what are some good ideas for a middle school science project?

Question

HELP

Answer 1

As others have suggested, there are so many ideas to choose from...
I think the most important aspect is that it should be something that really interests you, so that your project, and your results, will reflect your enthusiasm.

I don't know which subjects you're studying this year, but no matter what they are, you can use the tools you've been learning to approach any question from a scientific perspective.

Try this: spend an entire day with your eyes and your mind open, watching the world.
From the moment you wake up, get dressed (pick your colors... how does the combination of pigments appear like colors in our eyes?) and eat your breakfast (why do some products mix well and others don't?), attend school (which methods work best for you and your friends in terms of memorizing certain data? - you could do a survey and apply statistical analyses-), keep breathing (what about a small self-contained ecosystem? with a chart of inflow and outflow of energy/matter), go back home (how do you do it? Do you walk - try biomechanics of your leg bones and muscles -, ride a vehicle - what about a model of an internal combustion engine? - .
Or would you rather fly home? (but what does it take for a solid body to fly?)

See? There are millions of questions, and any of them make for good projects if you have a little time and dedication.

Also, I googled a little and found this site:
http://www.sciencebuddies.org/mentoring/project_question.shtml
with lots of ideas for science projects, including a survey that may help you find a project according to your personal preferences:
http://www.sciencebuddies.org/mentoring/tsw_start.shtml

Anyway, good luck! I'm a biologist, so feel free to contact me if you think any of these ideas are any good :-)

Answer 2

When I was in middle school I had this amazing (or so I thought) project to test which substance is the best in driving a baseball when inserted into a wooden baseball bat. I used cork, styrofoam, rubber bands, the hollow bat and the bat itself without the hole drilled in it. I used springs to draw back the tension on it and used a large plywood base on it with hinges on a vertical stand and I got clearly different results for the things but there sure could have been some improvements. I think I only had one hinge when I should've used 2 and the plywood wasn't very well attached to the stand. We used an adjustable batting tee for the ball too but I think with your parent's help you could certainly do this, I think with those improvements that I mentioned and a nice decorative poster board explaining everything to go with it you'd certainly be in contention to at least get honorable mention (why mine didn't get that I still don't know).

Answer 3

Try the Bottle Rocker, totally Safe no flames or matches just air and water, 1 Get a two liter plastic bottle quarter fill it with water not half or three quarters exactly one quarter full. 2 Usuing a Bicicle Pume or car footpume pressurise the bottle to 60psi that means Sixty Pounds Of Pressure Per Square Inch. 3 Attach homemade fins use anything strong and light we have to keep the weight down attach the three fins all the same size near the bottom of the bottle turn the bottle upside down and release the stopper use a cork and whatch that plastic 2litre lift off it should go at least 50 feet into the air try that CAUTION do not try and put more pressure into the bottle it will EXPLODE when the pressure reaches 100psi dont do it please for your own saftey

Answer 4

My granddaughter did a project which required her to use seeds that she had collected from a fresh squash. She chose 18 seeds. She froze 6 seeds for 2 weeks in a plastic bag, she froze 6 seeds for 2 weeks in a cup of water, and the remaining 6 seeds she never froze. She then planted the seeds in the same potting mixture, placing each one in their own container. They received the same amount of water every day. She measured the water using a syringe that had no needle but the markings for measurement were there. She also made sure that they were in the same location so that they received the same amount of light.

She measured their growth by height and the number of leaves each plant had. She kept a daily journal of each plant.

She posted her findings on a tri-fold poster and took the best of each class with her to the presentation. She did a really good job of explaining her hypothesis, describing the controls she utilized and she won first place.

Hope this helps.

Answer 5

i am a science fair master (i have placed at 6 different science fairs over the course of two years, one of which was the CALIFONIA state fair, so i think i know wat i'm talking about)

first of all, dont do a research project, they always suck

next, find an activity you like and turn it into a project
for example, i like the game hangman, so one of my
projects tested how logical people were based on the
game. i also like weather, so i did a project that tested
the accuracy of various weather forecasters.

good middle school science fair projects should be simple
enough to fit in w/ hw and such....
if you want a basic project, test how well a product works,
or compare it to different brands (like which hand soap
really cleans your hands best, stuff like that)
or you could do something with how much middle
school backpacks weigh, and how they affect our
spines....

stay away from the volcanos and solar systems (unless
you're really into that kinda stuff)

i'd say overall the best middle school project is to test different brands of something, like soap or stain remover

Answer 6

Do something you have good background knowledge in. For an example I am good with studies having to do with cells (Plant or animal) So I could study some under the microscope and maybe make a big diagram or something. Another thing you could do is come up with an expieriment, Remember to use the scientific method (Question, Hypothesis, Make observatoins, Test, Analyze, Communicate Results.) That will impress your teacher and get you a good grade. Have fun.

Answer 7

my two middle school projects that took my to regional (but not any further) were "do plants need light?" this project was based on whether a plant can survive in a closet with out any light. the other project was called "how video games affect ones heartrate" this project was based on whether or not if video games increased a person's heart rate.

Answer 8

Centrifugal Force....This was my 7th grade science project. Did you ever put water or rocks in a bucket and swing it around upside down and nothing falls out? You have to do it fast of course, that is centrifugal force. Or if you are driving in a car and you go in circles, centrifugal force pushes you the opposite way of the turn.

Answer 9

I'm doing "How does UV light affect microorganisms living in different types of water?" this year.
Pick something that seems complicated, when actually all you need is a UV lamp, water, and a microscope.
I wanted to water plants with water that had detergent and chemical substances, but my group didn't like the idea very much -_-

Answer 10

OK well There are TONS of good projects out there! One very good one is to grow bacteria (your science teacher can help you out with this) and then test the effects of hand sanitizer vs. soap and water. it's amazing to watch.
You can also try these couple I came up with:

-Grow Plants under different colored lights and see which color of light grows a plant the best
-Soak US Pennies in different acidic material and see which one damages the penny the most (very low maitnence)
-See if music has an affect on animal behavior
-See if music has an affect on plant growth
-Brand name vs. generic brand, can people really tell the difference?
-Artificial vs. real smell (of food)
-Do noise levels really affect the way we concentrate?
-Do childproof containers and locks really work?
-Does the color of a room affect human behavior?
-What brand of battery lasts the longest?
-How much weight can the surface of water hold?
-What soda decays teeth the most? (very high maitenence)

...Those are the only good ones I can think off the top of my head! Most of them are very good and others are just for a little bit of fun! The first one I listed above is really the best however (with the hand sanitzier)! Hope this helps! Good Luck!