Doing science projects helps students learn not only how things works, but how to approach the world by using the scientific method. When tackling any kind of science project, kids can take the opportunity learn the steps of asking a question, gathering information, forming a hypothesis, conducting an experiment to test the hypothesis, recording and analyzing results and stating a conclusion.
Asking a question is always the first step, because curiosity is what has made humans learn about their world for millennia. Why is the sky blue?
The second step is gathering information. What else in nature is blue? Water, for one, is blue. But birds fly through the sky, so it must not be water. Maybe there is some water in the sky.
So that is our hypothesis: The sky is blue because there is some water in it. How do we conduct an experiment? Until humankind developed rockets and planes, there really was no way to know exactly what made the sky blue. But samples of the atmosphere high above earth show that there is water vapor, along with many other different gases and elements in the sky. However, the way light waves interact with water, gases in the sky reflect blue from the color spectrum.
The scientists recorded the elements found in the sky and analyzed them. Then they reported that the sky is blue because of light waves reflecting off the gases in the atmosphere. Is our hypothesis correct? Well, yes, water is in the sky, and it is partly why the sky is blue. However, light reflection is probably more important.
A wide variety of science projects are available for kids that are fun and informative. Here are a list of ideas, starting with a question for kids to think about to practice the scientific method:
Biology
How do the lungs work?
What muscle is the strongest one in the human body?
What is snot and how does it protect our bodies?
How do ants know the way home?
How do cells work?
What makes one sibling have blue eyes and another sibling have brown eyes?
How do plants store energy?
How does environment change a salamander’s color?
Why does moss always grow on the north side of a tree?
What makes mushrooms grow in a fairy ring?
How do bats fertilize plants?
Which vegetables have the most vitamins?
How long does it take a baby bird to grow up?
Environmental Science
Can we see air?
How do natural disasters affect us?
How do you recycle paper?
How can you clean dirty water?
Does soil type change how a plant grows?
What makes a volcano erupt?
How do mountains affect weather patterns?
What chemicals are in our drinking water?
Which is safer, water from a plastic bottle or water from the tap?
How long does it take paper to decompose?
Can you make dirt?
Engineering/Physics
What can I build to protect an egg when dropped 10 feet?
How does a hovercraft work?
How does a flashlight work?
How does a parachute work?
What makes a boat float?
What makes a plane fly?
How do lasers work?
How much solar energy does it take to power a toy car?
Where does static electricity come from?
Can you really fry an egg on a hot sidewalk?
How does a hot air balloon go up and down?
Why does the water in a glass stay at the same level when the ice melts in it?
Astronomy
How do we know what time it is?
What is an eclipse?
How can you tell the earth is rotating?
What are sun spots?
Why does Saturn have rings?
What makes the stars and planets move in the sky?
What is the aurora borealis?
Why are the days longer in summer than in winter?
Meteorology
What will the weather be like next week?
What makes fog?
What are clouds made of?
Why do tornadoes form?
Why does it lightning during a thunderstorm?
How does humidity affect temperature?
Why are there rainbows only after it rains?
Chemistry
Can you keep bubbles from popping?
How can you tell if something is an acid?
Is oil more dense the water?
How much fat is in different kinds of food?
What stuff will stick together with glue?
Why do pennies change color over time?
How do you make plastic?
How can you tell if water is salty without tasting it?
Which liquids do yeast like best?
How much do diapers absorb?
What makes stuff dissolve?
How does soap clean?
How do you make soda fizz?
What is in a snowflake?
What can you do to paper to make it strong?
Agriculture
Does it matter if you plant a seed upside down or sideways?
Does what you feed a chicken affect how many eggs it lays?
What happens when you water vegetables too much?
How do ladybugs help plants?
What is the difference between an organic vegetable and a regular vegetable?
Does a bigger cow give more milk?
Which is faster, a smaller horse or a bigger horse?
Additional Resources
An explanation about the scientific method for parents and children:
A variety of experiments for children:
Chemistry experiments for kids:
Agriculture science project ideas:
More ideas for science projects:
Meteorology and environmental science projects:
Projects and information about how the brain works:
Weather-related science project ideas: