Projects, Lessons, Activities (Page 46)

Candy Camouflage

STEM Activity

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Have you ever wondered how predators, like wolves, lions, and hawks, are able to find their prey? And what can an animal do to stay off of a hunter's menu? To survive, some animals have developed specific camouflage tactics to fool their predators. One strategy some animals use is to look very similar to other animals that are poisonous or that the predator doesn't like to eat. This camouflage tactic is called mimicry. In this science activity, you will be the hungry predator and you will hunt… Read more

Control Motors with Your Muscles!

Science Fair Project Idea

Engineering Design Process

Have you ever wished you could control your own suit of power armor like Iron Man? What about building a set of Wolverine-like retractable claws? You can get started by using electromyography (EMG) sensors, which can measure the tiny electrical signals generated by our muscles when they contract (Figure 1). You can interface these sensors with a microcontroller like an Arduino and use the output to control LEDs or motors. Getting these sensors to work can be tricky. The electrical signals… Read more

Craters and Meteorites

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Have you ever heard someone say that the moon is made of cheese? Even though the craters on the surface of the moon resemble holes in Swiss cheese, we know that this common myth is not true. Find out how craters are formed and why they are different sizes by doing this simple science project. Read more

Crime Scene Chemistry: Determine the Identity of an Unknown Chemical Substance

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Picture this situation: An elderly woman is rushed to the hospital complaining of severe abdominal pain, tinnitus, and lethargy. Suspecting a drug interaction, the emergency room doctor starts questioning her. The doctor learns that the woman takes no medicines except aspirin for her arthritis. Since she cannot swallow pills well she takes a powdered form of aspirin which she buys in bulk and keeps in a plastic container in her kitchen next to her baking goods. She had just finished a day of… 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 Vibrobots

Science Fair Project Idea

Engineering Design Process

Vibrobots are fun little robots built from common household supplies, that are powered by vibrating motors. In this engineering project, you will design and built your own vibrobot. Would you rather have a robot that skitters quickly across a table or one that spins wildly in circles? How about a sumo-wrestling bot that can push others out of its way? The choice is up to you! Read more

Design Your Own Virtual Reality Headset

Science Fair Project Idea

Engineering Design Process

Virtual reality (VR) headsets are becoming increasingly popular with consumers for things like viewing 3D pictures and videos, or for playing video games. However, dedicated gaming headsets like the Oculus Rift® and PlayStation® VR can cost hundreds of dollars. Some headsets, like Google Cardboard™, which is literally made out of folded corrugated cardboard (Figure 1), are much cheaper because they can use any smartphone as the screen. Figure 1. A… Read more

Develop Your Own Soda Pop Recipe

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Carbonated bevarages are quite popular in the United States (despite the health risks of drinking too much of the sugary ones). Many people love their bubbly, fizzy flavors. But how do the bubbles, fizz, and taste get into the water? In this cooking and food science project, you will work with baking soda, citric acid, and sweetener to create a your own soda pop. Once you develop your recipe, try it out on your friends and family. Who knows? You might create the next soda pop sensation! Read more

Discover the Flaming Colors of Fireworks

STEM Activity

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Have you ever watched a fireworks show and wondered how all the different colors — amazing reds, yellows, oranges, blues, purples, greens, and more — are made? The color, or colors, that a firework makes depends on what color-producing chemicals are in the firework. These chemicals are various metal salts that burn when the firework goes off, and burning the metals is what makes the colors. Different metals give off different, specific colors. In this science activity, you will get… Read more

DNA Fingerprinting

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Are you interested in the technical and ethical aspects of genetic screening, forensic science, and DNA fingerprinting? Scientists use different forms of a gene, called alleles, to differentiate between two fingerprints. One such sequence used in human DNA fingerprinting is the Alu repeat (a 300 base pair repetitive sequence of DNA) on chromosome 16. During evolutionary time, up to 1 million copies of the Alu repeat have become randomly inserted throughout the human genome. Within a specific… Read more

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