Parents play an important role in fostering enthusiasm for science in their children.
Doing science projects together at home can make a wonderful weekend or "day off"
activity. The following list of projects contains projects from our library of science
Project Ideas
that meet the following criteria:
- Use readily available materials.
- Can be completed in a few hours.
To find other projects you and your student would enjoy, browse the
complete library or use the
Topic Selection Wizard to see a list of recommendations that match up to your interests.
Applying Hooke's Law: Make Your Own Spring Scale
Applying Hooke's Law: Make Your Own Spring Scale
| Difficulty |
|
| Time Required |
Very Short (≤ 1 day) |
| Prerequisites |
None |
| Material Availability |
Readily available |
| Cost |
Low ($20 - $50) |
| Safety |
Minor injury possible |
Hooke's law says that the opposing force of a spring is directly proportional to the amount by which the spring is stretched. How accurately Hooke's law describe the behavior of real springs? Can springs be used to make accurate scales for weighing objects? Spring into action and find out for yourself with this project.
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Balancing Act: Finding Your Center of Gravity
Balancing Act: Finding Your Center of Gravity
| Difficulty |
|
| Time Required |
Very Short (≤ 1 day) |
| Prerequisites |
None |
| Material Availability |
Readily available |
| Cost |
Very Low (under $20) |
| Safety |
Minor injury possible |
Like to have the balance of a tightrope walker? Try the more close–to–the–ground balancing test in this easy experiment to learn a few trade secrets of the high wire experts. In this project, you'll find your center of gravity and explore the physics of balance at the same time. No net required for this balancing act!
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Baseball Bat Debate: What's Better, Wood or Aluminum?
Baseball Bat Debate: What's Better, Wood or Aluminum?
| Difficulty |
|
| Time Required |
Very Short (≤ 1 day) |
| Prerequisites |
None |
| Material Availability |
Readily available |
| Cost |
Low ($20 - $50) |
| Safety |
Minor injury possible |
So baseball's your game? Well, slugger, science and math abound in baseball. Just look at the zillions of "stats." In this project, you can produce some interesting baseball statistics of your own and perhaps settle a long-standing debate. You'll set up experiments at your local playing field to find out which type of bat is better, wood or aluminum. Play ball, and batter up!
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Measuring the Surface Tension of Water
Measuring the Surface Tension of Water
| Difficulty |
|
| Time Required |
Very Short (≤ 1 day) |
| Prerequisites |
Basic physics: understanding of the concept of a force |
| Material Availability |
Readily available |
| Cost |
Very Low (under $20) |
| Safety |
No issues |
Did you know that when you dip your finger in water and pull it out, the water is actually pulling back on you? Here's a way you can measure how much.
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Measuring Your Taste Threshold
Measuring Your Taste Threshold
| Difficulty |
|
| Time Required |
Very Short (≤ 1 day) |
| Prerequisites |
None |
| Material Availability |
Readily available |
| Cost |
Low ($20 - $50) |
| Safety |
No issues |
This project is so good you can taste it! You'll find out how sensitive your tongue is for three different types of taste: sweet, sour and salty.
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