Sixth Grade Projects, Lessons, Activities (Page 7)

Junkbots: Robots from Recycled Materials

STEM Activity

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Building "junkbots" is a fun activity where you can turn recycled materials—like plastic bottles and cardboard tubes—into robots! This is a great activity for a classroom or a group of friends, because you can race your robots against each other and even make them sumo wrestle. You do not need any previous experience with robotics to build junkbots. A Science Buddies kit is available with all the electronic parts you need, including motors, batteries, and clear instructions for how… Read more

Make Magnetic Slime

STEM Activity

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What happens when you add iron filings to regular slime? You get magnetic slime! Make your own magnetic blob that will swallow up a magnet in this fun experiment. Read more

Make Your Own Seismograph

STEM Activity

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Scientists study earthquakes so we can understand them better and hopefully one day predict them so we can save thousands of lives. A seismograph is a tool scientists use to record earthquakes and measure their strength. In this activity you will build your own seismograph using simple materials. Read more

Paper Roller Coasters: Kinetic and Potential Energy

Lesson Plan Grade: 6th-8th

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What goes up, must come down in this thrill-seeking lesson plan! How much energy does a roller coaster car need to make it through a loop? In this lesson your students will learn about kinetic and potential energy as they build their own roller coasters from simple classroom materials. 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-PS3-5. Construct, use, and present arguments to support the claim that when the kinetic energy of an object changes, energy is transferred to or from the object.

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, loudspeakers, and hard drives. You can create an electromagnet with a simple coil of wire and a battery. In this project,… Read more

Build an Obstacle-Detecting Walking Stick for Blind People

Science Fair Project Idea

Engineering Design Process

Many individuals who are blind or visually impaired use canes to navigate their surroundings, using their sense of touch to detect obstacles. What if you could create an electronic cane that emits an audible warning before coming into contact with an object? This project allows you to do just that by incorporating an ultrasonic distance sensor and a buzzer to alert the user of approaching obstacles. You can customize the cane by adding additional features or altering the design, such as using a… Read more

Make a Miniature Water Cycle Model

STEM Activity

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Have you ever wondered where the rain that falls from the sky comes from? You might say the rain falls from the clouds, but what are clouds and where do they come from? All these questions and many more can be answered by looking into how water moves on land and in the atmosphere, which is described in the water cycle. In this activity, you will investigate some of the processes that make water move in and out of the atmosphere by making a miniature water cycle model inside a plastic bag. Read more

2026 Ball Run Challenge

Science Fair Project Idea

Engineering Design Process

In this engineering challenge, you will build a ball run from paper and tape, but there's a twist! You want to make your ball run as slow as possible. How long can you make it take for the ball to get from the entrance to the exit? Read more

Build a Robotic Arm

Science Fair Project Idea

Engineering Design Process

Robotic arms have many uses, ranging from assembling things in factories to collecting soil samples on Mars to acting as prosthetics (artificial limbs) for humans. If you have ever wanted to build your own robotic arm, this project will guide you through the basics of designing and building a simple one. You can use this design as a starting point to design your own robotic arm and add your own features. Read more

Generate Electricity with a Lemon Battery

STEM Activity

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Can you imagine how your life would change if batteries did not exist? If it were not for this handy storage of electrical energy, the radio in a car would not function, nor would the lights. A pacemaker or hearing device would need to be plugged into a wall outlet in order to function, and do not forget all portable electronic devices like phones, digital music players, or tablets, which are all powered by batteries. With all the frustration you might have endured coping with dead batteries,… Read more

Sixth Grade Projects, Lessons, Activities (1,098 results)

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