Beginning Science Fair Project Ideas
by Dr. Michael Farney
Build a “toilet paper” solar system.
- Great 3-D models of the Planets
- Toilet Paper Solar System
- Build A Solar System
- Complete Guide To The Planets
Build a model hovercraft – or a real one!
- Simple Hovercraft Which Can Lift Several Adults
- Try this Sharp-Looking Hovercraft
- Build a Hovercraft to Lift a Mouse
- Lots of Hovercraft Plans
- Build A Hovercraft
Build a pantograph.
Build a simple electric motor.
Build a spectroscope – it makes rainbows you can study. Use it to identify street lights.
Build a working telescope.
Can plants grow in the wastewater from laundry machines?
Build Squidy, the diving squid and explain how he works.
Experiment with Magnets
Measure the speed of bubbles in a bubble tube set.
Grow an alligator and graph its size and weight increase.
Can you decode a supermarket bar code?
- How Do Bar Codes At Grocery Stores Work
- How UPC Bar Codes Work
- Barcode Server
- Barcodes: A Video for You
Can you tell a person’s sex by pictures of bare feet?
Compare the calories in common foods
Could glow-in-the-dark paint be used for emergency exit sign? Other uses?
Does plant DNA differ from animal DNA?
Does salt affect the boiling point of water?
Does the temperature of the human body vary during the course of the day? Why?
Explore Pascal’s Triangle.
Find probabilities when rolling 2 dice.
How does the number of turns of wire affect the strength of an electromagnet?
Identify igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic rocks found in the Black Hills or just here at home.
- Rocks For Kids
- Rocky The Rock Hound
- Rocks From The US Geological Service
- Good Rock Identification Tables
In a blindfold test, who can distinguish between 1% milk, 2% milk and skim?
Instantly tell if a number can be divided by 2, 3, 4, 5, etc. without a calculator.
Investigate the creation of the Badlands.
Is hand strength related to sidedness?
Is the ratio of our arm span to our height really equal to 1?
Alka-Seltzer Rocket and More
Like popcorn? Here are some good projects.
Make a simple electric generator then find ways to improve it.
Monitor the ionosphere using an am radio.
Collect fossils and explain them.
- Fossils For Study And Purchase
- Geologic Time Scale
- Fossils, Rocks, And Time, USGS Publication
- Colossal Fossil Site
Plot earthquakes day by day in the USA or around the globe.
Report on the South Dakota dinosaur with a heart! What other types of dinosaurs existed here?
Travel to the Black Hills Institute in Hill City.
What are the six types of “simple machines”? Can you build one of each?
What colored dyes are found in colored drink mixes and in colored pens?
What is the ideal spout for pouring a liquid?
What percent of an orange is water? Which fruit contains the most water?
- What type of material is the best heat insulator?
- What Materials Have The Best Insulation
- Insulation Fact Sheet
- Home Insulation Explained
- Model Project (imitate, don’t copy)
Which fabric makes the best parachute? (Control for size and weight of object.)
- The Parachute
- Build a Parachute
- Another Such Site
- How Parachutes Work
- Parachute Math
- Parachutes On Mars
- More Parachutes On Mars
How does the size of hole in a toy parachute affect its rate of fall?
Which paper towel is strongest? Check your results against the magazine Consumer Reports.
Why do leaves change colors in the fall?
Would a spider web conduct electricity on an electric fence?
How do ants behave?
Put the sky in your room.
Study human hair.
- Science Fair Hair Projects
- Exploring Hair
- Hair Hygrometer
- Create A Hair Hygrometer
- Make Your Own Hair Hygrometer
Which paper airplane flies farthest?
- Best Paper Airplane in the World
- Paper Airplane Books
- Paper Helicopter
- The Science of Paper Planes from the Exploratorium
Learn about secret codes and invent your own.
- Secret Codes and Cyphers
- Build a Simple Encryption Device
- From Thunk.com
- The Secret Language
Build a super solar cooker and explain how it works.
- Solar Cooking Plans
- Making and Using a Solar Cooker
- Sun S’mores
- More Sun S’mores
- How Solar Ovens Work
Analyze dust and dirt.
Be a drill sergeant to a plant.
Grow crystals or find them.
- Crystal Growing Recipies
- Top Five Crystal Growing Kits
- Crystal Gardens
- Making Rock Candy
- Making Rock Candy with Pictures
- Science of Rock Candy
- Rock Candy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics
Identify casts of animal tracks.
Fly a bottle rocket.