Project Ideas for Home

Showing Intermediate Project Ideas Explain difficulty

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.

Archimedes Squeeze: At What Diameter Does an Aluminum Boat Sink?
Where do you get your best ideas? At school with your friends? When you're out for a bike ride? Over 2,200 years ago, a scientist named Archimedes got one of his best ideas when he sat down in his bath. Eureka! He went running through the streets without even bothering with his clothes. What was he so excited about? He had discovered that when objects, like his body, are placed in water, water is pushed out of the way. Have you noticed that,… Read more

Bottled-up Buoyancy
Do you dream about making deep, undersea voyages? Let this project take you 20,000 leagues under the sea! Investigate how submarines dive and surface by changing their buoyancy in this fun project. Read more

Circus-Trick Science: How to Balance Anything
Ever wonder why it is harder to keep your balance with a heavy backpack on? Or why it is difficult to make a toddler's sippy cup tip over? Maybe you are the kind of person who wonders about circus balancing acts and would like to learn how to ride a bike on a rope. Or perhaps you want to know how to make your toy car less prone to toppling over when racing through a sharp curve. In this science project you can learn about balance using… Read more

Frequency of Outcomes in a Small Number of Trials
People often draw conclusions from a small number of observations, but how easy is it to draw the wrong conclusion? Here is a simple project that shows the importance of making enough observations before making a prediction. Read more

Fresh Whipped Cream That Lasts *
Fresh whipped cream is the final touch for many delectable desserts. One issue with fresh whipped cream is that it has to be used soon after it is made, especially if it is at room temperature, or it starts to collapse into goo. This is a problem for its use in frostings or inside pastries as filler. Whipped cream can be stabilized by adding unflavored gelatin. Stabilized whipped cream can be used at room temperature and it has a much… Read more

Difficulty
Time Required	Very Short (≤ 1 day)
Prerequisites	None
Material Availability	Readily available
Cost	Very Low (under $20)
Safety	Adult supervision is required when using the hammer.

Difficulty
Time Required	Very Short (≤ 1 day)
Prerequisites	None
Material Availability	Readily available
Cost	Very Low (under $20)
Safety	Have an adult help you when using the razor blade or knife, as well as the drill. Always wear safety goggles when working with power tools. If you are performing the experiment in a pool, be sure to have an adult with you at all times.

Difficulty
Time Required	Very Short (≤ 1 day)
Prerequisites	None
Material Availability	Readily available
Cost	Very Low (under $20)
Safety	No issues

Difficulty
Time Required	Very Short (≤ 1 day)
Prerequisites	None
Material Availability	Readily Available
Cost	Very Low (under $20)
Safety

Difficulty
Time Required	Very Short (≤ 1 day)
Prerequisites	None
Material Availability	Readily available
Cost	Very Low (under $20)
Safety	Adult supervision is required. Whipped cream that has been at room temperature for too long might spoil, so be cautious about eating it if too much time has passed.

Project Ideas for Home

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