Science Buddies'
seventh grade science projects are the perfect way for
seventh grade students to have fun exploring science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Our
seventh grade projects are written and tested by scientists and are specifically created for use by students in the
seventh grade. Students can choose to follow the science experiment as written or put their own spin on the project.
For a personalized list of science projects,
seventh graders can use the Science Buddies Topic Selection Wizard.
The wizard asks students to respond to a series of simple statements and then uses their answers to recommend
age-appropriate projects that fit their interests.
Are there some songs that always make you feel sad when you hear them? How about "Scarborough
Fair," George Gershwin's "Summertime," or the Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby"? All of these songs are in a minor key. Minor keys have more intervals, or halftones, than major keys do. Some musicologists (people who study music) maintain that minor-key songs are more likely to be perceived as sad, while major-key songs are more likely to be interpreted as happy. You can research the competing explanations…
Read more
Music_p018
+ More Details
- Less Details
Time Required
Average (6-10 days)
Prerequisites
You should know how to convert a simple song from a major key to a minor key, or know an experienced musician or music teacher who can help you with the conversions.
Quick, what is your favorite color of M&Ms® candy? Do you want to know what dyes were used to make that color? Check out this science project to find out how you can do some scientific detective work to find out for yourself.
Read more
FoodSci_p006
+ More Details
- Less Details
Time Required
Very Short (≤ 1 day)
Prerequisites
None
Material Availability
For your convenience a kit is available from our partner .
If you ever rode in a cable car, ski lift, or gondola, you know they make moving over obstacles like lakes, valleys, rivers, or even up steep mountains seem easy. Though it would be pretty difficult to build a full-size cable car in your home, if you have a Mindstorms® kit, you can build a working-model cable car of your own. The engineering challenge is to build a LEGO® cable car that can travel across a string you have suspended somewhere in your house (between two pieces of…
Read more
Robotics_p008
+ More Details
- Less Details
Time Required
Short (2-5 days)
Prerequisites
You should be familiar with programming for LEGO Mindstorms to do this project.
Material Availability
This project requires a LEGO Mindstorms EV3 kit (available from ) or a LEGO Mindstorms NXT kit.
Cost
Very High (over $150)
Safety
Make sure your cable car string is securely attached to a heavy object (like a table or large chair) at both ends. The Mindstorms bricks are heavy, and could fall and damage your LEGOs or other objects if the string is not securely attached.
Did you know that cosmetics companies employ teams of specialized scientists to develop and test each new line of makeup, perfume, lotion, or soap? This science project lets you be the cosmetics scientist. You will create your own lip balm right in your kitchen using a short list of ingredients, then test it, and follow up with some creative cosmetics science of your own!
Read more
Chem_p022
+ More Details
- Less Details
Time Required
Average (6-10 days)
Prerequisites
None
Material Availability
This project requires a few special materials. See the Materials list for details.
Make a pinhole projector (see ). Use the pinhole to project an image of the Sun onto a wall or a piece of paper. Do you notice any dark spots on the projected image? Trace the projected image and count the dark spots. Use your pinhole projector to make images of the Sun at the same time of day for several consecutive days. How does the pattern of spots change? Can you use your data to figure out how fast the Sun rotates? Sunspot activity rises and falls with an 11-year cycle. At this…
Read more
Cryopreservation—storing seeds in ultra-cold liquid nitrogen—is one method for maintaining plant genetic stocks in seed banks. Can seeds withstand a really deep freeze and still germinate?
Read more
PlantBio_p004
+ More Details
- Less Details
Time Required
Long (2-4 weeks)
Prerequisites
Material Availability
Requires a sponsor to provide access to liquid nitrogen
Cost
Low ($20 - $50)
Safety
Must have adult supervision when working with liquid nitrogen.
Science Buddies has several fun robotics projects, like the
and
,
where you use arts and crafts materials to make part of a robot. Have you ever wanted to design a more-advanced, sturdier, or fancier looking robot? Then computer-aided design (CAD) and 3D printing might be for you; both are simpler than you think! The directions on this page will give you an introduction to these technologies so you can design and print your own robot. Figure 1 shows an arts-and-crafts version of an Art Bot…
Read more
Robotics_p025
+ More Details
- Less Details
Time Required
Short (2-5 days)
Prerequisites
None
Material Availability
Specialty materials are required. See project description for details.
Do you play video games on a console or smartphone? Have you ever wished you had the power to change how a game worked, or even to create your very own game? This project will show you how to make your very own video game and controller using the
.
Check out the video to see what this simple, but fun, project looks like. Of course, you can design the looks and gameplay of your game any way you like!
This project requires use of a tiny computer called a Raspberry Pi and is fun and easy…
Read more
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 Google Cardboard headset…
Read more
Have you ever noticed that the salt you are using says it is "iodized"?
Iodine is an important micronutrient, which means we need it in small quantities to be healthy. Because iodine is rare in many people's normal diets, it is added to table salt. Then when people salt their food, they are also adding this important micronutrient. In this food science project, you will use some kitchen-friendly chemistry to investigate which types of salt have iodine added (in the form of iodide) and which do…
Read more
