Fun Ideas for Science Projects

Choose a science project that includes sensory materials that children love.

Science projects are hands-on creative ways for children to learn about the world of science. They can incorporate art for the crafty types as well as all kinds of sensory materials that engage children. Children should choose a topic that they like, such as chemistry, genetics, physics or biology and find a suitable project that is tailored to their interests.

Air-Powered Vehicle

Use a balloon to demonstrate Newton's third law.

Show your science fair the study of Newton's third law by building an air-powered car. Take a clean milk carton and cut it in half, lengthwise. Cut a hole the exact size of the balloon opening and pull the opening through the hole, leaving the round part of the balloon inside carton. Create axles for the car by pressing straws through measured holes on either side of the carton. Take some spools of thread and attach them to the parts of the straws sticking on the outside of the carton. Blow into the balloon until it is full without tying the opening. Let the car go and it will move forward.

Leaf Science

Learn about why leaves change colors during autumn.

This lesson will teach children the science of chromatography. Gather two or three green leaves from a variety of trees. Cut the leaves into tiny pieces and place them in a baby food jar labeled with the name of the type of tree they came from. Pour rubbing alcohol into the jars until it covers the leaf pieces. Take a plastic knife and grind the leaves into the alcohol. Loosely place the lid back onto the jar without tightening it. The jar should then be placed in a tray with one inch of hot water. The jar should be held in the water for thirty minutes until the alcohol becomes a dark color. During the process, the jar should be picked up every five minutes and the alcohol should be whirled in a circular motion. If the water becomes cooler, it should be replaced with fresh hot water. Place strips of coffee filter paper in the jars, taping one end to the outside of the jar. Remove the paper after 30 to 90 minutes. The colors green, red, orange and yellow will appear on the paper displaying different shades of fall colors.

Buoyant Boat

Test the buoyancy of aluminum.

Students will learn about the buoyancy of aluminum by testing out a boat made of the substance. Cut two 5-inch squares from aluminum foil. Place ten pennies into the foil and wrap the aluminum around it into a tight ball. With the second square, fold each edge up to form a small box. Place another ten pennies inside the box. Place both the ball of pennies and the box boat inside a bucket full of water. You will notice that the ball of pennies and the boat both weight the same amount but their size and shape cause a different response in the water.

Static Electric Cereal

Learn how electrons cause static electricity to move from hair to comb.

This experiment will teach you the movement of electrons from your hair to a comb. Take 12 inches of thread and tie a piece of cereal to one end of the string and then tape it away from other objects where it will dangle in the air. Take a washed comb and brush it through your hair several times or you can rub it quickly over a wool sweater. This will charge the comb for the experiment. With a slow motion, move the comb toward the piece of cereal until the cereal begins to jump by itself. It will move in the opposite direction as the comb is moved closer.

References

• Try Science: Balloon Car
• Science Made Simple: Autumn Leaves
• Try Science: Aluminum Boats
• Science Made Simple: Static Electricity