The best two everyday science projects ideas come from the kitchen! Food and liquids!

Food can be a great source for getting everyday science projects ideas to use in the upcoming science fairs.

Food is convenient
Food is familiar
Food lends itself to a many different directions
Food is adaptable to projects for all ages
Food can be quick and easy
Food can be used for long term study

You can analyze the food itself, look at the effects of an ingredient in a recipe, compare brand names for crispness or freshness, and you can grow it. You can look at the manufacturing and distribution or look at nutrition or fertilizers and pesticides

Now with liquids …

you have all of the above and the added fun of making a mess with fizzing, oozing, and exploding.

Think of all the everyday science project ideas that you can come up with with cleaning liquids

Liquids are visual, so by  having several clear containers you can see the results in front of your very eyes,make it a great idea.

Need Examples? Here are some experiments we have at 24 Hour science projects, that use food/water/liquids as great everyday science projects ideas.

Which cereal is the flakiest?
How to make those yeast balloons and liquids.
Analyze Vitamin C and how long it lasts.
Water density and floating Leggos.
Adding Alka-Seltzer to different Liquids to see the chemical reaction.
Salt, eggs and ice are other everyday products that can be used in simple science projects for students.

Another thing about using everyday things like food, water or liquids is that the research you have to do is a little less scary because you are dealing with something you know about. They might not know about the chemical reaction, but they know what Alka Seltzer and what it is used for so it gives them a starting point. It is always easier to understand when you add new knowledge to something you already have than it is to learn about an unfamiliar.

As you can see, when your child is looking for ideas for a science fair project, you may not need to go any further than your own house for inspiration!

Use these links to find, download and start using instantly food and liquid everyday science projects ideas and other cool ideas too!

Demonstrations?

Weekend Projects?

Middle School Projects?

24 Hour Projects?

When it comes to  finding, and then doing science projects for children to use for a science fair, the first you tend to think of is time consuming with weeks of collecting data.  There are really cool and simple science fair projects that involve some time, and there are also some project equally as cool that can be done in one weekend, and believe it or not there are last minute projects that can be done in one day.

The key is with most of the best science projects for children to do is to keep it simple and use materials easily found at home or with a quick trip to a local store.  The science concepts involved can be as complicated as you want, but you are better off with a simple one, particularly if there is any hope of the child doing this on their own without much science homework help. As long as it meets the requirements of the teacher, usually the scientific method is involved, you will be good to go.

Here are three examples of simple, science projects for children  that can be done over time,  in a weekend and on one day.

Science project that need some time
I recently read an article about a girl who looked at bread mold and how different preservatives used in bread, affect how long it takes for mold to grow, or if it even grows.  You can see that it is simple, all you need is some bread with different preservatives, and I am thinking a warm moist environment?  It will be cool because it will become pretty disgusting, or pretty if you are into colors of mold,  but it is also something that can be measured easily over time.  How much mold grew, how many days before it grew and so on.  This is kind project that turns into a family project.  But would never work at the last minute. You can read all about this project here.

Science projects for children to do in a weekend
When you have a weekend, the actual project can be  fairly quick, usually it means track data over several hours, or overnight.  One popular project is looking at different kinds of insulation and seeing what works best for keeping something warm or cold.  This works well as not only does it seems like a popular topic with the push for more green technology, but all you really need is to track temperatures over several hours and then overnight to get decent data.  We have all the details set up for you for this one at Weekend Science Projects here

One Day Science Fair projects can be cool too.

Not only are these great for the last minute when you did not realize a project was due, (we’ve all been there), but they can work well for a quick homework experiment that may not mean making a big display for a science fair.  Keeping with the green theme, you can quickly analyze which toilet paper is most biodegradable.  You go through all the scientific steps, but you will see the results fairly quickly.

You can see all of these science projects for children tend to use easy to find materials, are things the children can do themselves, but are also things the family can also get interested in too.

You can be downloading  five great school science projects for children in the blink of an eye that work  really well for the last minute,  24 hour science projects with this link.

When it comes to finding, and then doing science projects for students to use for a science fair, the first you tend to think of is time consuming with weeks of collecting data. There are really cool and simple science fair projects that involve some time, and there are also some project equally as cool that can be done in one weekend, and believe it or not there are last minute projects that can be done in one day.

The key is with most of the best science projects for students is to keep it simple and use materials easily found at home or with a quick trip to a local store. The science concepts involved can be as complicated as you want, but you are better off with a simple, particularly if there is any hope of the child doing this on their own.

Here are three examples of simple, science projects for students that can be done over time, in a weekend and on one day.

Science projects that need some time

I recently read an article about a girl who looked at bread mold and how different preservatives used in bread, affect how long it takes for mold to grow, or if it even grows. You can see that it is simple, all you need is some bread with different preservatives, and I am thinking a warm moist environment? It will be cool because it will become pretty disgusting, or pretty if you are into colors of mold, but it is also something that can be measured easily over time. How much mold grew, how many days before it grew and so on. This is kind project that turns into a family project. But would never work at the last minute.

Science projects for students to do in a weekend

When you have a weekend, the actual project can be fairly quick, usually it means track data over several hours, or overnight. But you have the whole weekend to organize, and get the write-up or  display put together so it looks good.  One popular project is looking at insulation and seeing what works best. This works well as it seems like a popular topic with the push for more green technology.

One Day Science Fair projects can be cool too.

Not only are these great for the last minute when you did not realize a project was so, we’ve all been there, but they can work well for a quick homework experiment that may not mean making a big display for a science fair. Keeping with the green theme, you can quickly analyze which toilet paper is most biodegradable.
You can see all of these science projects for students use easy to find materials, are things the kids can do themselves, but the family can also get interested in which can help motivate the kids and keep interest alive.

You can be downloading five great school science projects for students in the blink of an eye that work for weekends here–

or the last minute 24 hour science project with this link.

Filtering water is a common topic in middle school, as part of an ecology unit, or in the study of pond water, or when straight out studying how water filters work.  Here is an idea for a simple experiment.

Want to find a quick, easy science fair project you can use for a demonstration  in front of class?  Visit 24 hour Science Fair Projects

http://www.24hourscienceprojects.com/ezGaffurl.php?offer=s7n17y&pid=2&tid=to062111

One of the important steps in choosing  some simple science fair projects  is to observe your environment and pose questions and then make predictions. Then you follow the steps to a good scientific experiment  using the scientific method, and explore it and either prove or disprove your predictions.

Doesn’t this sound so simple?

Simple that is until it is your kid sitting there saying, “I don’t know what to do…” or “I don’t know what they mean to look around….” One of the problems is everyone over thinks this step and thinks it has to be some fancy science concept, rather than a simple question you probably have asked a million times yourself, without realizing it is the seed to a great, quick and easy science fair project.

Here is a perfect example of finding simple science fair projects where the topic is definitely something that interests all kids and then you experiment with it:

What is something all kids like and teachers do everything possible to keep it out o school?
GUM!

So what can you do with gum? Here is one experiment I saw online:

• Study what the different temperatures of water does to the gum.

Hopefully you can see the makings of a great project, and how cool the charts and display will look when you are finished.

• You pick one type/brand of gum to begin with.
• Make a list of the attributes taste, can you bend it, ease of chewing, how long the flavor lasts, can you blow bubbles, and whatever the kids come up with.
• Then with cold, warm, hot and boiling water keep track of the difference it makes with each attribute and chart it. You should be able to make a conclusion on what water does to gum at these temperatures.

• Once you do that, older students might want to take it a step further and expand and do the same thing with different brands, sugarless, fruit flavored, bubble gum, gum balls, etc to see if it does the same thing to all gum, or whatever.

How fun the display board will look with all those different types of gum and the charts!

This is a simple example of looking in your environment, posing a question and experimenting with it. It is quick, simple and a great way to learn how to use the steps to the scientific method, without even realizing it.

When you think about it, you run into these simple little questions all the time, particularly in the kitchen. Does hot or cold water make the brownies better? How fast do ice cubes melt in different temperatures? Which brands of bread molds faster? and Does putting it in the refrigerator do any good? These are the kinds of questions that come up all the time and make great science fair projects.

Discover a great source with a supply of these quick, simple science fair projects that are kid tested and teacher approved with this link.

While some teachers would argue that projects are a waste of time, the majority know that they’re the best way to not just learn about science, but also remember what you’ve learnt throughout your life. Besides this, projects offer the following benefits too:

• They make science more interesting: There’s no doubt that a class that involves hands-on work is much more interesting and preferable to one that comprises only boring theoretical lectures. Projects generate interest in science by inducing curiosity in students and encouraging them to delve deeper into the many layers of the subject. They pose a challenge that students are driven to achieve, and because of this, they look forward to science classes instead of dreading them.
  • They bring out the engineer in you: The link between science and engineering comes out strong and clear when you get down to creating working models for your project. You combine out your mathematical and engineering knowledge to come with the perfect scale models that not only look authentic but which also work without a hitch. You go back to the drawing board when there are errors or when your results are not accurate and you research other sources so that your project is better than those of your classmates.
  • They tap your creativity: The theory may be the same, but there may be many practical ways to implement it. So even if your whole class is given the same project, your team strives to be the most creative. You don’t have a whole lot of room to maneuver and the competition is tough; this is a situation that gets your juices flowing and encourages you to come out with a stunning design and implementation of the theory.
  • They help you understand science better: It’s easy to see that science becomes simpler to understand and learn when working models demonstrate the theoretical equations and principles you read from your textbook. You look at the subject as a means of explaining our world and how things work rather than as just text that must be memorized in order to secure a passing grade in your exams.
  • They encourage teamwork: And finally, projects foster teamwork and encourage bonding with the others in your team. This helps you prepare for real-life situations in work environments where you will most likely be part of a team and must know how to interact with the others smoothly and in good cheer.

Science projects must be encouraged not just by teachers, but by school administrations as well in order to boost interest in the subject and encourage more students to base a career on it.

By-line:

This guest post is contributed by Beatrice Owen, she writes on the topic of bachelors of science . She welcomes your comments at her email id: owen1.beatrice(@)gmail(.)com.

Science at Home:  Dirty Laundry Lessons, Part 1

It shouldn’t have come as a shock to my family that I went to college and majored in a scientific field.  After all, I showed an early proclivity for experimentation, long before the days of chemistry class or science fair projects.  At the ripe age of 9, I conducted an “experiment” to see what types of materials burn faster.  (NOTE:  Do NOT try this at home, or at least not without extreme adult supervision!!)  All went well until I tested a Kleenex…which I promptly had to drop into the metal trash can…filled with Kleenex…well, you get the picture.  A few seconds later and after a mad fire stomp by several members of my family (Metal trash cans get hot when engulfed in flame and cannot be carried out of the house; that was my mom’s take home lesson), my first science lab was finished.  As was the carpet.  Not a stellar start to my science career, but it didn’t slow me down.  Much. 

However, I would like to suggest some fun and SAFER “science-y” things to do at home.  These ideas can be used as a simple introduction to the scientific method, or you can take it further and use it as a starting board for a full-blown science project.  First off, we’ll start in the laundry room, since I seem to spend a large portion of my life there! 

1)  What are the effects of hard/soft water on detergents?  Or, what are the effects of certain salts on detergents?  To do this experiment, create a universal stain on several cloth strips(all made of same material).  Be sure to leave some material unstained as a point of comparison.  To create a consistent stain, consider soaking in something like grape juice or coffee.  Stain all the material at the same time for the same amount of time.  Start with ½ liter of purified water in several 2 Liter bottles (this will be your washing machine).  Leave one “machine” as purified water only.  This is your control.  To each of the other two liters, add salts.  You can try different salts (Magnesium, Calcium, Sodium), OR try using different amounts of the same salt in different two liters.  Add a cloth strip and the same amount of detergent to each “machine.”  I recommend using only a teaspoon of detergent.  Count the number of shakes (do whatever your arms can handle; but do your best to shake each two liter the same amount of time/number of shakes).  

Oh, my mind races with the possibilities with this one:  comparing detergents, amounts of salts, lather, time, etc.  However, try to keep it simple.  Only test one thing at a time. 

Well, tune in next time for more laundry lab.  Who knows, if nothing else, you might get Suzie or Johnny interested in science and the upcoming science fair.  Or, at the very least, maybe they’ll do the laundry for you next time!

Yours in Science,
Cecilia
PS:  Want more details on a quick, easy science project….

Check out 24 Hour Science Projects!

First, consult with your child’s science teacher when trying to find a good science project idea, especially at the 6th grade level. This way, you’ll be sure to know what the class is currently studying to keep the project relevant but not redundant, and clarify any requirements or deadlines.

Next, science project books, easily found at the public library, are reliable and easy to use resources for finding and executing a science project. Using the library is a great way to teach your child to search for books by subject matter, in this case looking for science projects or the subject matter that interests them, and to ask for help from the librarian if you need it. 

 Finally, the internet is a great place to find huge amounts of 6th grade science project ideas, but you have to know where to look to save yourself time. While you can begin with a general search for science project ideas, it might be a good idea to search more specifically for websites like http://www.akronlibrary.org/DBS/SFDB/Default.aspx that are searchable by subject matter or grade level, so that you aren’t finding projects that are too easy or difficult for your student. Another great tool is the free project guides found at http://www.middle-school-science-projects.com/guide.pdf.

Check out 24 Hour Science Projects

today and get your science experiments!

Have your 7th grader begin by searching more generally for science projects that suit their science interests. For example, if they want to do a science experiment that has to do with star gazing or space, you can search “7th grade science projects, astronomy” to be sure to find a project that is appropriate for their grade level. However, that may need to find a more specific science project website in order to get the best results.

There are websites that host whole databases of science projects for kids of all ages, and can be searched by grade level or subject area. Some great science project databases include The Akron Library as well as Youth.net. These websites that are intended specifically for students searching for feasible and fun science projects will likely be more reliable and easy to use than doing a broader search, where the results might be hard to verify. Another good resource are the 7th grade project guides available for free at http://www.middle-school-science-projects.com/guide.pdf, that are designed with the usual hypothesis through results structure in mind.

Visit 24 Hour Science Projects

get started on your science experiment today!

When choosing a 7th grade science project topic, one of the best places to begin is by talking with your child’s science teacher. They can give you advice based on your what the science class is currently studying, and make sure that the project your child chooses fulfills the project requirements for the class. Their teacher might also be able to recommend a good science project book, which brings us to our next useful tool, the public library. The library is full of kid friendly science books, even books geared specifically toward science projects for any age. A great science project book might be helpful as you know you’d be using reliable information that will walk you through the experiment. 

The internet is also a great resource for finding a 7th grade science experiments. Either by searching specifically for a type of project i.e. “7th grade science project, chemistry,” or by searching for a database full of science projects like http://www.akronlibrary.org/DBS/SFDB/Default.aspx or http://www.youth.net/nsrc/sci/sci.index.html, you’re sure to be able to find an assortment of science experiments that your child will be interested. Another great find on the internet is the free science project guide at http://www.middle-school-science-projects.com/guide.pdf.

Go to 24 Hour Science Projects

for your science experiments today!