Chemistry + Environmental Science
Make bioplastic from milk or starch
Make casein and starch plastics at home and test their strength and how they break down.
- Easy
- 1–2 weeks
- Under 250
606 projects · 13 streams · every class
Science projects 40
Experiments, working models and investigations in physics, chemistry, biology, earth and space. Most can be done at home or in a school lab, and each one says what it costs and how long it takes.
40 Science projects
Physics · Fluid Mechanics
Build a hydraulic lift with syringes
Connect two syringes of different sizes and show how a small push lifts a large load.
- Easy
- 1 day
- Under 250
Chemistry · Electrochemistry
Build a lemon battery and compare fruits
Make cells from fruit, zinc and copper, measure their voltage and light an LED with several in series.
- Easy
- 1–3 hours
- Under 250
Environmental Science · Pollution
Measure air quality with sticky cards
Hang petroleum-jelly cards at five locations and compare the particles they collect in a week.
- Easy
- 2–7 days
- Under 250
Environmental Science · Water
Build a rainwater harvesting model and size a real tank
Make a working roof-to-tank model and calculate how much rain your own roof could collect.
- Easy
- 2–7 days
- 250–500
Chemistry · Inorganic Chemistry
Investigate what speeds up rusting
Leave iron nails in different conditions for a week and find what makes rust form fastest.
- Easy
- 2–7 days
- Under 250
Biology · Plant Science
Study how light colour affects plant growth
Grow seedlings under red, blue, green and white light and compare height and leaf colour.
- Easy
- 2–4 weeks
- 250–500
Biology + Environmental Science
Map the biodiversity of a school ground
Survey plants and small animals with quadrats and calculate a biodiversity index for different areas.
- Easy
- 2–7 days
- Free
Chemistry · Physical Chemistry
Grow crystals and test what changes their size
Grow alum or sugar crystals and find how cooling speed changes crystal size.
- Easy
- 1–2 weeks
- Under 250
Environmental Science · Climate
Calculate your household's carbon footprint
Collect a month of electricity, fuel, travel and food data and convert it into kilograms of carbon dioxide.
- Easy
- 2–7 days
- Free
Chemistry · Physical Chemistry
Find how temperature changes reaction rate with antacid tablets
Time how long an effervescent tablet takes to dissolve at different water temperatures.
- Easy
- 1–3 hours
- Under 250
Biology + Sports and Exercise Science
Measure how exercise changes pulse rate and recovery
Record pulse before, during and after exercise for several volunteers and compare recovery times.
- Easy
- 1 day
- Free
Environmental Science · Waste Management
Audit your school's waste for a week
Sort and weigh one week of school waste by type and propose how to cut the largest share.
- Easy
- 1–2 weeks
- Under 250
Physics · Electromagnetism
Build a homopolar motor and measure what changes its speed
Make the simplest electric motor from a cell, a magnet and wire, then test how magnets change its speed.
- Easy
- 1–3 hours
- Under 250
Environmental Science + Physics
Compare the energy use of bulbs
Measure the brightness and heat of LED, CFL and filament bulbs and calculate the yearly cost of each.
- Easy
- 1–3 hours
- 250–500
Physics + Environmental Science
Build a solar oven and measure its efficiency
Make a box cooker from cardboard and foil and track how hot it gets compared with open air.
- Easy
- 1 day
- Under 250
Physics · Magnetism
Map the magnetic field of bar magnets with a phone
Use the phone's magnetometer to measure how field strength falls with distance from a magnet.
- Easy
- 1–3 hours
- Under 250
Biology · Zoology
Survey the birds of your neighbourhood
Do weekly point counts of birds at three sites and compare species between habitats.
- Easy
- 2–4 weeks
- Free
Physics + Music, Theatre and Writing
Study the physics of a musical instrument
Measure how the length of a string or the water level in a bottle changes the pitch.
- Easy
- 2–7 days
- Under 250
Environmental Science · Water
Build a solar still to purify water
Make drinking-quality water from salty water with sunlight and measure how much you get.
- Easy
- 1 day
- Under 250
Biology + Environmental Science
Track how composting changes kitchen waste
Set up compost bins with different mixes and record temperature, smell and breakdown for a month.
- Easy
- 2–4 weeks
- Under 250
Astronomy and Space · Satellites
Track the International Space Station
Predict, watch and time passes of the space station and calculate its orbital speed.
- Easy
- 2–7 days
- Free
Chemistry + Environmental Science
Test the hardness of water from different sources
Compare tap, well, bottled and rain water by how much soap each needs to form lather.
- Easy
- 1 day
- Under 250
Astronomy and Space · Rocketry
Build and launch a paper rocket with a stomp launcher
Launch paper rockets with compressed air and test how fins and nose shape change the distance.
- Easy
- 1 day
- Under 250
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