Projects, Lessons, Activities (Page 34)

What Factors Affect the Strength of an Electromagnet?

Lesson Plan Grade: 6th-8th

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Making an electromagnet from a battery, nail, and wire is a classic science demonstration. But instead of just demonstrating this for your students, let them explore it themselves! In this lesson they will discover how different variables affect the strength of an electromagnet. Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

MS-PS2-3. Ask questions about data to determine the factors that affect the strength of electric and magnetic forces.

Which Materials are the Best Conductors?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Electricity powers many of the devices we use every day, from lights to video games and computers. Engineers have to use certain materials to make electrical devices work. In this experiment, you will find out which materials let electricity flow through them (conductors) and which ones prevent electricity from flowing through them (insulators). Read more

Why Aren't All Medicines Pills?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

No one likes shots, so why don't we swallow all our medications? In this science project, you will use a model to explore one challenge behind making medications we can quickly swallow, using insulin (a medication taken by some diabetes patients) as an example. Will your medication be functional after spending time in an environment similar to the stomach? Read more

2026 Ball Run Challenge for Grades 6-8

Lesson Plan Grade: 6th-8th

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Add a twist to a classic activity with this fun lesson plan. Your students will design and build a ball run for a ping pong ball using nothing but paper and tape. Their goal is to make the slowest ball run possible. How long can they make it take for the ball to go through their ball run? An optional variation is available if you would like to give students an extra challenge. The 2026 Engineering Challenge has ended. You can still do this challenge with students informally. Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

MS-ETS1-2. Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.

AI Hyperrealism: Do AI Faces Look More Real Than Human Faces?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Artificial intelligence (AI) programs can now generate photorealistic pictures of people who do not exist in the real world. How can you tell if a picture is of a real person or a fake, AI-generated person? What features of the picture do people use to decide whether the face is real or AI-generated? In this project, you will explore these questions as you ask volunteers to look at both real and AI-generated pictures of human faces. Read more

Basketball: The Geometry of Banking a Basket

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

If you've ever played or watched basketball, you might already know that your chances of successfully banking a shot on the backboard are higher in certain positions on the basketball court, even when keeping the distance from the hoop the same. Ever wondered what would account for this? Do you think you could actually explain this using geometry? This science project will put your knowledge of geometry and algebra to good use. You will calculate and quantify how much more difficult it is to… Read more

Bridge Building Bonanza: Which Design Wins?

STEM Activity

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55 reviews

Have you ever ridden in a car driving across a suspension bridge? Suspension bridges, with their tall towers, long spans and gracefully curving cables, are beautiful examples of the work of civil engineers. How do the cables and towers carry the load that is on the bridge, which includes you and the car you are in when you cross the bridge? Can a suspension bridge carry a greater load than a simple beam bridge? You can try to answer these questions in this science activity! Read more

Build a Cooler

STEM Activity

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How does a cooler keep things cold? Which material makes the best insulation? Try this project to find out how long you can keep an ice cube from melting once it's out of the freezer! Read more

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

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