat exposure.
Rainbow Glass Display
Start exploring rainbows with this easy experiment that shows the refraction of light. This activity helps students understand that light has seven colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet.
Make chromatography exciting with this engaging science experiment that doubles as paper art project! Make sure students record their observations.
Lung Model
Lungs are key organs in breathing and must obtain life-giving oxygen for survival. Watch as this lung model shows you how the chest expands and contracts to breathe!
Children love conducting experiments involving kinetic energy, while engineering activities such as this pulley system challenge their skills. Chemistry experiments such as pH indicator Oobleck are great ways for 4th graders to expand their minds.
Cloud Science
Clouds are composed of liquid water droplets or ice crystals which clump together to become too heavy for them to remain afloat and fall from the sky as rain or snow.
Introduce children to non-Newtonian fluid with an engaging circuit experiment, then explore optics and vision using a Benham Disk or Zoetrope. Don’t forget the volcano slime! Kids love these exciting experiments that teach scientific concepts!
Neon Signs
Neon signs excite viewers and provide an inimitable glow unlike any other light source. Producing neon signs requires skill and creativity in heating glass tubing according to precise specifications, attaching electrodes and pumping in gas.
Neon and argon gases are sealed inside glass tubes and illuminated using electric current passing through electrodes; other gases, like helium or xenon are then used for special color effects.