Science fair projects should inspire curiosity, scientific thinking and foster an enthusiasm for learning. Here are ideas for 8th grade science fair projects that will spark student interest while building laboratory skills as well as providing them with experience for pursuing STEM careers in their futures.
Find out if peppermint candy really boosts concentration and reaction times with this simple experiment, perfect for doing together with friends! This project makes an enjoyable group project.
Spherification
Spherification is an exciting scientific technique that allows students to turn liquids into semi-solid orbs for fun chemistry experiments. From making fruit juice a delicious culinary delight, to adding flair and sophistication to cocktails – students will surely love spherification as an intriguing chemistry experiment.
Students can easily conduct this science fair project to test the impact of various liquids on plant growth or whether a particular food contains enough electrolytes. It teaches kids about nutrition requirements while encouraging healthy eating habits.
Students gain insight into renewable energy and sustainability by creating their own solar oven out of basic materials such as cardboard, aluminum foil, and plastic wrap. This engaging project also introduces them to fundamental concepts in physics and thermodynamics.
Hydraulics
Students can explore hydraulics through a simple system. By using a weight to compress fluid at one end of a pipe and force it through another much narrower end at high speed, students will learn about hydraulics.
Explore physics and math with this exciting experiment. Students will first assess how stress impacts their reaction times before testing various ways to decrease how long a task takes them to complete.
Candle Relighting
Students can engage in this visually captivating experiment to explore how candles burn.
Burning a candle produces carbon dioxide as hydrocarbons combine with oxygen, heating up its flame. As this reaction takes place, thermal expansion results in air pressure changes which cause smoke from the candle to rise into a glass jar and be sealed off from atmospheric pressure fluctuations by its lid, thus creating lower atmospheric pressure levels overall.
Lung Capacity
This project will assist students in understanding lung volume and capacity. Lung volumes refer to different points within a respiratory cycle; capacities represent maximum volume which can be exhaled forcefully on exhalation.
Students will use a tube attached to a jar to measure how much water has been expelled by their lungs, before performing jumping jacks to see how their lung capacity changes from exercise. They’ll create a graph comparing results prior and post exercise.
Fertilizer Runoff
Students gain insight into the environment through experiments such as investigating how fertilizer runoff affects local water quality. The project also teaches them how to conduct research, collect data and present their findings.
Check out how different substances impact crystal formation – an experiment perfect for young geologists and rock enthusiasts!
Utilizing a water testing kit offers eighth grade science fair projects endless possibilities. Students learn about physics and magnetism while uncovering how humans have altered nature’s resources.
Newton’s Cradle
Most of us are familiar with Newton’s Cradle, commonly referred to as a ball clicker. It’s an effective demonstration of energy conservation law – which states that energy cannot be created or destroyed but only change forms – through simple desk toys like this one.
The swinging balls convert potential energy from individual balls into kinetic energy that transfers down the line and causes its transfer down the cradle, which then continues to click and oscillate – providing an engaging way of making an otherwise mundane scientific principle more interesting and accessible!
Cars
At this stage, students are expected to demonstrate more autonomy in the research process and utilize more complex materials with advanced presentation skills.
Help your student gain insight into how density impacts buoyancy through this engaging experiment. They can test various materials to see which ones float and sink.
Batteries
Building batteries is an enduring science fair project that offers insights into chemical reactions and electricity. Furthermore, this project allows participants to experiment with how electrolyte solutions may be made from natural sources such as lemon peels or potatoes.
The “Density and Buoyancy” experiment helps students better comprehend what makes objects float or sink, offering invaluable lessons that apply beyond the lab. Furthermore, experiments such as “Microbiology” encourage them to collect samples from various surfaces with petri dishes or cotton swabs and observe any growth of microbes over time.