+
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Rainbow Fire

For Students 9th - 10th
Astronomers can determine the atomic composition of distant stars by measuring the spectrum of light emitted by the star. Sound cool? Well in this project you can do something similar by observing the color of flames when various...
+
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: One Bad Apple Spoils the Whole Bunch: Plant Hormone Ethylene

For Students 6th - 8th
We have all heard the old saying, "One bad apple spoils the whole bunch." Due to the production of the plant hormone ethylene during the ripening process, this saying proves true. This experiment will investigate the role of ethylene in...
+
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: What Makes the Rings of Saturn?

For Students 3rd - 5th
Saturn is a unique planet because of the many beautiful rings surrounding it. How are all of those rings made? Why is each ring unique?
+
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Where Did All the Stars Go?

For Students 3rd - 5th
If you live in a big city or urban area it is hard to see many stars at night. In most urban areas only the most brilliant stars, planets and the moon can be seen. This is because of something called light pollution which is the...
+
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: The Moon and the Stars

For Students 3rd - 5th
When you are in the city, only a few of the brightest stars are visible. But when you are in the country, you can see many more stars than you can count. Sometimes you can even see the bright belt of our galaxy, the Milky Way. In this...
+
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Weather and Climate in Your Neighborhood

For Students 3rd - 5th
Do you live in an area where the weather changes a lot from season to season throughout the year? Or do you live in a place where the weather stays pretty much the same all year long? How dynamic is the weather, and how does it compare...
+
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Are You Gellin'?

For Students 2nd - 5th
Chances are, you have several materials around your house made of gelatinized materials. Gels are used in all kinds of products and materials: pudding, diapers, insoles, packaging, ice cream, toothpaste, and much more. In this project,...
+
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Hull Design and Hydrodynamics

For Students 9th - 10th
Experiment with designs of different hulls for boats to see which hulls are suited for which purpose. The Science Buddies project ideas are set up consistently beginning with an abstract, objective, and introduction, followed by a...
+
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: He Huffed, and He Puffed, but Didn't Blow the House Down!

For Students 9th - 10th
In the fairy tale of the three little pigs, the wolf huffed and puffed and blew down the first pig's straw house. But in reality, straw tied into bales is a viable building material that when used properly, makes sturdy and...
+
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Design Your Own Milk Carton Boat

For Students 9th - 10th
Design different hull designs for boats from milk cartons and experiment with which hull will glide the fastest, be most maneuverable, and which will support the most weight. The Science Buddies project ideas are set up consistently...
+
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Levitating Magnets: Floating Isn't Just for Magicians

For Students 3rd - 5th
If you ever seen a magician float an object in the air, you might think that levitation is just a magic trick, but the truth is you can use an invisible physical force to levitate a magnet. Try this simple, week-long science project to...
+
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Home Sweet Biome: How Do Plants Grow in Different Environments?

For Students 2nd - 5th
In this science fair project you will learn about biomes and how different climatic conditions affect plant growth. This can explain why some plants and animals are similar in different areas of the country, and in other parts they are not.
+
Website
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Project Ideas: Kimchi Chemistry

For Students 9th - 10th
In this cooking and food science fair project, the student will make a batch of kimchi, the national dish of Korea, and investigate the changes in pH and glucose concentration as it ferments. The Science Buddies project ideas are set up...
+
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Project Ideas: Make a Phonograph From Everyday Items

For Students Pre-K - 1st
In this physics science fair project, the student will use common materials to play back sound from a vinyl record album. The student will investigate what kinds of materials produce the best sound. The Science Buddies project ideas are...
+
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Put Some Energy Into It! Use a Calorimeter to Measure

For Students 3rd - 8th
In this science fair project, use a calorimeter with an attached heating element to measure how water responds to added thermal energy.
+
Lesson Plan
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Bending Plant Roots With Gravity

For Teachers 6th - 8th
In this lesson, young scholars investigate what effect changing the direction of gravity will have on the growth of a plant's roots. Includes detailed instructions, videos, background articles, etc.
+
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Project Ideas: The Biomechanics of Pitching

For Students 9th - 10th
The goal of this sports science fair project is to learn more about the biomechanics of baseball pitching. The student will investigate if stepping forward and the length of the step affects the speed of the pitch. The Science Buddies...
+
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Project Ideas: Electronics and Solar Energy With a Robot Bug

For Students 3rd - 8th
In this science fair project, use the "frightened grasshopper" solar-powered toy to explore how solar energy is converted into kinetic energy. The Science Buddies project ideas are set up consistently beginning with an abstract,...
+
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Dust Busters: How No Plow Farmers Try to Save Our Soil

For Students 3rd - 5th
In this environmental science fair project, students will build models of fields prepared by plow-based and no-till methods, and see which ones are best at retaining soil moisture and preventing surface runoff.
+
Website
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Slime Chemistry

For Students 3rd - 5th
Have you ever wondered how fun toys like Silly Putty, Gak, and Slime are made? These products are so much fun because of the properties of polymers, which make them delightfully bouncy, stretchy, sticky, moldable, breakable, hard, soft,...
+
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Back and Forth to Go Forward: A Snake on Wheels?

For Students 9th - 10th
Have you ever ridden on a Roller Racer or Plasma Car? These are ride-on toys that you move ahead by moving the steering mechanism back and forth. You've probably seen skateboarders "slaloming" on level ground to keep rolling, it's...
+
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Which Team Batting Statistic Predicts Run Production Best?

For Students 9th - 10th
Here's a sports science project that shows you how to use correlation analysis to choose the best batting statistic for predicting run-scoring ability. You'll learn how to use a spreadsheet to measure correlations between two variables.
+
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Slinking Slinkies

For Students 3rd - 5th
Want to do a project with a toy your parents, or even grandparents, might have played with? Slinkies are fun toys that also make great science fair projects. In this experiment you can build an inclined plane to compare the walking speed...
+
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Testing a Parabolic Reflector With Light From an Led

For Students 9th - 10th
You can see examples of parabolic reflectors in flashlights, car headlights, satellite TV antennas, and even on the sidelines at football games. In this project, you can use an LED and a simple photodector to investigate this concept.