Ten science projects for kids

A listing of science project for kids to do for fun or for a Science Fair.

Whether you're in search of a science project for a school fair or simply wanting to experiment at home for fun, you'll find something below to fulfill your needs.

Air Stuff

Particles in the air can have good qualities. Dust is such an air particle that alters the colors of a sunset. However, air particles are also responsible for common allergies and asthma. Discover what the air outside or in your house contains.

You'll need:

Cardboard or stiff poster board

Six 1 1/2 inch x 3 1/2 inch sticky surfaces (Transparent tape works great!)

Six 12 inch long pieces of string

Tape

Hole puncher

A magnifying glass

Cut out six air particle collectors from the cardboard or poster board. Be sure to make them large to cut an opening for the sticky surfaces in the center and still leave room around the edges for vital information. In the margins around the edges, write the words location, starting date, starting time, ending date, and ending time. Punch a hole in the top of each collector, then tie a string through the each hole. Affix the sticky surfaces to the center cut outs. Next, hang each collector in a strategic place. A few good ideas for where to hang them are by your bed, over the stove in the kitchen, outside under a tree, by an air vent, and inside or outside of a window. Wait for two to three days before taking the collectors down. Once down, inspect what air particles have accumulated on the stick surfaces. Dust? Pollen? Dandruff? Sand? Write down your findings and list which location had the most or the least amount of air particles.

How do animals spend the winter?

You'll need:

Popcorn, cranberries, orange slices, pear slices, apple slices, bird seed, peanuts in the shell, and peanut butter

Pine cones

String

Needle

Strong Thread

Scissors

Knife

Empty milk gallon, cleaned thoroughly

Cover pine cones with peanut butter, then attach with a piece of string. Thread cranberries and popcorn on one length of string and peanuts in the shells on another. When slicing the fruit, be certain to slice along the width so that the pieces will be circular in fashion. String the fruit on several strands of thread. Cut a large hole in the milk container and fill with the base below the opening with birdseed. Hang the winter goodies from trees in the yard. Be patient. It takes awhile for birds and animals to locate the food. Once they've found your treats, observe them and make notes about what you discover.

Why do leaves change color?

The object of this project is to separate the colors in a leaf using chromatography. Important: Be sure to have an adult help you!

You'll need:

Leaves

Baby food jars with lids (If the lids are absent, substitute with plastic wrap or aluminum foil.)

Rubbing alcohol

Coffee filters

Shallow pan

Hot tap water

Tape

Pen

Plastic knife or spoon

Clock or Timer

Collect 2-3 large leaves per tree from a variety of trees. Chop the leaves into small pieces ensuring not to mix the varieties. Place in baby food jars and label with the name or location of the tree. Add enough rubbing alcohol to cover the chopped leaves, then use a plastic knife or spoon to grind the leaves in the alcohol. Cover the jars with lids or substitute coverings loosely. Fill a shallow pan with one-inch hot tap water and place the jars in the water. Set a timer for 30 minutes. Give the jars a twirl every five and wait for the alcohol to become colored. It may take a little bit longer than 30 minutes for a full effect. The darker the color, the better. If the hot water cools, replace it. While you're waiting on the alcohol to become colored, cut thin strips from the coffee filter paper and label them with the names or locations of the trees. Remove the jars from the water and take off the lids. Slide a piece of filter paper into the jar so that one end is in the leave and alcohol mixture and the other is bent over the side of the jar. Secure the bent end with a piece of tape. The alcohol will travel up the filter paper. The process takes about 30 to 90 minutes. Possibly more time is necessary depending on the type of leaves. Once finished, you should be able to see the different shades of green in the leaves and there may be orange, yellow, or red present as well.

Edible Science

Build a salad using every part of a plant.

You'll need:

Spinach, lettuce, or cabbage (Leaves)

Carrots or onions (Roots)

Asparagus or rhubarb (Stems)

Broccoli, cauliflower, or pansies (Flowers)

Tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, melons, apples, or oranges (Fruit)

Peanuts, sunflower seeds, peas, beans, pumpkin seeds, or pine nuts (Seeds)

Knife

Bowl

Poster board

Markers

Draw a plant on the poster board and label each part with the appropriate plant name. Chop you preferred items from the list. Add to the bowl. Toss and present.

Interesting Plant Fact: There is only one plant that can be eaten whole. It's the bean sprout.

Allelopathic Observations

This project takes some time, but if you know you'll be needing a project for the school year or just want to experiment while you're helping your parents in the garden, it's a lot of fun.

You'll need:

Sweet potatoes with roots, ready to be planted

Other plants or seeds

Pencil and notebook

Plant sweet potatoes in increasing distances from other plants. Be sure to leave a few control plants with no sweet potatoes near them. Find out how fast or slow the other plants grow and make notes each week about your discoveries.

Why is the sky blue?

Refraction

You'll need:

A small mirror

Piece of white paper or cardboard

Water

Large, shallow pan

Direct sunlight

Fill the pan 2/3 with water. Place it in direct sunlight in order for the experiment to work. Hold the mirror under the water while also holding the piece of paper in the other hand. Adjust both so that light reflects in order to observe the prism color spectrum.

Bottled Sky

You'll need:

A clear glass jar

Water

Milk

Measuring spoons

Flashlight

A darkened room

Fill the jar with water 2/3 full. Add a 1/2 teaspoon to a teaspoon of milk, then stir. Use the flashlight to shine from the bottom, the top, and the side. Note the difference in colors each time you alter the light source. The effect is similar to what dust particles would do in the air causing varying shades in a sunset or making the sky blue. The effect is due to scattering of particles and changing light source.

Mixing Colors

You'll need:

Pencil

White paper

Ruler

Markers or crayons

Small bowl

Paper cup

Use the bowl to trace a circle onto a piece of white paper, then cut it out. With the ruler, divide the circle into six equal parts. Color as evenly as possible each section with one of the following colors: red, blue, orange, yellow, green, and purple. Poke a hole through the center of the circle with the pencil, leaving the pencil partially threaded through. Poke another hole in the center of the bottom of the paper cup. It should be a tad larger in diameter than the pencil. Turn the paper cup upside down on the piece of paper and insert the pencil through the hole. Adjust the colored circle so that it is approximately a 1/2 inch above the cup. Give the pencil a twirl and watch the colors on the circle. The colors on the circle are the main colors in white light. As you spin the circle, it should appear as though the circle is white.

Primitive Microscope

You'll need:

White paper

Ruler

Scissors

Pencil

Items to observe

Measure and mark a one-inch square on a piece of paper. Cut out the square. View items such as leaves, soil, flowers, and bark beneath the makeshift microscope. Take as much time as you can to observe what you can see. On another piece of paper answer a series of questions on your findings. Is it hot or cold? Is it soft or hard? Is it wet or dry? Is it bright or dark? Is it smooth or rough? Is it alive or not? How many colors do you see? How many shapes do you see? Is there anything moving? If so, what is moving? Why is it moving? Be creative and come up with your own questions.

Stages in the Life of a Butterfly

You'll need:

Scissors

Glue

Pipe cleaners

Toilet paper tube

Egg carton

Markers or crayons

Ice cream pop stick or tongue depressor

Heavy paper

Poster board

Pompon balls

There are four stages on the life of a butterfly: an egg, larva or caterpillar, chrysalis or pupa, and butterfly. Explain each stage on poster board with a visual aid for every stage. For the egg, cut out a section from the egg carton and color it. If you'd like to include a transitional stage, cut out a second section from the egg carton and glue two pompon balls coming out from beneath to make it seem as though the caterpillar is emerging from the egg. For the caterpillar, form a squiggling line with pompon balls. For the chrysalis stage, color the toilet paper tube black or green. Draw, cut, and color a butterfly onto heavy paper. You can make the butterfly look however you want, but be sure that its wings match. Punch a hole through the top of the butterfly. Make a "v" with a pipe cleaner, curling the ends. Slip the pointed tip through the hole and wrap around the base of the antenna. Glue the butterfly onto the ice cream pop stick. Once the glue is dry, you should be able to slide the butterfly in and out of the chrysalis easily.