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Best Science Project ideas recommended for 2008-2009 school year
A group of project
advisors at ScienceProject.com identified the 10 best science
projects for the school year 2005-2006. Not surprisingly, most
of these projects are related to energy, environment and
health. Selections are based on the educational value,
attractiveness, versatility and availability of materials and
equipment or kits. The 10 best projects are listed below:
| Air Battery/ Saltwater
Battery
In this project you will experiment
making electricity using a revolutionary method. You may call this air
battery because it uses the oxygen from the air. You may also call it
salt water battery because it uses a solution of salt water as electrolyte.
The electricity you produce can be
high enough to light up a light bulb. You can extend the power by
adding oxygen. |
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You can also perform
experiments to see how does the amount of salt, the amount of oxygen,
or the size of electrodes affect the amount of electricity or the
battery life. Write your results in a table and use them to draw a
graph. Recommended for ages 11 to 18. This is an experimental (investigatory)
project. [See More Details]
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| Wooden Generator
In this project you will experiment
making electricity by spinning a magnet inside a wire coil. This is
the principle of electric generators. Make all parts using wood; only
the magnet and wire will be non-wooden material.
The electricity you produce can be
high enough to light up a light bulb; however, it will just flicker if
you spin the magnet by hand. |
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perform experiments to see how does the number of wire loops or the
diameter of wire affect the amount of electricity it produces. This is
an experimental (investigatory) project. Recommended for ages 13 to
18.[See More Details]
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Fruit Battery
(Make Electricity From Fruits)
Even fruits can make electricity and
if you be lucky, you may even get enough electricity to light up a
light bulb. The electricity produced by fruits can easily be measured
using a multi-meter. In this project you compare different fruits for
the amount of electricity they can produce. Find out if sour taste and
acidity of fruits can contribute to the production of
electricity.
This project is a safe version of
other battery projects that use corrosive chemicals. |
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The
electricity from fruits is important because it also indicates the
concentration of minerals available in fruits. You can also use this
method to compare the quality of different potatoes or different
oranges. This is an experimental (investigatory) project.
Recommended for ages 10 to 16. [See
More Details]
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| Make a DNA Model
DNA is a nucleic acid that contains
the genetic instructions specifying the biological development of all
cellular forms of life. By changing parts of DNA, scientists are able
to produce plants, animals and other live organisms with new properties
and abilities. Genetically modified crops and genetically modified
fruits are widely known and used.
For students who like biology and
want to understand the structure of DNA, making a DNA model can be an
exiting display project with special learning benefits. |
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| A model can
simply be made using foam balls. This can be a complete display
project or an addition to any DNA related project. [See
More Details]
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| Starch test kit
Starch test has been the most
versatile science project in the past few years. Students can modify
it and make totally new projects that are all based on starch test.
Some variations of starch test program are:
- Test apple maturity.
- The effect of sunlight on
production of starch on plants.
- Effect of enzymes on starch
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In a basic
starch test project you test different
foods, fruits or products for presence of starch. Find out how widely
the starch is used in different industries. You may expand the starch
test topic to many new project ideas. For example you may research the
effect of sunlight in production of starch or the effect of enzymes on
starch. Determination
of starch in foods is important due to dietary concerns of many people
who are on a low starch/ low sugar diet. This is an experimental (investigatory)
project.
Recommended for ages 10 to 16. [See
More Details]
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| Air propulsion
Motor Boats
(Simple Electric
Circuit)
Combine the joy and
excitement of mechanical toys with your science project
by constructing an air propelled motor boat. This is
also a good way of learning about simple electric
circuits. Your boat will have a battery, a switch and a
motor with propeller. This can be used as a science
project related to electricity, force or floatation.
This idea is good for a display project, an engineering
project and an experimental (investigatory) project. |
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Finally you can make a vehicle
that can drive both on land and in water. To do that simply
attach the wheels to the sides of the boat.
With your kit you may also
receive four sheaves that may be used as wheels. Sheaves are
almost like the ring in a bicycle; they are just missing the
tiers. Students often use sheaves to make pulleys as a part of a
simple machine project. |
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The
Gauss Rifle |
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| The Gauss Rifle also known as the
Gaussian gun is a very simple experiment that uses a magnetic chain
reaction to launch a steel marble at a target at high speed. This
educational and amusing project is very simple to build (it only
takes a few minutes), is is very simple to understand and explain,
and yet fascinating to watch and to use. |
| When the gauss rifle fires, it
will happen too fast to see. The ball on the right will shoot away
from the gun, and hit the target with considerable force. Our one
foot long version is designed so the speed is not enough to hurt
someone, and you can use your hand or foot as a target. |
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| Solar Car
MiniScience's Solar Racer
activity introduces students to alternative energy concepts
while incorporating problem solving, design and modeling. In
addition, students will experience using hand tools as they
construct their solar vehicle.
Students can explore:
- Propulsion types and
drive concepts
- Basic soldering
techniques and electronic concepts
- Alternative energies
like solar power
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| The federal government has
encouraged alternative forms of transportation due to a limited
supply of oil and increasing environmental pollution. Solar cars are
just one of many transportation concepts emerging. Solar cars use
solar cell panels instead of gasoline as the fuel. As a result,
exhaust fumes and oil consumption are eliminated.
The solar cell panel generates an
electrical charge that is stored in a battery and used to provide
energy as the vehicle is driven. The lighter the vehicle, the less
energy used and the farther the vehicle will travel. In cloudy days,
or at night, energy can be drawn from reserve batteries. In the
future, charge stations will be located on the road sides for quick
battery charging.
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Pulley Motor
Car
Design ideas
This page
provides some pictures and ideas on how a pulley motor car
may be constructed. It is not meant to serve as a
step-by-step recipe or assembly instructions. You may use
these ideas to complete your own design and construct your
own model of pulley motor car. Some pictures may show parts
that are different in shape, size or color from what you may
have in your kit.
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Pulley motor car is an electric car
using pulleys to transfer the mechanical energy from the motor to
the wheels. MiniScience's Pulley Car activity introduces students to
compound machines and simple machines including pulley, wheel and
axle while incorporating problem solving, mechanical design and
modeling. In addition, students will experience using hand tools as
they construct their Pulley Motor Car. |
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| Electromagnet
An electromagnet is by far the
most important electrical structure that exists in almost all
electronic devices. Most of today's Radios, televisions, door
bells, telephones, telegraphs and computers could not exist
without electromagnets. |
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| In an
electromagnet project, you may make some of the simple devices
that use electromagnet; however the most important electromagnet
projects study the strength of electromagnet. There is an electromagnet
kit available at MiniScience.com; however, many students may
just purchase the magnet
wire (27 AWG) and find other material (nail, battery,..) at
home.
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Four other projects in
this group are:
For a complete list of
projects, visit ScienceProject.com.
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