Middle School Projects, Lessons, Activities (Page 3)

Build the Best Paper Bridge

STEM Activity

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Bridges come in all shapes, sizes, and materials. What makes a bridge the strongest? Find out in this fun activity as you build simple bridges with paper and test to see how much weight they can hold. Read more

Turn Milk into Plastic

STEM Activity

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1341 reviews

Have you ever heard that plastic can be made out of milk? If this sounds like something made-up to you, you may be surprised to learn that from the early 1900s until about 1945, milk was commonly used to make many different plastic ornaments, including buttons, decorative buckles, beads and other jewelry, fountain pens, the backings for hand-held mirrors, and fancy comb and brush sets. Milk plastic (usually called casein plastic) was even used to make jewelry for Queen Mary of England! In… Read more

Investigate the Kinetics of the Color Changing Iodine Clock Reaction

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

The iodine clock reaction is a favorite demonstration reaction in chemistry classes that usually requires toxic or hazardous chemicals. During the reaction, two clear liquids are mixed, resulting in another clear liquid. After some time, the solution suddenly turns dark blue. The reaction is called a clock reaction because the amount of time that elapses before the solution turns blue depends on the concentrations of the starting chemicals. In this green chemistry project, you will use a… Read more

Rubber Band Car Challenge

Science Fair Project Idea

Engineering Design Process

In this engineering challenge, you will build a car powered by nothing but a rubber band. The farther the car goes, and the fewer materials you use to build it, the higher your score. The 2024 Science Buddies Engineering Challenge is over, but you can check out this page to see our other past engineering challenges and what this year's challenge will be! Teachers, lesson plan versions of this challenge are also available. Read more

Archimedes Squeeze: At What Diameter Does an Aluminum Boat Sink?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Where do you get your best ideas? At school with your friends? When you are 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, too? The weight of the water that is pushed out of… Read more

Build a Circuit to Automatically Water Your Plants

Science Fair Project Idea

Engineering Design Process

Have you ever taken care of a plant? It can be tricky to get it right. You have to remember to water it regularly, and you also have to make sure to give it the right amount of water — not too much or too little. What if technology could help? In this engineering project, you will learn how to automate the entire process of watering a plant. Using a soil moisture sensor and a pump, you will build a circuit that will automatically detect when the soil is too dry, add water, and stop when… Read more

The Strength of an Electromagnet

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

You may be familiar with permanent magnets—the kind that hang on a refrigerator. But did you know that other magnets, called electromagnets, can be turned on and off? When turned on, electromagnets act just like permanent magnets, but if you turn them off, their magnetic properties disappear. Electromagnets are an important part of many electronic devices, like motors and loudspeakers. You can create an electromagnet with a simple coil of wire and a battery. In this project, you will… Read more

Ball Launcher Challenge

Science Fair Project Idea

Engineering Design Process

Try your hand at this engineering challenge. Can you build a "launcher" device to launch a ball as far as possible and a "receiver" to catch it? Building a receiver provides an extra twist to a traditional catapult project. Add to the challenge by using a limited set of materials to build your machine and calculate a score based on your throw distance and materials used. Read more

Bottled-up Buoyancy

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

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

How Much Fat is in Your Food?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Have you ever been told to avoid certain foods because they contain too much fat? Almost every food we eat has some amount of fat in it; often in an invisible form so we do not even notice. However, eating healthy does not mean getting rid of all fat in your diet. On the contrary, fat is an essential nutrient for your body! Only consuming too much of certain fat types creates problems. Are you curious about how to determine the fat content of different foods? Gather some chips, chocolate, and… Read more

Middle School Projects, Lessons, Activities (1,334 results)

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