35
FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS KINDERGARTEN Why Do Plants Wilt? Whew! It’s hot out here. The plants are wilting in the summer’s heat. Can adding shade help your plants stay happy? Problem: Can a bit of shade help stop your outdoor plants from wilting? Materials: Umbrella 2 planter boxes Soil Sprayer 6 lettuce plants Thermometer Moisture meter Notebook and penci Pasta Coquina: Make Your Own Sedimentary Rock Why?: Coquina is a sedimentary rock that’s formed when seawater minerals cement seashells and sand together. Problem:

FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS · FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS ... citrus fruits, squash, ... and makes for a tasty science

  • Upload
    vudan

  • View
    214

  • Download
    0

Embed Size (px)

Citation preview

Page 1: FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS · FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS ... citrus fruits, squash, ... and makes for a tasty science

FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS

KINDERGARTEN

Why Do Plants Wilt?

Whew! It’s hot out here. The plants are wilting in the summer’s heat. Can adding shade help your plants

stay happy?

Problem:

Can a bit of shade help stop your outdoor plants from wilting?

Materials:

Umbrella

2 planter boxes

Soil

Sprayer

6 lettuce plants

Thermometer

Moisture meter

Notebook and penci

Pasta Coquina: Make Your Own Sedimentary Rock

Why?:

Coquina is a sedimentary rock that’s formed when seawater minerals cement seashells and sand

together.

Problem:

Page 2: FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS · FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS ... citrus fruits, squash, ... and makes for a tasty science

What is coquina? What is it made of?

Materials:

1 disposable cup

1/2 cup of pasta, at least three shapes and sizes (shells, macaroni, rotelle, whatever you’ve got)

2 tablespoons water

1 disposable stirrer

2 tablespoons white glue

1 piece of wax paper

1 sample of coquina

1 magnifying glass

1 piece of paper and a pencil

Dinosaur Tracks: How Are Fossilized Imprints Formed?

How did dinosaurs leave their footprints behind so many years ago? Stomp, clomp, and squish your way

to learn how to make fossils and create your very own fossil imprints!

Problem: How did dinosaur footprints get fossilized?

Materials

1 cup damp, used coffee grounds

½ cup of cold coffee

1 cup of flour

½ cup of salt

Wax paper

Bowl

Wooden spoon

Rolling pin

Page 3: FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS · FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS ... citrus fruits, squash, ... and makes for a tasty science

Exploring the Sense of Smell: Sniffing Jars

Objective:

This project makes young children aware of their sense of smell and its ability to provide information

about the world around them. (This makes a nice “smell” component in a larger project on the five

senses.)

Research Question:

Can you match the smell with the thing?

Materials:

Several jars with tight-fitting lids

Construction paper

Scissors

Tape

Pictures of all the things to smell

Blindfold

Things to smell: a piece of onion, a peppermint, an orange wedge, a piece of banana, a rose

(Change/expand on this list as you see fit.)

Exploring Taste: Sweet, Sour, Salty, and Bitter

Objective

Young children will become aware of and have the opportunity to experience the four basic tastes:

sweet, sour, salty, and bitter.

Research Questions

Can you identify the four basic tastes: sweet, sour, salty, and bitter? Can you recognize these tastes in a

variety of foods? (This makes a nice “taste” component for a larger project on the five senses.)

Materials

Amounts will vary if more than one child participates in the project. The materials used below are

suggestions; substitute foods as you see fit.

Twelve small containers

Page 4: FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS · FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS ... citrus fruits, squash, ... and makes for a tasty science

One spoonful of sugar

One mint candy

One spoonful of honey

One lemon wedge

One pickle

One spoonful of plain yogurt

One spoonful of salt

One salted potato chip

One bit of parmesan cheese

One bit of unsweetened baker’s chocolate

One spoonful of decaf coffee

One piece of grapefruit rind

Discovering and Sorting Seeds in Fruits and Vegetables

Problem:

In this project young children discover, identify, and sort seeds from a variety of fruits and vegetables.

Materials:

A wide variety of fruits and vegetables (include fruits/vegetables from the same family to help

with understanding the idea of families, e.g. stone fruits, citrus fruits, squash, etc.)

Child-safe knife, spoons, and other tools to help take apart fruits/vegetables

Paper

Markers or crayons

Sorting and Classification for Young Children

Objective:

Encourage children to practice and refine sorting and classification skills essential to scientific research.

Research Questions:

Page 5: FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS · FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS ... citrus fruits, squash, ... and makes for a tasty science

Can you sort the buttons into sets?

What do the buttons in each set have in common?

Can you sort them into subsets?

Can you sort them in other ways?

Sorting and classification are important skills for a scientist (think Periodic Table of Elements &

Taxonomic Hierarchy). This project encourages children to practice and refine these skills. It lends itself

to viewer participation when presented at a fair. Keep a list handy for participants to record all the

different ways they’ve invented to sort and classify.

Materials:

A large variety of buttons. Alternatively (especially with the youngest children) you may use a

variety of breakfast cereals which provides the added appeal of being safe and edible.

Plants and Water

Objective

To learn how plants transport water from their roots to their leaves

Materials and Equipment

Tall clear glass

Red food coloring

Spoon

Celery stalk

Knife

Background Information

Plants need water to grow. Plants transport water from their roots to their leaves through tubes called

xylem.

Terms, Concepts, and Questions to Start Background Research

Terms

Xylem: tubes that transport water inside plants

Concepts

Page 6: FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS · FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS ... citrus fruits, squash, ... and makes for a tasty science

Plants need water. Water is transported through the plant through xylem tubes.

Research Questions

How does water get from the roots of a plant to its leaves?

Page 7: FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS · FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS ... citrus fruits, squash, ... and makes for a tasty science

FIRST GRADE

What Happens When Oil and Water Get Together?

Objective:

See what happens when two fluids that have different densities get together.

Materials:

Disposable cup

Water

Food color (any dark color)

Small funnel

Vegetable oil

Pencil and paper and a crayon or colored pencil that matches the food color (alternatively: a

camera)

One test tube with cap

Optional: some old newspaper and a smock

Do Some Liquids Expand More than Others When Frozen?

Objective:

In this experiment we observe the expansion of liquids when frozen (changed into a solid) and

determine if some liquids expand more than others when frozen.

Research Questions:

Do liquids expand when frozen (when they become a solid)? Do different liquids expand different

amounts?

Materials:

Six tall, narrow, clear plastic containers of the same size and shape (approximately 2 cups each)

Three cups tap water

Page 8: FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS · FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS ... citrus fruits, squash, ... and makes for a tasty science

Salt

Sugar

One cup milk

One cup juice

One cup vinegar

Black Sharpie

Red Sharpie

Freezer

Density Experiment

Density refers to the amount of stuff there is in a given space. Different things have different densities.

For example, a cup of water has more stuff in it than a cup of oil. The water is denser. A marble and a

ball of the exact same size are made of different amounts of stuff – they have different densities. Do you

think the less dense oil will sink in or float on the denser water? Which is denser, the marble or the ball?

How can you tell?

Problem:

How do liquids of various densities interact with each other?

Materials:

Measuring cup

Clear glass jar (labels removed)

½ cup water

Food coloring

½ cup corn syrup

½ cup vegetable oil

Marble

Small rubber ball of approximately the same size as marble

Circle of carrot, mini marshmallow, other small objects

Page 9: FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS · FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS ... citrus fruits, squash, ... and makes for a tasty science

Leaf Rubbings: Shapes and Patterns

Objective:

In this project children make leaf rubbings, recording and observing shapes, structures, and patterns in

leaves from different plants, then sort the rubbings accordingly.

Research Questions:

What shapes do you see?

What parts do you see?

How are leaves the same?

How are leaves different?

[Some useful vocabulary: petiole (stalk), veins, simple leaf, compound leaf.]

Materials:

Leaves from different plants

Plain white typing paper (do not use construction paper; it is too heavy)

A few sheets of newspaper

Crayon

Eureka! Volume and the Displacement of Water

Objective:

Demonstrate the correspondence between the volume of water displaced by an object and and the

volume of the object displacing it.

Research Questions:

What happens when you drop an object into a glass of water?

What happens when you drop a larger object into a glass of water?

How many of each object can you drop into the glass of water before it overflows?

Can you predict how many of each object it will take to make a different glass of water

overflow?

Page 10: FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS · FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS ... citrus fruits, squash, ... and makes for a tasty science

Archimedes, upon stepping naked into his bath, famously cried out “Eureka!” when he suddenly

understood the correspondence between the volume of water displaced by a submerged object and the

volume of the object displacing it. This project demonstrates this displacement of water and the

correspondence of volumes, and exercises prediction skills.

Materials:

Two glasses of the same size and shape

Glasses of other sizes and shapes

Water

A wax pencil to mark the glasses

A bunch of pennies

A bunch of small rocks, approximately the same size as each other but bigger than a penny

Other sinking objects

A tray to control spills

Building a Simulated Volcano

Objective

To make a model of a volcano

To observe a chemical reaction between baking soda and vinegar

To analyze the effect of different amounts of vinegar on the time of completion of the reaction

Materials and Equipment/Ingredients

10 oz bottle

Large baking pan

Aluminium foil

Potting soil

4 measuring cups

6 teaspoons flour

6 teaspoons baking soda

Page 11: FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS · FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS ... citrus fruits, squash, ... and makes for a tasty science

4 cups white vinegar

Spoon

Funnel

Red and yellow food coloring

Water

Rocks

Stopwatch

Magic Comb

A lot of things can act like magnets—they just need an electric charge. If we give a comb an electric

charge, can it separate pepper from salt? Let’s find out!

Problem:

Can a comb separate salt and pepper?

Materials:

Plastic Comb

Pepper

Salt

Tissue

Notebook

Pen

Making Plants Grow

Objective

I wanted to learn how long a pinto bean seed would take to germinate and compare it to a kidney bean

seed and a pinto bean seed planted in the dark.

Materials and Equipment

Page 12: FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS · FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS ... citrus fruits, squash, ... and makes for a tasty science

Paper towels

3 – 10 oz. clear plastic cups

12 pinto beans

6 kidney beans

2 paper lunch bags

Tap water

Magnifying glass

Journal to write down results

Digital Camera

The materials were found at the grocery store and in our house and were easy to find.

Dishing Out the Colors

Objective

In this experiment, we will find out whether we can create motion in a dish and as a result, create a

wonderful and colorful show.

Research Questions

What properties does surface tension itself affect?

Surface Tension allows liquids to resist an external force. It acts as a sort of “barrier.” Because of this

property, some objects that are denser than water can actually float and insects can walk on the surface

of water.

Materials

Food coloring in colors of your choice

Milk

Dishwashing liquid

A large dish with raised sides

Page 13: FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS · FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS ... citrus fruits, squash, ... and makes for a tasty science

Make Slime! How to Create a Colloid

It's oozy, it's goopy, and it's just plain fun. Snails make it, and slugs slide on it. It's slime!

Slime is an odd substance. It is soft and squishy like a liquid, but it sticks together like a solid. In this

experiment, you'll make slime and discover what makes something a liquid or a solid. Can an object have

attributes of both?

Problem:

To make a colloid—slime—out of everyday materials.

Materials:

Guar gum

Water

Tablespoon

Plate

Stop watch

Blender

Paper or notebook

Pencil

Page 14: FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS · FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS ... citrus fruits, squash, ... and makes for a tasty science

SECOND GRADE

The Single Fixed Pulley System

Problem: What is a fixed pulley? What does it do?

Materials

Ribbon spool

Dowel

4 feet of thin rope or string

Duct tape

Small plastic doll

Why Doesn't the Ocean Freeze?

Problem:

Why doesn’t the ocean freeze?

Materials:

8 cups water

2 tablespoons salt

2 large plastic bowls

Freezer

Spoon

Dry-erase marker

Page 15: FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS · FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS ... citrus fruits, squash, ... and makes for a tasty science

Can Plants Grow Without Sunlight or Water?

Objective:

Test whether plants can grow without sunlight and water.

Research Questions:

How do plants make their own food? Plants contain a green pigment called chlorophyll, which can make

food from water and energy from sunlight. But what happens when you deprive plants of water and

sunlight? Can they live? For how long?

Materials:

Potted plant

Pen and paper

Is it a Fruit or a Veggie?

Some say a tomato is a fruit. Some call it a vegetable. Most of us are not entirely sure which is which.

And what about flowers? This project defines and classifies edible plants, and makes for a tasty science

fair display!

Problem:

This project aims to identify, describe and classify many different fruits and vegetables.

Materials:

Computer with internet access

Color printer

Digital camera

Assorted fresh fruits and vegetables

Magnifying glass

Microscope (optional)

Typical office/craft supplies (such as paper, pens & poster-board)

Page 16: FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS · FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS ... citrus fruits, squash, ... and makes for a tasty science

Ripening Avocados

Have your parents ever brought back some avocados from the grocery store that were rock hard? It’s

not worth waiting a whole week just to make sure your delicious avocados ripen! In this science

experiment, you’re going to determine the best way to ripen your avocados quickly, and discover the

cool chemical reaction that makes this speedy ripening process possible.

Problem:

Do certain storage conditions help avocados ripen more quickly?

Materials:

5 very firm avocados

1 banana

1 apple

3 brown paper bags

Access to a refrigerator

Magnet Experiment: Are Two Magnets Twice as Strong as One?

Nearly everyone has had some fun playing with magnets, trying to pick up different magnetic things,

feeling the repelling force when pushing poles together, or even prying strong magnets apart. But how

do they work?

Magnets create invisible areas called magnetic fields, in which other magnetic things will be attracted or

repelled. Magnets usually contain high amounts of the element iron.

Each magnet has two poles, the north pole and the south pole. The North Pole gets its name because it

is the magnetic north pole of Earth, which is currently near Ellesmere Island in Northern Canada. This

means that the north pole of all magnets on Earth point to this location, including the ones on your

refrigerator and the magnets you will use in this experiment. The south pole of all magnets on Earth

point to the South Pole in Antarctica. The magnetic poles of the Earth gradually move over time because

of the flow of the Earth’s core, which contains a lot of iron.

The term “opposites attract” comes from the concept of magnetism: north-south magnetic interactions

will attract each other, while north-north and south-south interactions will repel each other. When

bringing a magnet near an object that contains a lot of iron, like a steel paperclip, the magnet can lift up

the object. Magnetic fields can be combined to be stronger or weaker depending on how they are put

together.

Page 17: FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS · FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS ... citrus fruits, squash, ... and makes for a tasty science

Problem:

Determine whether the strength of the magnetic field created by two magnets is twice the strength of

the magnetic field created by one magnet.

Materials

2 or more identical magnets

Steel paper clip

Stack of index cards, sticky notes, or paper

Stack of felt or cloth squares

Ruler

Snow to Liquid Ratio

You might notice that winter forecasts of a foot or more snow are fairly common. This is very different

from rain forecasts. Even in rainy areas, single rainstorms that top five inches are unusual. If the rainfall

were as deep as the snowfall, regular flooding would be inevitable. This difference between the depth of

snow and rainfall prompts questions as to whether these two are equivalent.

If you listen to ski reports or participate in winter sports, you are familiar with “wet snow” and “dry

snow.” Since wet snow contains more water than dry snow, meteorologists say that wet snow is more

dense than dry snow. Wet snow forms when the temperature in the lower troposphere is near the

freezing temperature. Dry snow forms when the troposphere temperature is colder. The water content

of snow is related to temperature because cold air can hold less water that warm air. The ratio of snow

to water is roughly 10 to 1 or less if the snow is wet. This ratio increases to 11, 12 or even more inches of

snow for every inch of water if the temperature is colder and the snow is dry.

Problem:

The goal of these experiments is to learn about different types of precipitation, evaluate the density of

snow and calculate the ratio of snow-to-liquid.

Materials:

Tall, narrow can (such as the one that Pringles potato chips come in)

Ruler

Internet access

Page 18: FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS · FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS ... citrus fruits, squash, ... and makes for a tasty science

Warm, Warmer: How Does Exercise Change Body Temperature?

Objective

You know you feel hotter after running around, but are you actually hotter? How much hotter? Use a

liquid crystal thermometer to find out whether exercising makes a difference in people’s temperature.

Research Questions

Does exercise change your temperature?

Does everybody’s temperature change the same amount?

Materials

Liquid crystal thermometer

Volunteers

Watch that shows seconds, or a stopwatch

Paper and pencil

Which Food Will Mold the Fastest?

Make sure no one has access to the cabinet where the samples will be stored during the

experiment. Moldy/spoiled food can make you sick.

Objective

To see what kind of food, left un-refrigerated, will mold first.

Project Goals

To leave food out to see which one will mold first.

To see what foods need the least refrigeration.

Materials and Equipment

Banana

Cheese

Milk

Bread

Page 19: FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS · FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS ... citrus fruits, squash, ... and makes for a tasty science

A cabinet in which to place the samples for one week

Paper and pencil

Camera

Erosion Experiment

Problem:

How does erosion affect structures made of sand and soil?

Materials:

Sand

Soil

Garden hose

Plastic cups

Battery-operated portable fan

Notebook

Pencil

Stopwatch (optional)

Floating Eggs: A Pre-Breakfast Experiment

Problem:

Will an egg float better in salt water or fresh water?

Materials:

Salt

2 clear containers

Measuring spoons

Stirring spoon

Page 20: FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS · FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS ... citrus fruits, squash, ... and makes for a tasty science

Water

2 raw eggs

How do Sedimentary Layers Form?

This project shows one way that sedimentary layers are formed as sediments (mud and silt, sand,

pebbles and rocks, other materials) settle over time.

Problem:

How do sedimentary layers form?

Materials:

Empty two-liter bottle with cap

Bunch of different types of mud, dirt, sand, and pebbles

Water

Ruler

Piece of paper and a pencil

Which Cup Best Prevents Ice from Melting?

The type of cup that you choose can greatly affect the life of your ice. Understanding how different

materials act as insulators can help you make educated decisions in your choice of cups or coolers for

transporting cold substances.

Problem:

Which type of cup is best for preventing ice from melting?

Materials:

Styrofoam, plastic and paper disposable cups of equal size

Ice cubes

Timer

Beaker/measuring cup

Small colander

Page 21: FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS · FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS ... citrus fruits, squash, ... and makes for a tasty science

Pepper and Soap Experiment

Rub-a-dub-dub, there’s pepper in my tub! In this experiment, you’ll use pepper floating on water to

demonstrate how soap affects the surface of water. This is a quick experiment, but it’s so fun to watch

that you’ll want to repeat it several times.

Problem:

How does soap interact with water?

Materials:

Shallow bowl or pie tin

Water

Pepper

Dish soap

Toothpick

Paper

Pencil

Eraser Test

There's a reason nearly every pencil -- traditional or mechanical -- comes with an eraser. No matter how

much you concentrate, mistakes happen! Get down to the rubber with this science project that tests the

effectiveness of different types of erasers.

Problem:

Which eraser works the best?

Materials:

3 different pink erasers

3 different white erasers

Pencil with eraser attached

Ruler

Page 22: FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS · FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS ... citrus fruits, squash, ... and makes for a tasty science

Paper

Notebook

Shape Words

The mind is a funny thing. It can trick you into thinking just that. In this project you'll explore how our

minds react to shapes that may be harder to recognize than usual.

Problem:

If you mislabel a shape with the wrong shape word (for example, a triangle that says circle), will it take

people longer to identify the shape?

Materials:

Paper

Scissors

Pen

Timer

Volunteers

Notebook

Page 23: FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS · FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS ... citrus fruits, squash, ... and makes for a tasty science

THIRD/FOURTH/FIFTH GRADES

Do Different Types of Oil Mix or “Stack”?

Objective

In this experiment, we will find out whether different types of oil mix or stack on top of one another.

Research Questions

Can you think of different ways that oil is used?

Introduction

It is widely known that solids have different weights, but liquids also have different weights as well. Oil is

viscous in consistency and slippery in texture. There are many different kinds of oil. Some are edible (like

peanut or coin oil) and some are used for lubrication in personal and industrial applications.

Materials

Peanut oil

Canola oil

Corn oil

Olive oil

Baby oil

A large, deep clear glass or plastic container

A large spoon

Does Storing Cucumbers and Tomatoes in the Fridge Spoil Its Unique Flavors?

Objective:

In this experiment, we will find out whether storing cucumbers and tomatoes in the fridge will destroy

their unique flavors. We will be comparing it against unrefrigerated tomatoes and cucumbers.

Research Questions:

How does a refrigerator work?

How would you describe the taste of tomatoes? Cucumbers?

Page 24: FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS · FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS ... citrus fruits, squash, ... and makes for a tasty science

Before refrigerators and freezers were invented, people cooled their food and kept them from spoiling

by putting it in ice and snow. This was obvious not convenient and does not nearly have the same power

as a mechanic refrigerator/ freezer does.

Materials:

Tomatoes (enough for your chosen # of test subjects)

Cucumbers (enough for your chosen # of test subjects)

Refrigerator

Test subjects (the more the better)

Pen/paper for notes

Dew Point, Humidity and Weather

If you wake early in the morning, you may notice that the ground is wet with dew. This dew doesn’t

come from rain, but seems to magically appear on surfaces. During the night, the temperature of the air

drops. Since cold air does not hold as much water vapor as warm air, the water vapor turns to the liquid

dew that you see on surfaces in the morning. This process is called condensation. If the temperature did

not drop, there would be no condensation and no wet dewy grass in the morning. Meteorologists refer

to the temperature at which this takes place as the dew point. The dew point is the temperature the air

has to reach for condensation to take place. Since the dew point is higher when the air is moist, it is a

rough measure of humidity.

Problem:

The goal of these experiments is to learn about condensation and the dew point.

Materials:

Metal or glass cup

Bowl full of water and ice cubes (even a big jar works well)

Thermometer

Warm water

Syringe (any kind as long as it can deliver liquids 3-5 cc amounts)

Page 25: FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS · FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS ... citrus fruits, squash, ... and makes for a tasty science

Defying Gravity

Objective:

To investigate how magnetism can defy the force of gravity.

Research Questions

Can the force of gravity be defied?

Which is more powerful: gravity or magnetism?

Gravity is a force that pulls all things to the earth. Magnetism is another very strong force that is even

stronger than gravity.

Materials:

shoebox

thread

paperclip

small magnet

tape

How Does Smell Affect Taste?

Both your sense of smell and sense of taste detect chemicals. Your tongue is covered with about 10,000

taste buds, which detect five different kinds of tastes: salty, bitter, sweet, sour and umami. Umami,

discovered by the Japanese, means delicious in that language. Umami taste buds detect savory flavors.

You also have some taste buds on the roof of your mouth and inner surface of your cheeks. The

chemical receptors involved in your sense of smell are located in a postage stamp-sized patch of nerve

cells called the olfactory tract located at the roof of each nasal cavity. These receptors can detect up to

a thousand different types of chemicals.

Have you ever noticed how food tastes different when you have a cold? Smell and taste are definitely

connected. Let’s investigate.

Problem: How does smell affect taste?

Materials

15 volunteers, none of whom are allergic to any of the foods you are giving them. You might

ask about strawberries especially.

Page 26: FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS · FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS ... citrus fruits, squash, ... and makes for a tasty science

Assortment of fruit

Knife

Cutting board

3 large plates

Q-tips

Essential oil of peppermint

Clipboard

Pencil

Plain crackers

Water

Cups

Why Does Honey Crystallize?

Has your sweet treat turned tough all of a sudden? If you’ve ever struggled to get honey out of a jar,

you’ll know that this treat is sometimes a liquid and sometimes a solid. In this experiment, you’ll

explore the properties of honey to answer the question: Why does honey crystallize?

Problem:

What makes honey crystallize? What factors change the speed at which honey crystallizes?

Materials:

5 small, identical food jars with lids

Masking tape to act as labels

Cotton ball

Popsicle stick

Honey (If possible, get natural honey that’s from a local farm. Some honey is mixed with other

substances, and this could change the results of your experiment)

Measuring spoons

Canola oil

Page 27: FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS · FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS ... citrus fruits, squash, ... and makes for a tasty science

Water

Freezer

Timer

Toothpick

Digital thermometer

Greenhouse Project

The greenhouse effect is the trapping of heat in the atmosphere. Without the gases in the air, heat from

the sun would bounce back into space. Too much gas in the air causes too much heat to be absorbed

into the atmosphere, therefore disrupting the earth’s equilibrium (balanced state).

Problem:

How do gases and pollution affect the earth's atmospheric pressure?

Materials:

Bendy straws

Plastic wrap

Tape

2 Thermometers

Watch, clock, or timer

Gymnosperms: Pine Cone Experiment

Pine cones, fir cones, spruce cones: if you live in a cool climate, you’ll see these seed-bearing structures

all over the parks and the roads. Why do trees make cones? They’re the places where trees make and

keep their seeds. In this investigation, you’ll explore the different properties of pinecones and discover

how they can grow new trees and help you tell the weather!

Problem: How do pine cones make more trees?

Materials

Several pine cones

Page 28: FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS · FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS ... citrus fruits, squash, ... and makes for a tasty science

Spray bottle

Pan

Water

Ruler

Washcloth

Magnifying glass

How Does Frost Form?

One of the hallmarks of autumn, besides leaves falling and children returning to school, is frost. Frost is

the fine layer of water crystals that forms from water vapor in the air. In August, you might have felt the

wet dew covering the grass in the morning. Dew forms when water vapor in the air condenses onto cool

surfaces. Condensation is the name for the process of a gas changing to a liquid. If it gets cold enough at

night, the water vapor goes directly from a gas to solid. This process is called deposition. The reverse

process, sublimation, is when a solid changes directly to a gas.

How does frost form? Jack Frost isn’t the only one who can make frost—you can too!

Problem: How Does Frost Form?

Materials

8 oz. clear plastic glass or a Pyrex-type glass measuring cup

1 cup of ice

Two tablespoons water

Paper towel

3 ½ tablespoons rock salt

Spoon

Thermometer (optional)

Fan (optional)

Page 29: FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS · FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS ... citrus fruits, squash, ... and makes for a tasty science

How Does a Compass Work?

You are lost in the wilderness. You know there is a highway several miles north of you, but you don’t

know which direction north is. Luckily, you have a magnet with you! How can you find your way using

your magnet?

Problem:

How does a compass work?

Materials:

Bamboo skewers or disposable wooden chopsticks

Drinking glass

At least one small bar magnet

Thread

Marker

Graph Paper

Tape

How to Separate Salt from Water

Salt, a mineral with the main component being sodium chloride, or NaCl, has been used for millennia to

help preserve food (and make it tasty!). In ancient times, salt was used as a form of currency in some

cultures. During the period when the ancient Phoenicians controlled the salt trade in the

Mediterranean, salt was as expensive as gold! In this lab, we will learn how to separate salt from water

through a solar process—you can use the sun to evaporate water, leaving behind the salt.

Objective: Evaporate water to form salt crystals.

Materials

Baking sheet

Black paper

Salt

Water

Cooking pot

Page 30: FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS · FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS ... citrus fruits, squash, ... and makes for a tasty science

Paper Towel Science Project: Capillarity

Yikes! You’ve just spilled water all over the table! Never fear, there are paper towels nearby. As you clean up your mess you notice that water is spreading throughout the paper towel. What is going on here? The water is being absorbed, or soaked up, by the paper towel material through a process called capillary action. Capillary action, also known as capillarity, is the rising or absorption of liquids through small gaps and holes certain materials.

Paper towels are permeable and porous, meaning that they contain small spaces that both liquid and air may pass through. Liquid is able to rise through a property of water called cohesion—that is, water molecules like to stay close to one another (which also helps to explain surface tension). Water also likes to bind to certain other materials through a process called adhesion. In this paper towel science project, we will be testing which type of paper towel contains the highest rate of capillarity (or ability to absorb water into its many small spaces).

Problem: Which of your 5 paper towels demonstrates the highest level of absorption or capillary action?

Materials

5 different types of paper towels cut into 3”x3” rectangular strips (be sure that you use a variety: rough, soft, brown, white, recycled material, etc.)

5 cups filled with a small amount of water 1 marker Notebook

Rust Chemistry: How Does Rust Form?

When you hear the term “chemical reaction”, you might think of scientists in white lab coats mixing

dark powders to create explosions. Maybe you think of the flurry of bubbles you saw when you mixed

baking soda and vinegar in kindergarten. You probably don’t think of your bicycle rusting after you

leaving it out in the rain—but rust is indeed the result of a chemical reaction!

A chemical reaction happens when one or more different substances is changed into something else.

For instance, when baking soda is combined with vinegar, carbon dioxide gas—a new substance—is

created. In a chemical reaction, our starting substances are called the reactants; the substances at the

end are called products.

Corrosion is the chemical reaction where metals break down slowly because of other elements in their

environment.. Rusting, a well known example of corrosion, is the breakdown of the metal iron. The

reactants of this chemical reaction are iron, water, and oxygen, and the product is hydrated iron oxide,

better known as rust. Rust, unlike iron, is crumbly, orange, and pretty much useless for building things.

Page 31: FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS · FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS ... citrus fruits, squash, ... and makes for a tasty science

In this experiment, you’ll discover what kind of conditions help rust form or prevent it from forming at

all, and why.

Problem: What substances cause iron to rust?

Materials

4 small containers or jars with lids (make sure they are completely dry)

Labels or tape

Permanent marker

Tablespoon

Teaspoon

Iron filings, available from http://www.teachersource.com/product/iron-filings-1-pound-

package/electricity-magnetism

Bottle of water, ideally distilled (You don’t want microorganisms in the water or traces of salt to

interfere with your experiment)

Calcium chloride (available at pool stores, or you could use the drying packet that is included in

packages of dried snack seaweed)

Vegetable oil

Ruler

Vinegar

Magic Glass of Water

Is the glass half full or half empty? When speaking in terms of matter the glass is always full. A drinking

glass without water is said to be “empty”. However, air within the glass is the matter that fills up the

glass. Using these concepts we can invert a glass of water without spilling a drop.

Problem:

How does the phenomenon of the inverted glass of water serve as an example of the properties of

pressure and surface tension?

Materials:

Drinking glass

Page 32: FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS · FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS ... citrus fruits, squash, ... and makes for a tasty science

Piece of cardboard (4” x 4”)

Water

Do Hand Soaps and Sanitizers Prevent the Growth of Bread Mold?

Have you ever gone to make a sandwich only to discover that the last two slices of bread have mold on

them? We are always told to use soaps and hand sanitizers to clean our hands of tiny organisms, but will

they prevent mold growth, too?

Problem:

Determine whether or not hand soaps and sanitizers prevent the growth of bread mold.

Materials:

8 slices of fresh bread with no preservatives

16 sealing plastic sandwich bags

Latex or Nitrile gloves

Sticky labels or masking tape

Pen

Toaster

Knife

Spray bottle

Baking sheet

Camera

Measuring teaspoon

Liquid Soap

Hand Sanitizer

Crayon Rock Cycle Experiment

Did you even wonder why some rocks are round and smooth while others are broken up into small

pieces? Maybe you've even discovered a rock in your backyard that's made up of several layers. If so,

Page 33: FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS · FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS ... citrus fruits, squash, ... and makes for a tasty science

you've just seen the three types of rocks that make up the rock cycle. The best way to understand how

the rock cycle works is to re-create it using a box of ordinary crayons. Ask your mom, dad or other adult

to act as your scientific assistant: This crayon rock cycle experiment will require their supervision and

help.

Problem:

How does a rock change from an igneous rock, sedimentary rock, metamorphic rock, and then back into

an igneous rock?

Materials:

Box of crayons

Wax paper

Cheese grater

Double broiler

Crayon mold

Notebook

Pencil

Sizing Up Marshmallows

Objective:

This project determines if air pressure will cause a marshmallow to expand when heated in a

microwave.

Research Question:

What happens when you heat a marshmallow?

Marshmallows are mostly made up of sugar and water surrounded by air pockets. These air pockets

inside the marshmallow expand and push against the sides of the marshmallow. Since the marshmallow

is flexible, will it expand?

Materials:

Four marshmallows

Paper towels

Page 34: FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS · FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS ... citrus fruits, squash, ... and makes for a tasty science

Microwave

Pen and/or pencil

Lab notebook

Does Hot Water Freeze Faster Than Cold Water?

Have you ever refilled the ice cube tray in your freezer after using the last ice cube in your cup of juice?

You probably automatically poured cold water in the ice cube tray without asking the question, "Does

hot water freeze faster than cold water?"

It makes sense to believe that cold water would turn to ice before hot water because the hot water

would need to cool first before it could freeze; but how do you know if that idea is correct? Test this

theory—untested idea—will tell you whether cold water actually freezes faster than hot water.

Problem:

Does temperature affect how quickly water freezes?

Materials:

Freezer

3 bowls of equal size and shape

Sticky labels

Marker

Water

Measuring cup

Thermometer

Notebook

Pencil

Page 35: FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS · FLOWER HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS ... citrus fruits, squash, ... and makes for a tasty science

Egg Lab

Objective:

An egg is surrounded by a thin membrane. This only lets water into it. The egg itself is a cell and will

show the swelling in cells. When it is put into fluid that is not able to penetrate its surface, what will

happen?

Research Questions:

Why didn’t the 100% corn syrup egg grow?

Why would the cell membrane not dissolve?

If the egg were too swell too much what would happen?

A cell may swell by absorbing nutrients surrounding its cell membrane. If it swells too much, normally it

splits into two. The egg in this experiment won’t split into two, but you will see what happens to a cell

when it swells and when it cannot absorb its surroundings.

Materials:

Water

Vinegar

Corn syrup

Eggs

3 containers to hold the eggs