Project Ideas for Science

Solar System Mural—Make a proportionally accurate drawing or display of the solar system showing the major planets and the sun with relative distances from each other on the wall in your classroom or nearby hallway. Describe the consequences of position in relation to the sun on each planet’s climate.

Dinosaur Symposium—Take a sketch of your favorite dinosaur and adjust the drawing to be accurate life-size. Use chalk to represent the lifesize drawing on your parking lot surface. Research what is known about habitat and inferred about habits. Information on each to be shared.

Anatomy of a Disaster—Research details of famous natural disasters. Create a display that discusses the cause, the impact, the costs, any first-hand accounts, the science and geography involved in each.

Earthquake/Volcano location—Gather data on the locations and magnitudes of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions that occurred within the same month. Mark these on a map and make observations.

Water and soil inspection for healthy communities—Take water or soil samples from the school neighborhood, homes or school and test for conditions that might be harmful. Prepare a report, including information on safe levels and graphic displays that can be distributed to parents, the community or presented to a city council.

Making Music Is Science as Well as Art—Find ways to create several instruments from bottle, straws, wine glasses and copper pipe, add your own homemade drum, experiment with other materials to make instruments and then create a brief concert for invited guests. Plans for instruments are available at: www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/recommender_interest_area.php?ia=Music. Before the performance, the group will explain how different tones were created to enable the performance.

Will the Leaning Tower Fall?—Students in grades 9-12 research the Tower of Pisa and write a report about its history. They examine the physics of why the Tower leans and whether it might fall. Finally, they plan a trip to Italy to see the Tower, developing an itinerary and budget for the trip. www.education-world.com/a_tech/
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