Science Projects

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My Dad Friend had previously suggested The Birds and Bees Sex Talk which was very popular  so I have been hounding him for other topic suggestions since he seems to have his pulse on parenting issues.  His 6th grader just had a Science Fair Day where everyone exhibited their science projects and I bugged him so much he actually blackberried me the projects he saw as he walked around the room.

And here they are, plus a few more that I added.  And might I add that there are a lot of Science Project websites out there in cyberspace. Apparently, this is a rite of passage that everyone is keen to cash in on.  So, I am suggesting science project ideas that do not require major purchases in the form of a kit!  I also have added a few websites with great science project ideas laid out in a very accessible way.

Which paper towel absorbs the most liquid?

What type of fabric best resists stains?

What is the impact of relaxing music on test taking (simple math problems given to groups of kids)

Which material is the best thermal insulator?

Measure speed of fruit rot in a container or not in container

Impact of butter versus  margarine on taste of baked products

Duration of burning by different types of paper

Fabrics – which burns fastest?

Kinds of wood – which burns fastest?

Which eggs float?  (raw, hard boiled, soft boiled, rotten eggs)

Shadow tracing during different times of the day

What attracts the most insect pests  (mosquitos, flies, gnats with sweat, sweet smelling plants, light or dark clothing)

How do different style pencils or grips affect writing fatigue?

Here’s one I found online at: http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2010/02/concussion_test_sometimes_simp.html

Take the hockey-puck-on-a-rod test a Michigan high school kid cobbled together to help figure out if a knock on the head has caused a concussion. Sports medicine specialists are increasingly worried about the long-term implications of mild, repeated head trauma.

The test is the idea of Ian Richardson. The teenager devised it as a quick and simple way to test reaction time for a science fair project.

Richardson’s device looks like something out of a 19th-century medical text. It’s a hockey puck, with a long rod embedded in the middle. The stick is marked off in centimeter increments.

Turns out Ian Richardson’s father, James, is on the faculty of the University of Michigan Medical School. He thought Ian’s idea might be a pretty cool on-the-spot way to screen for concussions among athletes.

It works like this: Tester suspends the device while injured athlete sits with forearm on table, fingers loosely circling the stick. Without warning, tester drops stick. Athlete grabs stick as fast as possible. Place where athlete grabs gives an instant readout of reaction time.

It all happens in milliseconds–too fast to measure with a stopwatch. In a pilot study of the test, athletes with concussions had reaction times that were 15 percent slower.

What plants are edible in your backyard?www.bio.brandeis.edu/fieldbio/bersbach/EdiblePlants/home.html;www.ansci.cornell.edu/plants/medicinal/portula.html

Could you survive on just what grows in your neighborhood?www.bio.brandeis.edu/fieldbio/bersbach/EdiblePlants/home.html;www.ansci.cornell.edu/plants/medicinal/portula.html

Paper airplane science: http://www.easy-science-fair-projects.net/paper-airplane-science-fair-project.html

Which type of food molds the fastest in the same place: bananas, milk, bread or cheese? http://www.freesciencefairproject.com/projects/mold_experiment.html

What effect does music have on plant growth? http://www.freesciencefairproject.com/projects/plants_music.html

I thought these  websites were useful:

http://school.discoveryeducation.com/sciencefaircentral/Getting-Started/idea-finder.html

http://www.easy-science-fair-projects.net/elementary-science-fair-projects.html