Middle School Projects, Lessons, Activities (Page 32)

Build a Gumdrop Geodesic Dome

STEM Activity

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Have you ever seen a geodesic dome? Geodesic domes are approximately sphere-like structures made up of interconnected triangles. A famous geodesic dome is Spaceship Earth at EPCOT in Walt Disney World, Florida, but geodesic domes are also commonly found as climbing domes at playgrounds. In this science activity, you will get to build a simple geodesic dome using gumdrops and toothpicks. Once it is built, you may be surprised by how strong it is! Get ready to do some tasty engineering! Read more

Build a Helping Hand

Science Fair Project Idea

Engineering Design Process

The human body is an impressive piece of machinery, and your hands are no exception. With some training, they can perform delicate and complex tasks like manipulating pens and tools to create art. At the same time, hands have the strength and durability to hold a person's own body weight up on steep rocks. Unfortunately, there is a rapidly growing demand for hand replacements. But fortunately, scientists have studied human anatomy and biology and created human-like hands used as artificial… Read more

Build a Marble Roller Coaster

STEM Activity

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How much energy does a roller coaster need to go through a loop without getting stuck? Build your own marble roller coaster in this project and find out! Read more

Build a Speedy Light-Tracking Robot (BlueBot Project #2)

Science Fair Project Idea

Engineering Design Process

Have you ever seen a cat chase a laser pointer or a flashlight beam? What if you could make a robot do that? In this project, you will build a robot that can automatically drive toward a bright light source. The robot uses a simple electronic circuit to track light, so there is no computer programming required! You can also do three other robotics projects using the same kit of parts, so this is a great way to get started with robotics before moving on to more advanced projects. Read more

Build a Zippy Line-following Robot (BlueBot Project #3)

Science Fair Project Idea

Engineering Design Process

How easy is it for you to walk along and follow a line that is painted on the ground? Simple, right? You might be able to follow a line without giving it much thought, but how could a robot do that? In this project, you will build your own automatic line-following robot that can race around a track that you create. This technology has plenty of real-world applications—maybe one day you could help design self-driving cars! Read more

Colorful Patterns in Melting Ice

STEM Activity

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Have you ever wondered why ice cubes in your cold drink become gradually smaller, or why their surface becomes smoother as they melt? Does ice always melt this way? In this activity, you will use water balloons to create giant ice balls and observe how they melt. Can you predict the effect a bit of salt will have on your giant ice ball? Read more

Cookies: Can You Blame the Burnt Ones On the Cookie Sheet?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Have you ever bitten into a beautiful golden-brown cookie only to realize in dismay that the bottom is burned and black? What causes that uneven baking? Can it be prevented? You can discover the answer by conducting a science fair project to determine whether different types of cookie sheets result in noticeably different cookies. First you'll need to do some background research to figure out what kinds of baking sheets you can buy. For example, there are aluminum, steel, insulated, and… Read more

Delayed Release Pill Challenge: Getting Medicine to the Right Place at the Right Time

Science Fair Project Idea

Engineering Design Process

A lot of medication comes in the form of pills that you need to swallow. But not all pills are the same! Some look like little capsules, others are made of pressed powder. Why are there different types of pills? Different types of pills release their active ingredients in different ways. Some release their active ingredient right after initial administration. Others release their active ingredient much later. Such drugs are called delayed-release drugs. These kinds of pills have to be… Read more

Design a Paper Airplane Launcher

Lesson Plan Grade: 6th-8th

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Aircraft carriers are much shorter than a typical airport runway. How do airplanes manage to gain enough speed for takeoff over such a short distance? A catapult gives them an extra boost! In this lesson, your students will practice engineering design as they build their own paper airplane launchers, while learning about kinetic and potential energy. Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

MS-PS3-2. Develop a model to describe that when the arrangement of objects interacting at a distance changes, different amounts of potential energy are stored in the system.
MS-ETS1-4. Develop a model to generate data for iterative testing and modification of a proposed object, tool, or process such that an optimal design can be achieved.

Design Your Own 3D Printed Optical Illusion

Science Fair Project Idea

Engineering Design Process

The "impossible arrow" is an amazing optical illusion: an arrow that always seems to point to the right, even when you rotate it 180°. If you place the arrow in front of a mirror, however, its reflection points to the left! How does this illusion work? Can you design your own "impossible" shapes? Try this project and find out! Read more

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

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