simple physics experiments for middle school

40 Best Science Experiments & Projects for Middle School

Welcome to our curated collection of top science fair projects and experiments, perfectly tailored for the inquisitive middle schoolers. Our collection offers hands-on activities that will captivate young minds and ignite their passion for learning.

Science fairs during middle school years are less about competition and more about fostering a love for exploration, experimentation, and the thrill of the “Eureka!” moment. That’s why we have ensured that all the experiments on our list are fun and easy.

Through hands-on experimentation, students can gain a deeper understanding of scientific concepts, build confidence in their abilities, and cultivate a lifelong passion for learning.

1. Crushed Can

Students will be amazed as they witness an ordinary can being transformed before their very eyes. By simply heating it and then rapidly cooling it, the can will be crushed as if by magic!

Learn more: Little Bins Little Hands

2. Water Bottle Rockets

In this engaging activity, students will have the opportunity to design, build, and launch their very own water-propelled rockets.

By adjusting variables like water level and air pressure, they’ll witness firsthand how these factors impact the rocket’s flight path and distance.

3. Cabbage Ph Indicator

In this middle school science project, students will use red cabbage as a natural pH indicator to test the acidity or alkalinity of various household substances.

Learn more: Cabbage PH Indicator

4. Build a Solar Oven

By building these ingenious devices using simple materials, they will discover the incredible potential of renewable energy and its practical applications in everyday life.

Learn more: Solar Oven

5. Build a Helping Hand

In this captivating middle school science experiment, students will have the opportunity to construct their very own “Helping Hand” device.

Learn more: Science Buddies

6. DIY Lung Model

This captivating middle school project offers an exciting hands-on opportunity to explore the inner workings of our respiratory system.

By creating their own lung models using simple household materials, students will gain a deeper understanding of how our lungs function and the vital role they play in our bodies.

7. Flying Tea Bag

By harnessing the power of convection currents, students will learn about the fascinating relationship between heat and air pressure.

Learn more: Flying Tea Bag

8. Egg Float Experiment

In this captivating middle school science project, students will unlock the mysteries of density and water displacement while discovering the fascinating properties of eggs.

Learn more: Egg Float Experiment

9. Popsicle Stick Chain Reaction

This captivating middle school project is all about the magic of potential energy and kinetic energy. By carefully setting up a series of interlinked popsicle sticks, students will create a mesmerizing chain reaction that ripples through the entire structure.

10. How to See Sound

As they watch sound come to life through colorful visualizations, students will develop a deeper appreciation for the profound impact of sound in our daily lives.

11. Orange Peel Plate Tectonics

In this captivating middle school project, students will learn about the dynamic of Earth’s crust and explore the powerful forces that shape our planet’s surface.

12. Heart Pump

In this captivating middle school project, students will embark on a hands-on exploration of the human circulatory system and discover the marvels of the heart’s pumping mechanism.

Learn more: Heart Pump Model

13. Invisible Ink

By concocting their own invisible ink, students will discover the science behind chemical reactions and learn how certain substances react to reveal hidden text when exposed to heat, light, or other catalysts.

Learn more: Invisible Ink

14. DIY Grow Box

In this captivating middle school project, students will learn the wonders of plant growth and the art of nurturing a thriving garden.

By constructing their own affordable and innovative grow boxes using simple materials, they’ll have the perfect environment to observe the magical transformation from seeds to flourishing plants.

Learn more: Easy DIY Grow Box

15. Creative Ferris Wheel

By encouraging creativity and experimentation, this engaging experiment not only promises an exciting learning experience but also fosters teamwork and critical thinking

16. Alka Seltzer Rockets

Prepare for a high-flying adventure with the Alka Seltzer Rockets science experiment! This exciting and explosive activity is a perfect choice for middle school students eager to explore the wonders of chemical reactions and rocketry.

17. Why do Apples Turn Brown?

Through hands-on exploration, middle school students will discover the role of enzymes and oxygen in this intriguing transformation.

18. Water Bending Experiment

By understanding the principles of surface tension and cohesion, you’ll be able to create mesmerizing effects, seemingly bending water with just a piece of static material.

19. Water Clock

Experience the magic of timekeeping in its most ancient form with the fascinating Water Clock project! In this hands-on experiment, students will learn about history, physics, and engineering as they build their own timekeeping device using just water and a few simple materials.

Learn more: Steam Powered Family

20. Paper Ball Run Challenge

Get ready for a thrilling and creative adventure with the Paper Ball Run Challenge! In this captivating science experiment, you’ll explore the principles of motion, gravity, and engineering as you design and build your very own paper ball run.

21. Flood Barriers

As you construct and evaluate your barriers, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of how floods occur and the importance of finding effective solutions.

Learn more: Teachers are terrific

22. Exploring the Law of Inertia Experiment Using a Fidget Spinner

This engaging experiment will help you unravel Sir Isaac Newton’s Law of Inertia in a fun and hands-on way. By using a fidget spinner, you’ll explore how the spinning motion persists due to inertia and how different factors can influence its behavior.

23. Air Pressure Impact on Ping Pong Balls 

By investigating the effects of air pressure on these lightweight spheres, you’ll uncover the secrets of flight, aerodynamics, and atmospheric pressure.

24. Rolling Uphill

In this experiment, you’ll witness the baffling phenomenon of a ball seemingly defying gravity by rolling uphill on a specially designed track.

25. Pick Up Ice with a String

Have you ever wondered if it’s possible to lift ice using just a simple string? In this fascinating experiment, you’ll explore the principles of heat transfer and surface tension as you attempt to defy gravity and lift ice cubes with nothing but a string.

Learn more: Pick Up Ice with a String

26. Keep a Paper Towel Dry Under Water 

This captivating experiment will unveil the wonders of surface tension and hydrophobicity, as you attempt to create a barrier that defies the conventional wisdom of water soaking through paper.

Learn more: Keep a Paper Towel Dry Under Water

27. Upside Down Glass of Water

This mesmerizing experiment will unravel the fascinating concept of air pressure and its influence on liquids. As you turn a glass of water upside down and observe the water’s defiance of falling out, you’ll gain insight into the powerful role of air pressure in our everyday lives.

Learn more: Upside Down Glass of Water

28. Make a Wine Glass Sing

Have you ever wondered how to turn a simple glass of wine into a musical instrument? This captivating experiment will introduce you to the fascinating concept of acoustics and how sound waves interact with liquid-filled glasses.

29. Crush a Plastic Bottle

Are you curious about the forces at play when we compress a seemingly indestructible plastic bottle? This captivating experiment will unravel the science behind how pressure and air interact to create this astonishing effect.

Learn more: Crush a Plastic Bottle

30. Ruler Changes Size

Get ready to witness an optical illusion that will challenge your perception of reality. In this captivating experiment, you’ll explore the fascinating phenomenon of light refraction and how it can make objects appear different than they really are.

31. Egg in a Bottle

Have you ever wondered how to get an egg into a bottle without breaking it? This mesmerizing experiment will introduce you to the concept of air pressure and how it can be harnessed to achieve the impossible.

Learn more: Egg in a Bottle

32. Water Doesn’t Leak Out Science Experiment

This hands-on activity not only sparks curiosity and amazement but also teaches you about the properties of gases and the laws of physics.

So, get ready to be astounded and dive into the magic of science with the “Water Doesn’t Leak Out” experiment – an entertaining and enlightening adventure that will leave you thirsting for more knowledge!

Learn more: Water Science Experiment

33. Pick Up a Ball with a Jar

This captivating experiment will introduce you to the fascinating concept of air pressure and how it can create a powerful force that defies gravity.

34. Glowing Water Science

This captivating experiment will introduce you to the fascinating properties of fluorescent materials and how they interact with light.

35. Fizzy Cloud Dough

The fizzing reaction not only adds an element of excitement but also provides a great opportunity to explore the science of chemical reactions and the release of carbon dioxide.

Learn more: Fizzy Cloud Dough

36. Underwater Magic Sand

Get ready to witness the marvels of hydrophobic science and explore the secrets of this captivating underwater magic sand experiment.

Learn more: Teaching Mama Org

37. Make Bouncy Polymer Balls

This captivating experiment will take you on an exciting journey into the realm of polymers and chemical reactions.

38. Use a Crayon as a Candle

This hands-on activity not only sparks curiosity and excitement but also offers a safe and educational way to explore the science of combustion and the flammability of materials.

Learn more: Crayon Candle

39. Flame Test Colors

Not only does it spark curiosity and wonder but also deepens your understanding of the emission spectra of elements.

So, get ready to illuminate your scientific knowledge with the “Flame Test Colors” experiment – an educational and visually stunning adventure that will leave you dazzled and eager to discover more about the fascinating world of chemistry!

Learn more: Thought Co

40. Grow A Bean Plant

By planting a simple bean seed and providing it with water, sunlight, and care, you’ll witness the fascinating process of germination and watch as your bean seedling sprouts and grows.

Similar Posts:

• 68 Best Chemistry Experiments: Learn About Chemical Reactions
• 37 Water Science Experiments: Fun & Easy
• Top 100 Fine Motor Skills Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Save my name and email in this browser for the next time I comment.

Science Fun

Force And Motion Science Experiments

Easy motion science experiments you can do at home! Click on the experiment image or the view experiment link below for each experiment on this page to see the materials needed and procedure. Have fun trying these experiments at home or use them for SCIENCE FAIR PROJECT IDEAS.

Strength Test:

Magic Ball:

Observe Centrifugal Force In Action

Can A Light Weight Lift A Heavy Weight?:

Coin In A Cup:

Observing Inertia:

Coin Flick:

Magically Remove The Bottom Coin

Hammer Head:

Seemingly Defy Gravity

Galileo’s Swinging Strings:

Use Straws To Reduce Friction:

Find A Hard Boiled Egg:

Use Spinning Science In This Experiment

Unbreakable Thread:

Magic Napkin:

Cotton Ball Catapult:

Rapid Rubber Band Launcher:

Send A Bunch Of Rubber Bands Flying

Water Balloon Physics:

Centrifugal Force: 

Stab A Potato:

Traveling Toothpicks:

Surface Tension And Toothpicks Do Mix

Balance A House On Your Finger:

Ruler Race:

Easy Film Canister Rocket:

Rocket Balloon Blast:

This Balloon Really Moves

Mini Marshmallow Launcher:

Build Your Own Balance Buddy:

Science for Everyone

Science education, teaching resources, scientific literacy, and more!

100+ labs, activities, and science experiments for middle and high school students.

Updated: Sep 12, 2023

Looking for fun and engaging lab ideas for use in your science class? You've come to the right place. Here's my list of practical activities and experiments you can try with your students, all in one place.

Introduction

I've been teaching MYP science (grades 6-10) internationally for over a decade. I try to devote about a third of my class time to experimental activities, which means we do a lot of labs. I'm also the only lab technician at my current school, so I'm responsible for set-up and cleanup as well. Needless to say, I've accumulated quite a bit of experience in the lab and can confidently recommend all of the following experiments. I have personally tried all of them with my students and in most cases have been conducting them for years.

Where can I get these labs?

Although I have provided links to just about every activity on my list, some are much better than others. You will often need to adjust them significantly for your classroom depending on the classes and number of students you teach, as well as the materials you have access to. Additionally, free lab guides usually do not include much in the way of background info, student questions or handouts, and teacher prep notes. For these reasons, I've created my own resources for most of the labs I do, which I'm currently in the process of uploading to my TPT store . You can access my complete experimental resource collection here . I'm adding new experiments regularly, but early purchasers will have access to all future activities at no additional cost! As you can see from the list below, I have quite a few more to add! Links to my individual lab activities have also been provided in the relevant sections.

The following list of experiments is organized by grade and unit. Click on the links below to jump to the section you need.

Scientific Method

Chemical and physical changes, characteristics of living things, earth and space science, objects in motion, atoms and elements, inheritance, earth systems and cycles, energy, work, and power, human impacts on the environment, electromagnetism, communication, body systems, organization of life, chemical reactions and bonding, forces and structures, pure substances and mixtures, health and disease, electricity, environmental chemistry, space exploration, organic chemistry, genetics and reproduction, radiation and radioactivity.

You can also access unit plan outlines for each of the above units in my store .

List of Experiments

1. Memory experiments - How many random words or objects can students memorize? Will students be able to identify a missing object (or classmate)? How reliable is eyewitness testimony? These are excellent activities for getting students to practice basic experimental design, as well as practical skills like collecting and analyzing data. As a bonus, many of these experiments require virtually no prep for you!

2. Accuracy and precision experiment - For this activity, all you need is a target and something that will stick to it. I've used a dart board, NERF guns with suction cup darts, or just a target drawn on the whiteboard with magnetic disks to throw at it. You could even make a target on the ground outside and have your students toss beanbags at it. Anything will do! Students take turns hurling things at the targets and recording the distance to the middle. Then they analyze the results in terms of accuracy (average distance to the center) and precision (range, standard deviation, and the number of decimal places).

3. Baking science experiment - I've long been a fan of incorporating food science into science class. What better way to get kids excited about chemistry while also learning a useful life skill? I've done many versions of this activity, but it always involves baking something, like cookies or cakes, by modifying a recipe to learn about variables. There are also many opportunities here for unit conversion practice.

4. Fire triangle oxygen experiment - For younger students who may not have had access to open flames before, this is a good place to start for developing safe handling practices. Students use candles and various glass containers to measure how long a flame will burn in a limited oxygen environment. You might as well demonstrate the rising water trick too since you're using all the same materials.

5. Bunsen burner temperature experiment - Students learn how the Bunsen burner works and attempt to find out what part of the flame is hottest. You'll need a temperature probe rated for high temperatures in order to get accurate data for this lab. Alternatively, you can just use a thin steel rod or a nail by holding it in different parts of the flame and recording any colour changes. Try comparing the orange and blue flames, as well as the top, bottom, middle, and sides of the flame. Almost all students fail to predict where the hottest region will be!

6. Fire extinguisher safety activity - You'll need to get some safety approvals for this one, but I think it's worth it. Who knows when you might have a real emergency to deal with? Go outside and start a simple fire in a safe place like a metal tray. Then use one of the school fire extinguishers to put it out. Have a few students try it, too. Discuss the locations of fire extinguishers, different types of fires, exit strategies, and so on. You may even want to coordinate with the local fire department and see if they can send someone to talk to the students about fire safety.

7. Lab equipment identification quiz - Another one for younger students who are just beginning to do lab work. Collect one piece of glassware or lab equipment for each student in your class (with a few extra, just in case). Put one on each desk before your students arrive. As students come in, give them a blank piece of paper and have them write down the name of the equipment in front of them. Then rotate to the next seat and repeat. Set a timer for ~30 seconds to keep things moving. You may also want to get students to draw the equipment as well, in which case they would need a bit of extra time. This works best as a review activity, but it can also be used as a chance to see what students already know.

8. Oobleck states of matter activity - After students have learned about solids, liquids, and gases, whip up a batch of oobleck (cornstarch + water) and have them explore its properties. Is it a solid, a liquid, or a bit of both? Have your students consider the particle interactions going on in this unusual fluid. A bit of research may be required on their part.

9. Salt or sugar crystal lab - Students dissolve and then evaporate a very small volume of concentrated salt or sugar solution to produce crystals. I prefer salt since it is less of a sticky mess, but you can do one or both. Check out the crystals under the microscope and compare them to mineral crystals if you have some to observe. You can also use this lab as a chance to explore saturation and give a really cool supersaturation demo using sodium acetate. Just Google 'hot ice'!

10. Separating salt and sand mixtures experiment - Give students a sample containing salt, sand, and (optionally) iron filings. Then tell them to figure out how to separate each substance. This will involve a combination of magnetism, dissolving, filtration, evaporation, and so on. There is more than one way to accomplish this task, which is what makes it interesting. Add to the challenge by having students compare the mass of their sample to the total mass of each separated substance (you'll need to allow time for proper drying) to see who managed to preserve the most material. Discuss industrial and everyday applications of these separation techniques.

11. Diffusion of potassium permanganate - Another classic chemistry experiment that involves the movement of purple crystals as they dissolve in water. You can have students record the time it takes to produce a uniform solution and then compare this at different water temperatures or volumes. It's also useful to get your students to take photos, or better yet, videos of the process to compare.

12. Dissolving cocoa experiment - Students try to find the best way to dissolve a specific quantity of cocoa in order to make hot chocolate effectively. This is great for winter or during the holiday season, but as far as I'm concerned there's never a bad time for hot chocolate. Make this as open-ended as you can, but have students write down their reasoning and the method used. Is it better to use milk or water? Should you add the liquid first or the powder first? How does the temperature affect how easily the cocoa dissolves? Obviously, you wouldn't want to use typical chemistry glassware for this one, so plan ahead if you want to allow your students to drink their creations.

13. Pond organisms microscope lab - Visit a local ecosystem and collect some water. It's better to get the 'chunky stuff' including mud, water plants, pond scum, and other organic material. Bring it back to the lab and have your students look for microorganisms under the microscope. With luck, you will be able to identify water fleas, vorticella, euglena, and other organisms in your samples. If you do this in the spring or summer, various insect larvae will likely be present as well.

14. Specialized cells microscope lab - Sure, you can easily find prepared slides of specialized cells, but it's much more interesting for your students if they create their own. Collecting cheek cells is simple, and I think students get a kick out of seeing their own cells for the first time. Root hair cells and leaf cells are easy to locate as well, although the species you choose makes a huge difference. Try a few and see what works best.

15. Energy in food (calorimetry) experiment - I've found this lab to be notoriously difficult unless you have very good equipment, but it has the potential to produce lots of interesting results and is endlessly customizable for your students. The flexibility alone makes it worthwhile to try, even if the results don't end up being as useful as you'd hoped. Burning sugary or oily foods works best. Try potato chips or marshmallows.

16. Comparing fuels experiment - In this lab activity, students burn equal quantities of various fuels to determine which makes the best fuel. Alcohols including methanol, ethanol, and propanol should be easy enough to obtain. The experiment itself is pretty straightforward, but there are a lot of factors to consider. Which fuel burns the hottest? Which burns the longest? Which is the cheapest or easiest to obtain? What about other factors, such as the smell? There's a lot for students to explore here.

17. Design a solar oven - This is an excellent project for students to tackle that requires only a few simple craft and household supplies. As a summative assessment, students can make use of their physics knowledge to conduct, reflect, insulate, and ultimately cook simple foods. I prefer not to tell them the exact method so that they can find out what works and what doesn't. We like to make s'mores and cheese toast - things that are still delicious even if they don't cook properly!

18. Thermal conductivity experiment - This lab has many variations, but most involve comparing the ability of different metals to transfer heat. If you can find wires of equal diameter and length made of copper, steel, etc. then it is pretty easy to compare the conductivity of these substances by putting one end in hot water and then measuring the temperature along its length using a digital thermometer. Alternatively, put the other end of the wire in cold water and measure the temperature after a given amount of time. The warmest liquid should indicate the best conductor.

19. Insulated drink experiment - This is a bit like the solar oven experiment, except that in this case, students are given a hot beverage and tasked with keeping it warm for as long as possible. Similar ideas and materials can be used, so it makes sense to do this as a follow-up experiment to that. Provide each group with a cup of boiled water and identical materials in order to make it a fair comparison. Then pop a thermometer in and see who has the warmest drink by the end of class.

20. Mark-recapture simulation - This mathematical exercise involves students estimating a population's size by 'marking' and 'capturing' beans or other small objects from a container. Various sample sizes are used to show how accuracy improves with the number of marked and captured individuals. Then discuss how accurate mark-recapture studies would be for different populations in the wild.

21. Quadrat study - Using square frames, students collect data on the plant or invertebrate species found in a local environment (the school playground will do!). They can use this information to estimate population sizes and species distribution, but it can also be used to identify possible community interactions, including competition, mutualism, commensalism, and predation.

22. Mesocosm experiment - Students set up small ecosystems in jars or soda bottles to observe nutrient cycling in action. If done well they can last for years. I've tried aquatic ecosystems with fish in the past, but for ethical reasons, we pretty much stick to plants and soil organisms only these days. I also like to keep it simple and do everything in large peanut butter jars. It can get pretty elaborate if you decide to make full eco-columns though.

23. Personal impact experiment - This is an open-ended investigation where students decide on a lifestyle change they will maintain for a few weeks in order to reduce their environmental impact. This could include things like reducing shower time, air drying their clothes, biking to school instead of getting a ride, and so on. They then attempt to estimate the impact they are making in terms of environmental and economic savings, both for the project duration and for a lifetime, if they were to keep it up indefinitely. Although most students quickly fall back into their regular routines, a few do recognize that small changes are manageable and decide to make compromises in the way they live.

24. Solar system scale model - This is a mathematical/visual investigation that shows kids the true scale of the solar system (it's mostly empty space!). We usually do this on two different scales - one that allows us to fit the solar system within the classroom, and another that requires us to go outside and cover some distance on the playground. Even at that scale, the largest planets are still only the size of a small ball and the Earth is minuscule.

25. Chocolate rock cycle - The rock cycle can be a bit dull and abstract considering the time scales and forces students are expected to imagine. Spice it up a little with the delicious addition of chocolate! Through mixing, grating, melting, hardening, and other processes, you can mimic most of the changes in the rock cycle and give students a clearer understanding of igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rock formation. Yum!

26. Rock and mineral identification with dichotomous keys - Once students have a grasp of the rock cycle, it's time to get them familiar with some of the more common rocks and minerals. This can be done outdoors with field guides and cameras, or inside with samples and a dichotomous key. Even with a key this can be pretty challenging and there is quite a bit of terminology to understand, but I still think it's worthwhile. Some kids get really into it!

27. Flashlight moon phases activity - With a couple of balls, a flashlight, and a darkened room, you can put small groups of students to work trying to simulate the movements of the Sun, Earth, and Moon as they orbit around each other. It is pretty funny watching kids trying to move everything correctly and position themselves to see the phases properly, but I think it gets the concepts across quite well. You can also simulate eclipses, and if you're feeling really ambitious, you can get Mars involved and demonstrate retrograde motion.

28. Human body systems of measurement activity - I use this exercise to teach students about units and what they are based on. In ancient times, a lot of measurement standards were based on the distances between or across body parts, including the hand, fingers, and arms. Most of the metric units in use today are based on much more complicated standards, but it can be surprising for students to realize that measuring devices can't really be made without standards of some kind.

29. Comparing ancient and modern maps - In the age of discovery (~1400-1600) a lot of early mapping was accomplished by Europeans. It wasn't all accurate, however, for a variety of reasons. This activity gives students a good crash course in cartography, which you might argue is more appropriate for geography and social studies, but it works well for this unit because it devotes a significant amount of time to understanding how we determine our location in space. Graphing using GPS coordinates is a significant part of this investigation.

30. GPS pathways activity - Since practically all of your students have access to an accurate GPS device of their own, this once-expensive activity is now easier than ever. You can use one of a handful of apps to track students as they walk various pathways around the schoolyard and elsewhere, which can then be analyzed and compared in terms of distance, time, acceleration, and changes in elevation. It can be particularly fun to compare the pathways students take to get to school. I couldn't find a good link for this activity, unfortunately.

31. Determining the acceleration of gravity using a pendulum - This lab always produces consistent results, provided students perform the calculations correctly. Since we use the acceleration of gravity so often in physics, I think it helps students to see that it can be determined with a relatively simple setup. Students will have only tiny pendulums to work with at their desks, but if you plan ahead, you can make a huge one that hangs from the ceiling to show that it works at larger scales, too.

32. Metals and non-metals identification - Depending on what materials you have available, this can be a really great introduction to the periodic table of elements. Chances are your lab already has a good selection of metals, as well as some non-metals like carbon and sulfur. Provide small samples of each material and allow students to rotate to different stations where they attempt to identify the materials using some simple techniques (like magnetism). You can do this entirely visually if you like, or give some obscure facts about each element to help them out.

33. Metal displacement reactions experiment - Students observe whether reactions occur between pure metals and various salt solutions in order to create a simple reactivity series. It's reasonable to test four or five metals in order to introduce the concept, but you'll need to explain that very reactive and unreactive metals are not realistic to test in school due to prohibitive costs and safety concerns. The reactivity series can then be used to discuss why certain metals are chosen for particular uses and why precious metals are so valuable and long-lasting.

34. pH indicator lab - There are many kinds of indicators that can be used to determine pH. Teach students about acids and alkalis, then give them a selection of common household substances like vinegar and soapy water to test with universal indicator. They can then use the results to create their own coloured pH scale in their notebooks and label each substance accordingly. If you want to go a little further, consider making your own indicator solution with purple cabbage!

35. Titration of NaOH with HCl - This classic chemistry experiment involves the neutralization reaction between hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide. A small sample of NaOH containing the indicator phenolphthalein is given to each group (this is best done in pairs). Students slowly add acid to the pink alkali solution until it goes clear, at which point it should be neutral. If you have digital pH probes, get students to measure the changes throughout the experiment and plot them on a graph. You can also evaporate the resulting solution to show that salt (NaCl) crystals are formed in the process.

36. Fruit DNA extraction - In this simple lab activity, students use common household ingredients to isolate and observe the DNA found in fruits such as kiwis, bananas, and strawberries. The similarities should help illustrate the fact that DNA is a universal code common to all organisms. Although you can't see the molecular structure of the DNA in this exercise, it's still fun to have a look at your extracted nucleic acids under a microscope.

37. Life cycles investigation - There are a few ways to show students how various plants and animals complete their life cycles. For plants, beans grow quite quickly and the seeds are easy to collect and save. If you have some space and a bit more time, sunflowers are really fun to grow at school, too. Depending on the season, it may be possible to collect some tadpoles from a local pond and observe them as they grow and develop. Insect larvae and caterpillars are fun to watch as well, but a little less exciting until their final metamorphosis. You might even be able to contact a nearby chicken farm and get ahold of some fertilized eggs to incubate. Be sure to provide food and a decent living space for whatever creatures you investigate, of course, and have a plan for what to do with them after you are done observing them.

38. Phenotype investigation - Collect class data for a variety of common genetic traits and compare these to national or global averages. Blood type is ideal, but some students might not know theirs (everyone knows their blood type in Japan so this is an easy one for me!). Other possibilities include eye colour (here's a VERY detailed article on eye colour genetics ), dominant hand, hair colour, or earlobe shape. Avoid things like height, which might single out or embarrass some students. Also, don't do tongue rolling, because despite what you may have heard, the ability to roll your tongue is either mostly or entirely NOT determined by genes .

39. Determining the speed of sound experiment - This one requires some space, and by space, I mean distance. You'll want at least 200m with a clear line of sight for good results. Have a few students position themselves at 100m increments away from a group of observers (the rest of the class). These students will be equipped with some kind of noise-making device that can also serve as a visual cue. We use two blocks of wood clapped together above the head. The observers use a stopwatch to measure the time between when they see the blocks touch and when they hear the sound. This is then used to calculate the speed of sound. If you get really lucky on a stormy day, you can do a variation of this exercise using lightning (from indoors, of course). In that case, your students would be finding the distance of the lightning using an accepted speed of sound.

40. Create a pinhole camera - It's not really an experiment, but it's still a classic physics exercise and for good reason. Nothing more clearly illustrates the function of the eye and retina and the concept of light moving in straight lines than this ancient device. A small cardboard box or similar container forms the basis for the pinhole camera, along with a few other craft materials. Then look at a bright object like a lightbulb or candle to see the inverted image.

41. Hearing or colour sensitivity experiment - For this activity, students will use different videos or apps to determine how well they can differentiate between similar shades of a colour or hear high-pitched sounds. Have the whole class perform the tests and then analyze the results. Students love learning about themselves!

42. Reflection investigations - Using lasers and different types of mirrors, students observe the behaviour of light and construct ray diagrams. This is good practice for drawing clear and detailed diagrams. This can take a while, so it's probably best to split it into two lessons and keep plane and curved mirrors separate.

43. Playing a song with glasses of water - This is a pretty silly activity that I decided to do a few years ago, but there's some solid science behind it. Students can obviously make music on glasses of water without learning anything, so be sure to indicate (and possibly calculate) how and why the pitch changes with volume. Put on a concert at the end of class and get your cameras ready!

44. Water cycle simulation - With just a few simple materials you can easily show many of the processes involved in the water cycle. Get a fish tank and fill it with a small amount of water. Place some sand or a rock on one side to represent mountains. Cover the tank with a clear sheet of glass or plastic so you can still see what's going on. Put a tray of ice above the mountain to represent cold air in the upper atmosphere. Finally, place a heat lamp near the tank to represent the sun (you can also just use the actual sun!). A 'cloud' should form below the ice with lots of condensation which will drip down the mountains and back into the 'ocean'. If you want to speed up the process, try adding warm water to the tank.

45. Weather comparison investigation - Students look up weather information for a number of different cities and record things like temperature, wind speed, humidity, pressure, and so on for a week or two. Then they analyze the data and prepare a report or presentation on the similarities and differences between the chosen locations. They must use their knowledge of air and ocean currents, elevation, latitude, and other factors to explain any observed differences. This works best as a summative assessment comparing where you live to a selection of other cities chosen by the students themselves.

46. Plate tectonics simulation - I've tried several different materials to simulate the movements of tectonic plates, and each has its pros and cons. Slowly pushing crackers over a peanut butter or jam 'mantle' until they collide is pretty fun and shows some fault interactions reasonably well. I also like smashing layers of towels or paper into each other to show how mountains and unusual strata patterns can form. You can also try freezing the top few centimeters of a large container of water (just leave it outside if it's cold enough in winter!). Use a hammer to smash the surface and form a few 'plates'. Then move them across the surface to show plate movements and interactions. You can also use this to illustrate how the continents were once connected as a single land mass.

47. Human sense perception lab - This is one of my personal favourites. Students move around in pairs visiting a variety of stations that put their senses of hearing, touch, taste, sight, and smell to the test. In total students do 13 interactive sense activities that are easy to set up and fun to experience.

48. Plant tropism experiments - Use a fast-growing plant like beans to show how plants grow towards the light (phototropism) and away from gravity (gravitropism). Students can get a bit creative with this one by coming up with modifications to test. Some possibilities include growing a plant sideways or upside down, rotating a plant away from the sun every few days, or covering different parts of a growing shoot with various materials to see how phototropism is controlled.

49. Invertebrate stimuli and response experiments - Unlike mammals, invertebrates such as insects, worms, and snails exhibit mostly predictable responses to specific stimuli. Go outside and collect whatever tiny creatures you can from your local ecosystem. Then bring them back to the lab to test their responses to things like temperature gradients, moisture, light, sound, movement, and so on. Use this opportunity to discuss the ethical treatment of laboratory animals and make it clear that your students must do their best to avoid harming the creatures in their care. Release them where you found them after the experiments are done!

50. Human power experiment - Get your students running up flights of stairs to see how much power a human can generate! I like to kick off this activity by discussing horsepower and its origins as a unit of measurement. Inevitably students want to see how they compare to a horse (and each other), so this always gets competitive. Spoiler alert - your students can't beat a horse! To end the activity, we discuss situations in which a horse can be defeated by a human, focusing on an annual marathon that pits the two species against each other held in the UK. As it turns out, humans perform best when it's hot.

51. Impact crater experiment - This is good messy fun with applied physics! Students drop marbles into trays of flour from different heights and compare the diameter and depth of the impact craters. Use marbles with different masses and calculate the potential energy for each trial. This should equal the kinetic energy on impact. How does the kinetic energy affect crater size and depth? Graph it and find out!

52. Principle of moments lab - Students use a balance beam to solve problems and investigate the principle of moments. This is the idea that when two opposing turning forces act equally on either side of a pivot, they are balanced and no movement occurs. I like this activity because it can be completed in a number of ways, including trial and error, calculation, or a combination of both.

53. Gear ratios experiment - You'll need access to some specific equipment for this one. A bicycle should be easy enough to obtain (or borrow), but I use LEGO technic . Students build simple LEGO cars and switch out different gears to compare the force and speed produced. This takes a while and is definitely more complicated than just demonstrating with a stationary bicycle or similar setup, but it's far more hands-on. This is best for smaller classes or science clubs.

54. Pulley experiment - Here's another activity that requires you to have some materials on hand, although they can be easily purchased from a local hardware store for a reasonable price. Give students an object of known mass and a force meter. Then give them the pulley materials and set them to work on reducing the force needed to lift the mass by as much as possible. If they have already studied the theory behind pulleys, this should be doable, but the reality of setting up a working block and tackle is much more complicated than it seems if you've never done it before.

55. Greenhouse effect simulation - Using sealed jars or other containers, students modify atmospheric conditions to see how temperature is affected. There are many ways to conduct this experiment, so I recommend letting each group of students try something different. Start with a simple control (usually an empty container) and go from there. You can try adding different quantities of water, soil, or ice, or if you can get your hands on it, chunks of dry ice to increase the CO2 concentration.

56. Chemical tests for macromolecules - This is a well-documented set of biochemistry procedures for identifying starch, simple sugars, proteins, and fats in small samples of common foods. You only need a few reagents which should be readily available in most middle or high school science labs. The results involve various colour changes that are pretty fun to observe. Get your students to predict which foods will contain each macromolecule and then test their predictions to see if they are right.

57. Plant nutrient deficiencies investigation - Teach your students how to recognize signs of nutrient deficiencies in plants. These can be seen by examining leaf growth and colour. Then go outside and see if your students can find examples of nutrient-deficient plants around the school. Beware of plants that are naturally red/purple in colour, which could be mistaken for phosphorous deficiencies, and definitely don't try this in the fall for obvious reasons.

58. Digestion simulation - In this activity, students take a sample of food and put it through a series of processes in order to simulate the stages of digestion. This doesn't sound that fun, but it involves a lot of smashing, squishing, and messy fun. Crush the food inside a plastic bag, add some water and hydrochloric acid, filter it through a pair of socks or stocking 'intestines', and then compact the leftover chunks to make 'poop' (kids love it). Combine this activity with the chemical tests from experiment 56 above for a more in-depth analysis. I like using cornflakes or a similar cereal as the carbs are pretty easy to break down and there is enough iron for you to actually extract and see.

59. Digestive system dissection - If your students aren't too squeamish, consider dissecting something to view its digestive system. Whole fish are easy to obtain here in Japan so that's what I use. Rather than opting for a class set, if you splurge for a big one, you can cut open the stomach and examine the contents. I did this several times with carp in college and there was always lots to see. If you happen to know a hunter, you might be able to get something much larger. Enjoy!

60. Protease enzyme experiment - Some fruits, such as pineapples, naturally contain protein-digesting enzymes. If you attempt to make gelatin with a sufficient quantity of these fruits, it won't solidify. Try a bunch of different fruits and see which ones contain enzymes and which don't. Make sure you use fresh fruits as canned varieties can be unreliable. Then discuss enzyme activity and its importance in digestive processes.

61. Cell respiration experiment - Use germinating beans or yeast to indirectly measure the rate of cell respiration at different temperatures. You can accomplish this by placing these organisms inside a sealed system called a respirometer and measuring their CO2 production. It's a little complicated to set up for students, but you can prepare some of the materials ahead of time yourself. This experiment encourages accurate measurement techniques and can be used on invertebrates as well!

62. Magnetic field investigation - Put a magnet on a piece of paper and sprinkle with iron filings. Then draw the resulting magnetic field lines. Try different magnet shapes, or add multiple magnets in different arrangements to see how the magnetic field changes. If you have clear sheets of plexiglass or even just a blank laminated sheet you can put the magnets underneath and make cleanup MUCH easier.

63. Make a compass activity - Float a magnetized needle on water and watch it point north. Everyone has probably done this one at some point, but for younger students, this is still a tried and true way to observe the Earth's magnetic field. Apparently, you can also just suspend a bar magnet on a string and accomplish the same thing, but I've never tried that. Might be worth a go!

64. Fruit and vegetable battery experiment - Use a lemon or potato to generate electricity and power a simple device like a fan or light bulb. That's the basic version, anyway. You can make it more of an experiment by comparing how pH affects the voltage produced or by adjusting the distance between the electrodes. Obviously, you can also compare different fruits and vegetables to see which works the best. Some of them might surprise you (try a pumpkin!).

65. Series and parallel circuits investigation - Build different kinds of circuits and compare the voltage and current at different points. You'll need quite a few materials for a full class activity, including batteries, components, and a lot of wire, so consider doing this as part of a station activity if supplies are limited. You can also get kits that simplify and streamline the building process, but I like making students do it the hard way!

66. Electrical conductivity experiment - Compare the resistance of various materials using a multimeter. It's as simple as it sounds and generates really good data. The hardest part is finding similar materials for a fair test, as your wires need to be the same length and diameter if you are comparing different metals. One version of this activity involves using graphite from pencil drawings to compare conductivity. Simply draw two large dots on paper and connect them with a line. Then measure by placing your multimeter on the dots. Try making long or short lines, waves, or other shapes. Increase the thickness of your lines to see if that makes a difference.

67. Total internal reflection experiment - Shine a laser into a semi-circular transparent block at different angles until it reflects back rather than refracting through. You can use a small clear container or fish tank as well. Get students to use a protractor to find the critical angle, which can be calculated and compared for that substance as well. There are better ways to observe total internal reflection, including streaming water and the use of fiber optics, but those work better as demos.

68. Audio format sound quality experiment - Convert lossless quality music files to MP3s at different bit rates and see if your students can hear the differences in quality. You can do this with a free music editor such as Audacity . It's harder than you think, even with good headphones. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, read the linked article about file formats and audio quality. Compare WAV files to 320 kbps VBR MP3s and 192 kbps CBR MP3s. Let your students choose their favourite songs if you like, or give them some music education by choosing yours!

69. Wi-fi signal strength experiment - See how different variables affect the signal strength of wi-fi signals, such as the distance, number of connected devices, or physical obstructions. Download a free signal strength app that measures in dBm to compare signals and collect data. Since this is a logarithmic scale you can take the opportunity to teach students about that, too. This is a super practical experiment that students find quite relevant to their needs.

70. Sheep/pig brain dissection - Another dissection, this time with a medium-sized brain. In order to get the most out of this lab, it's best to frontload a lot of the terminology and be sure students are familiar with the main brain regions and their functions. I like to get kids to follow along with a video dissection, pausing as needed, or just use a document camera to guide them through it yourself if you're confident to do so. One word of wisdom - don't freeze your brains prior to dissection. I do this with hearts and thought it would be fine, but nope! Brains turn to mush when you thaw them out.

71. Properties of bone experiment - Cook and soak bones in acid to remove the substances that give them strength. Chicken bones are the easiest to obtain, especially if you plan to have enough for a full class (there might be a wing night or two in your future!). You can combine this lab with a microscope investigation of bone tissue, or look at cross-sections of bones from avian and non-avian species (images are fine).

72. Antagonistic muscle groups activity - Construct a model of an antagonistic muscle group (the biceps/triceps arm pair is almost always used) and observe how the bones and muscles work during flexion and contraction. There are many different materials that can be used to make this work. It can be as simple as popsicle sticks and elastic bands, or more complicated models using wood or PVC to represent the bones and stretch cords or balloons for the muscles.

73. Observing body tissues microscope lab - Students look at a variety of human tissues under the microscope and attempt to identify them. It's not that hard to create mounts of different plant tissues, but animal tissues are a lot less practical. For these, I like to get a good set of prepared slides and have students do an ID quiz by rotating around the room. I'll usually give them a list of possible tissue types to choose from, but I don't always teach them what to look for ahead of time. The reasoning behind their choices is usually very good and worth writing down.

74. Microscope / biological drawings lab - In this lab, we revisit some properties of cells from earlier courses and refresh the students' memories on proper microscope use. In the process I have them create very detailed microscope drawings of protists - usually paramecium at 400x. The goal is to draw for accuracy and scale. I also need to regularly emphasize that students draw what they see, not what they expect to see.

75. Organs diagram activity - Students are given cutouts of human organs and have to place them in their correct positions on a blank torso. You can do this at the beginning or end of a topic (or both!), but either way, it's pretty hilarious to observe at times. After students are fairly confident with their choices, I have them label and annotate their diagrams explaining what each organ does. Finally, we look at the actual diagram and make corrections where necessary (I usually use a student exemplar from someone who knows what they're doing!). I've also done a whole class version of this exercise where I draw a life-sized torso on the whiteboard and have students take turns placing organs on it. There's a lot of communication from the 'audience' and it's always entertaining.

75. Dichotomous key activity - Students create a dichotomous key to differentiate and identify a selection of everyday objects. Sure, you could do this with images of actual species, in which case I would stick with a group of closely related organisms (turtles, sharks, cats, bears, etc.), however, I find that this is much more engaging when done with objects that have nothing to do with biology. Save yourself time and money by using whatever you have on hand, like candies, school supplies, or weird and random objects from your 'junk' drawer!

76. Flame test lab - Always a student favourite, this lab involves burning small quantities of metal salts to produce coloured flames. These can be used to identify specific metals. It is also the basis for the colours seen in fireworks. While that connection is easy to make, it's much harder for students to understand why each metal produces a different colour, but this is actually a good opportunity to introduce electron configurations. Let your students use their phones for this lab and they'll enjoy taking lots of cool photos and videos.

77. Properties of ionic and covalent compounds experiment - There are lots of ways to do this (and lots of compounds to test), but the simplest one I know of is to compare salt (sodium chloride), sugar (sucrose), and paraffin wax. Students can examine a number of properties, including melting point and conductivity, to determine the typical features of ionic and covalent substances. A much more interesting version of this experiment involves giving students a bunch of unknown substances and asking them to determine whether they are ionic or covalent. This is most easily accomplished by testing for conductivity, but let them figure that out for themselves!

78. Properties of metals lab - Students test a bunch of common metals to investigate their properties. This can include both a qualitative (describe the colour and other physical features) and quantitative analysis (measuring the conductivity, density, and so on). I find it best if you can get equally sized samples of each metal, whether that be cubes, wires, or strips. I usually have students fill out a table of all the properties. I also include a few rare metals (like gold, platinum, iridium, etc.) that they have to research and add to the table themselves).

79. Electroplating experiment - Students use a zinc solution and electricity to coat a copper plate with a thin layer of zinc. I make this a seasonal activity by drawing holiday-themed designs on the copper using a permanent marker. When removed, it creates a nice contrast between the dull grey zinc and shiny orange copper metals. Heat it lightly in a Bunsen burner and you'll create brass instead. Then punch a hole in the top and you've got a unique ornament for your Christmas tree.

80. Preventing rust experiment - Take a selection of iron nails and coat them with different protective substances before placing them in water. Leave them in there for a few days to see how much they rust. The goal is to learn about the factors that contribute to corrosion and to see if we can prevent it with readily available materials. You can also do a follow-up experiment where you use things like acid to remove the layer of rust.

81. Newton's 3rd law skateboard experiment - There are lots of versions of this, but I like to get kids up and moving a bit using rollerblades or skateboards if possible (safety first!). Get a student to sit on the skateboard and then toss a medicine ball. Measure how far they threw the ball and how far they rolled, and then repeat this with different masses of medicine balls (and students!). Do lots of trials to smooth out inconsistent data. If you don't have skateboards you can always just use balloon-powered rockets or cars to show the same concepts.

82. Hooke's law elastic spring constant experiment - With nothing more than a few small weights and an elastic band, you can investigate Hooke's law. This is so simple and quick that I would recommend doing it more than once with either different elastics or springs . As the name implies, springs produce better data, but you might not have enough for a full class, and once they're stretched out, that's pretty much the end of them.

83. Center of gravity experiment - Students try to find an accurate way of locating the center of gravity for irregularly shaped objects. I don't tell them how to do it at first to see if anyone can come up with a decent method. We might even test a few ideas if they seem reasonable, but otherwise, we'll go to the prescribed lab to complete the activity. All you need is a thick paper cut into irregular shapes. I use pieces of cardboard or old greeting cards.

84. Engineering challenges activity - Create and test towers and bridges using craft materials or building sets, then test them for strength and efficiency. Normally I do this at the end of our unit on forces and structures, but this year we did it twice - once at the beginning and then again after they had learned some more about construction and engineering. The results were greatly improved! My resources for this particular experiment are freely available here , by the way.

85. Types of mixtures lab - This is another great example of an experiment that makes use of what you have, saving you time and hopefully a shopping trip. Students mix household solids and liquids to explore different types of homogeneous and heterogeneous mixtures. Use small quantities as this lab can generate a lot of waste that needs to be cleaned up. You can also illustrate the Tyndall effect by shining a flashlight through your mixtures to see if they scatter the light.

86. Dialysis or potato osmosis experiment - Use dialysis tubing to illustrate the concept of osmosis, typically with sugar, salt, or starch solutions of varying concentrations. Unfortunately, I rarely have dialysis tubing on hand, so we do the potato version with saltwater instead. I've been keeping our data for many years, however, so we compare and combine the data to arrive at much better results. My big breakthrough with this method has been to use cookie cutters when preparing the potato samples. It makes the sizes and surface areas much more consistent, although you still have to weigh each sample. 24 hours is a perfect amount of time to leave your samples in solution.

87. Molecular gastronomy spherification lab - Students make bubble tea using fruit juice. This is a fairly challenging experiment, but the result is often worth the effort (plus, you can eat it). Molecular gastronomy has a lot more to explore and honestly I wish I knew more about it. I've always wanted to try an activity to have students create and taste unusual flavour combinations based on similar chemical compounds, but I've never gotten around to it.

88. Chromatography crime lab - Separate the pigments in marker ink using various solvents in order to solve a 'crime'. You can go full CSI on this one if you're inspired to do so, and I think kids appreciate it. The experiment itself is not that thrilling, so you really have to play up the forensics angle and focus on the practical aspects of the technique.

89. Infection simulation - Give each student a solution that represents their body fluids. One student is 'infected' with a different solution. Students mingle around sharing fluids for a few rounds before testing the liquids to see who else is now infected. The cups containing the infected solution turn bright pink when phenolphthalein indicator is added. This is one of my favourite activities for exploring immunity, vaccination, and viruses. It also lends itself very well to discussions on STIs.

90. Graveyard survivorship and life expectancy investigation - Visit a local graveyard and collect as much data as you can. Then analyze it over the next couple of lessons. This is very location dependent, but luckily you can access similar records online using sites like Find A Grave . I still think going to the actual site where people are buried is much more meaningful, but it works either way. Use the results to create survivorship curves, compare life expectancy over time, and look for specific birth and death events. Try doing this as an interdisciplinary activity with social studies!

91. Electron flow student simulation - Kids act out an electrical circuit by pretending to be electrons. It sounds stupid, but it works beautifully and even older students usually come around once they try it. Increase the voltage by having students move faster. Add components and batteries using chairs or levels to show gaining and losing energy. Add switches to stop and start the flow of students. Then create a series or parallel circuit and get students to adjust their movements accordingly. Surprisingly I couldn't find a decent online version of this, so I guess I need to upload mine soon!

92. Fuse wire experiment - Use fuse wires of variable thickness to explore the relationship between current and resistance. You'll need a low-voltage power supply and the wires themselves, as well as other standard electrical circuit materials. This has the potential to be slightly dangerous, so be sure to prepare students adequately beforehand and make safety requirements clear.

93. Water quality investigation - There are many aspects of water that can be tested in schools, including hardness, pH, and the presence of nitrates. Purchase water quality testing kits to save yourself a ton of effort. I send each kid home with a small container and tell them to get some water. Most kids will bring their tap water, but some get creative and scoop a sample out of a puddle, pond, stream, or toilet (ew...). Label everything accordingly and then start analyzing those samples! I really love showing the film Erin Brockovich in combination with this activity as it's directly related and based on a true story.

94. Acid rain plant germination and growth experiment - Various concentrations of acidified water are used on germinating seeds and healthy plants to observe the effects on their growth and general health. You can use vinegar as the experiment here suggests, but I make a more realistic batch of 'acid rain' by combining nitric and sulfuric acids in order to get a pH below 5. We then dilute this solution as necessary to use on our plants. I like to use radishes since they grow so quickly and require very little space/depth. You can grow them right in the classroom with a few trays or planters.

95. Natural selection simulation - Students act as predators to capture prey using a variety of utensils. Both predator and prey populations change with each 'generation', but only the strongest survive! I really like this activity for introducing or reviewing the concept of natural selection, and it pairs well with the board game Evolution .

96. Hominid migration mapping activity - This website is awful, but the activity is great. Students use hominid fossil data to plot locations on a map and then suggest migration routes our ancestors might have taken. There is one typo in the data but I always forget to write down which one it is. Don't worry, your students will find it! When finished you can refer them to this updated interactive which helps explain human migration patterns.

97. Kepler's laws investigation - This is really a collection of experiments to explore the laws of planetary motion outlined by Johannes Kepler about 400 years ago. Students will be drawing and performing calculations related to ellipses and learning about centripetal force. There's a decent amount of geometry and other maths involved, so you might want to coordinate with the math department if that's something that interests you.

98. Lenses investigation - Using a series of lasers and lenses, students refract light and produce images on a screen to find focal lengths. This can be difficult without the proper equipment so I think it's worth investing in a couple of decent optics sets for your lab. Treat them well and they should last practically forever.

99. Eye dissection - Cow eyes are typically used for this investigation of eye structure and function. It's simple enough, but I haven't done it in years since it's hard to get the materials where I live. If you want to avoid the mess, there are many virtual options or videos you can use instead.

100. Doppler effect experiment - A simple smartphone app is used to explore the way motion affects sound frequencies. The experiment itself is pretty easy to do, but it's important to then link these concepts back to light and the expanding universe, which is responsible for the red-shift observed with very distant objects.

101. Night sky investigation - Another set of app investigations that use star-gazing software on your phone or tablet to explore the locations and movements of celestial objects. The good thing about these apps is that you can complete them in broad daylight, but I still think it's worth organizing a star-gazing event at night with telescopes so that students can view actual planets and moons. If you aren't confident running this yourself (I'm not), ask a physics teacher or contact your local astronomy club/observatory.

102. DIY Spectrometer experiment - Got a pile of useless CDs? Use them to create your own spectrometer to observe the spectral lines from different light sources. There are far more complicated designs available online if you are a tinkerer, but I find that this one works well enough for our purposes. There are some apps that will analyze a photo of spectral lines and suggest what elements might be present, but there isn't a single one that I would really recommend at this time. Explore what's available on your device as apps are constantly changing.

103. Molecular modeling activity - I'll take any excuse to get out the modeling kits. For this activity, students practice making various organic functional groups. I sometimes give each group equal components and see what kinds of different isomers they can come up with. It's easy to get caught up with complicated naming procedures in organic chemistry so I find that this hands-on activity helps to put some of the theory in perspective without being too demanding. If you want to challenge your students on a rainy afternoon (or whenever) give them something really big to make, like a phospholipid, or a section of DNA.

104. Esters investigation - Making esters by combining carboxylic acids with alcohols is relatively straightforward, if you have access to the necessary reactants. Students get to smell a bunch of things and relate this to compounds found naturally in foods and those artificially added to perfumes and other products. This lab makes use of concentrated sulfuric acid, which only you should handle for safety reasons.

105. Polymer slime activity - Making slime is fun for all ages, but you might wonder why I do it with grade 10 as it's more of an elementary school type of activity. Although younger students love to make and play with slime, they can't really appreciate the chemistry behind it, so that's why I toss this in at the end of a tough organic chemistry unit. You don't have to make the usual borax / PVA slime, but I find that it is simple and flexible enough to illustrate all of the concepts I want to hit. We also use this as a jumping-off point to discuss the use of plastics and other polymers as well as their effects on the environment.

106. Identifying plastics lab - Not all plastics are created equal in terms of their suitability for recycling. In this experiment, students will use the density of various plastic samples to identify them. We often watch a documentary associated with this experiment, such as Plastic Problem or Plastic Wars , both from PBS.

107. PCR and gel electrophoresis experiment - If your school has a PCR and electrophoresis machine, you're good to go and can begin examining samples of DNA without much effort, but if you don't, you'll need to connect with another organization that does. In the past, I've taken students to local universities in order to make use of their equipment, which they are usually happy to share for educational purposes. Sometimes they even prepare the lesson for us!

108. Flower anatomy investigation - If you plan to teach this unit in the warmer months you'll have access to all kinds of flowers you can dissect and examine. If you want to leave them on the plants you can just take photos I guess, but you'll miss out on exploring what's inside. Large flowers such as lilies are among the best and most straightforward examples of flower anatomy, but be sure to have a look at other flower types, including composites like sunflowers to see if your students can still identify all of the structures. Don't just look at flower structure, however. Make sure you discuss the functions of each part, and more importantly, why each species has evolved in a particular way. This is a good chance to talk about pollination as well.

109. Radioactive decay simulation - This is a statistics activity using dice to determine radioactive decay events. The experiment involves graphing, half-life calculations, and discussions on nuclear waste, so it's a well-rounded activity for any unit on radiation.

Pin this article to save it for later:

• Project-Based Learning

Related Posts

How to have a successful science fair

How I gained my students' respect by experimenting on myself

Tips for minimizing waste in science class

• Skip to primary navigation
• Skip to main content
• Skip to primary sidebar

Teaching Expertise

• Classroom Ideas
• Teacher’s Life
• Deals & Shopping
• Privacy Policy

Newtons Laws Of Motion Activities For Middle School: Ideas For First Law, Second Law, Third Law, Inertia, Motion, And Momentum

February 14, 2024 //  by  Cassie Caroll

There is no better way to teach your middle schooler about the laws of motion than by putting their knowledge into action. While Newton’s laws may seem a bit foreign to your learner at first, we found some of the best hands-on activities to help your student better understand these concepts. An object in motion stays in motion, and we hope these experiments will keep your learner learning! With some common objects and an inquisitive mind, we’ve found these exercises both engaging and enlightening!

Newton’s First Law Activities

1. ball bounce experiment.

One way to demonstrate Newton’s first law is by observing a ball in motion. Head to your garage and grab any type of ball you can find — a basketball, tennis ball, bouncy ball — the more varied the better. Then, have your student execute this activity to observe the different ways an object in motion reacts to outside forces. Consider keeping track of hypotheses and observations in a notebook!

Learn More: Metro Family Magazine

2. Inertia Demonstration

While inertia is a simple concept on the surface, putting the idea into action makes it much more accessible as the laws get more complex. This inertia demonstration allows your student to become the force that disrupts an inert object, plus it can quickly become a favorite “magic trick.”

Learn More: Science Sparks

3. Marble Maze

An object in motion stays in motion, and one way to manipulate the way in which an object moves is by constructing a marble maze. We like how easy this activity is to differentiate depending on your student’s level of understanding.

Learn More: Instructables

4. Inertia Hat

Do you know those pesky wire hangers that never seem to stay intact? Put them to good use with this inertia hat activity! Follow along with this video to experiment with the intricacies of inertia  and to give you and your student permission to get a little silly.

Learn More: Youtube

5. Quarter Catch

This activity will only cost 25 cents! The quarter catch is another experiment that may become a favorite party trick. Your student will place a quarter on their elbow and practice moving quickly enough to catch it before it falls, demonstrating inertia.

Learn More: Science Fun

6. Bernoulli’s Activity

Although this activity is based on Bernoulli’s principle, it has a direct correlation to Newton’s first law. Ask your student to figure out what happens when the force of their breath is applied to the ping pong ball and then when it is taken away. This is a great closure activity that quickly demonstrates the concept while making it fun!

Learn More: 123 Homeschool 4 Me

7. Whack-a-Stack

Like a quick game of Jenga, the whack-a-stack activity gives your student yet another example of Newton’s first law. All you need is a small stack of blocks or similar objects and a pipe-like instrument to conduct this experiment.

Learn More: Exploratorium

Newton’s Second Law Activities

8. marshmallow puff tube.

To explore acceleration and unbalanced forces, grab a marshmallow, some flour, a file folder, and a bit of tape. We love that this can be a very simple demonstration of Newton’s second law or be pushed even further to explore acceleration and friction.

9. Egg Bungee

To conceptualize different types of energy at play, have your student try this egg bungee experiment. You can use a range of materials to look at the roles of potential and kinetic energy, but don’t forget the paper towels for a swift clean up!

Learn More: Museum of Science+Industry Chicago

10. Crater Experiment

This crater experiment creates an excellent visual for Newton’s second law. The craters created by various items will help you demonstrate how mass and acceleration factor into an object’s force. This is another activity that will require some minor cleanup, but placing a towel underneath your experiment area can help.

11. Build a Projectile

Have your student learn about stored energy while creating a new toy  and recycling! This projectile activity is fun and informative and can be done using common household objects. Be sure to check out more instructions in the link.

Learn more: Arvin D. Gupta Toys

Newton’s Third Law Activities

12. popping canisters.

We love this Alka-Seltzer activity! With a little prep, this experiment can be a mess-free, interactive experience with Newton’s third law. This may take a couple of practice rounds, but the demonstration of equal and opposite reactions is well worth the rehearsal.

Learn More: Science Matters

13. Rocket Pinwheel

Bring the action-reaction principle to life with this DIY rocket pinwheel ! Using common household items and a dash of creativity, this rocket pinwheel can quickly become a favorite activity demonstrating Newton’s third law.

Learn More: NASA Teacher’s Resource Center

14. Hero’s Engine

To demonstrate Newton’s third law  and introduce your student to rocketry basics, try this Hero’s Engine activity. This activity can be done using different materials depending on what you have at your disposal. Try this pop can adaptation if you don’t have a plastic cup handy.

Learn More: Wabi 5

15. Marble Momentum 

You can demonstrate Newton’s third law in many different ways using just marbles! This particular marble experiment allows you to differentiate according to your students’ understanding and interest. Keep pushing your experimentation using a different number of marbles or even different sizes, then push it even further by using skateboards described later in these directions.

Learn More: Metro Family

16. Balloon Rocket

With just a string, straw, and latex balloon, your student can experiment with air flow and motion. Take a look at the balloon rocket activity shown at the start of this video. Then, discuss what your student is seeing. Why is it the balloon follows the trajectory they observed? How does air flow affect the balloon’s momentum?

17. DIY Newton’s Cradle

What’s a study of Newton’s law without Newton’s cradle? This super easy DIY Newton’s Cradle allows your student to take ownership over their learning and create a living example of Newton’s third law. There are tons of different ways of building a cradle, but we found this one to be the most user and budget friendly.

Learn More: Babble Dabble Do

More Inertia, Motion, and Momentum Activities

18. tablecloth pull.

Another fun way of experimenting with inertia is by practicing this “magic trick” with your learner. Our advice is to invest in some plasticware for this activity to avoid any broken glass. You may also want to opt for the wax paper alternative described in the post for optimal results.

Learn More: Science World

19. Collision Course

For a quick demonstration of equal and opposite reactions, create this miniature bumper car scenario! Grab two of anything that rolls of equal size. This collision course activity can be done as a brief demo or can be extended to be a more in-depth investigation of Newton’s third law.

Learn More: Science Buddies

20. Baking Soda Powered Boat

Create a baking soda-powered boat in your bathtub or nearby body of water! This experiment allows your learner to look at the different forces at work when their boat takes off.

21. Newton Car

Bring your student’s learning full circle by demonstrating all three of Newton’s laws using Newton’s car lab! This activity takes more time to setup, but the payoff is well worth it.

Learn More: NASA

22. Spinning Marbles

This spinning marbles activity is a great way to first introduce the idea of inertia and then experiment with different types of motion. Of course, be sure to supervise your learner when they use the hot glue!

Learn More: Kids Activities

23. Momentum Machine

Instead of creating a machine, why not become the machine yourself? Have your learner grab a spinning chair and a couple of liter bottles to experiment with momentum. This also creates a great boomerang moment for Instagram!

24. Spaghetti Accelerometer

If your learner is ready to consider acceleration when it comes to the laws of motion, this activity can be an excellent introduction. Although this spaghetti accelerometer requires some power tool work, once the setup is complete, it is a great opportunity to push your learner.

Physics Experiments For Kids [7 Awesome Ideas]

Physics experiments for kids are a perfect introduction to the fantastic world of science. Physics experiments challenge you to think about the hidden forces that drive the world. Even easy science experiments for kids can teach surprising lessons and reveal how fascinating the world is.

Here are a few fun physics projects you can try at home.

Related post: 32 Cool Science Experiments for Kids at Home

Physics Experiments for Kids

Powerful paper construction.

This is one of my favorite STEM activities. All you need is

• Scotch tape
• A stack of books/ one book and heavy items to balance on top of it

All great science experiments start with a question, ‘Can you use paper and tape to build a structure strong enough to support a book?’

I suggest posing the question and then seeing what your kids come up with. Trying and failing is part of a physics experiment.

When they’re ready, you can show them a solution. You roll the paper into a tube and use a small piece of tape to hold it in that shape. With four tubes, you can easily support an impressive number of books.

To extend the project, your kids can investigate which size and shape of the tube are the strongest. If your child is competitive, then why not make it a fun competition.

So Why Isn’t The Paper Crushed By The Books?

It’s all about the shape. A cylinder is one of the most robust shapes. Because it has a circular shape running all along the length, this evenly distributes the books’ weight. So no one point on the paper takes more stress and weakens.

Another illustration of this is with a soda can. You can try crushing a soda can — it’s really hard. An average can will support the weight of an average adult. But if you squash it a little in the middle, then try again, it suddenly crumples up. With its shape damaged, the weight is no longer evenly spread.

Lego Balloon Car/ Zipline

I’ve bundled these two physics experiments for kids together because they both use LEGO to explore some exciting physics ideas.

In both of these awesome physics experiments, your child has the chance to build their own creation and see how it performs. They can then tweak their design and process to improve the performance of what they’ve made. They can either make a balloon-powered car or build a ‘carrier’ to help a LEGO man ride a zipline.

There are so many ways that you can explore science, starting from these simple physics experiments. You can try to make the car travel further by changing either the vehicle or the balloon. You can find the perfect slope to get the LEGO man down the zipline as fast as possible, without his vehicle breaking at the end. You can measure the distances and times for older kids and calculate how fast their creations are going.

If you want to use these experiments to introduce some physics ideas, both of them touch on ideas of

• Potential and kinetic energy
• Friction and air resistance
• Speed, velocity, and acceleration
• Newton’s laws of motion

Fireproof Balloon

Have you ever been to a birthday party with a few too many balloons? If so, you might have noticed that if they get too near something warm, they pop. A great demonstration of this is with a balloon and a small candle. Blow up the balloon, hold it over the candle, and… pop!

In this simple physics experiment, you are going to make that balloon fireproof! Before you blow it up, you put some water in the balloon. Now when you bring the candle close… nothing happens. Just like magic, only better — science!

So What’s Going On?

First, let’s talk about why the balloon pops when it gets hot. The heat is transferred to the air molecules inside the balloon. They use that heat energy as kinetic energy, which means they start to move around faster. As the molecules spread out, they push harder on the balloon, until they push hard enough to break it.

So why does adding water help? It’s because water is amazing. Honestly, the science of water is fascinating. If it didn’t react to heat the way it does, we wouldn’t be here at all. Water is really good at absorbing heat. It takes a lot of heat energy to warm water up by even a small amount.

The heat from the candle gets absorbed by the water instead of the air molecules. The water needs over 4,000 times more energy to increase its temperature by a single degree than the air does. The same energy doesn’t do much to the water, and the temperature inside the balloon barely changes.

Using Gravity To Find A Cooked Egg

This incredibly simple physics experiment is just the sort that I love. It looks like magic from a distance, and if you’re the dramatic sort, you can play it that way to get your kids interested.

All you need to do is boil an egg in advance and then pop it in the fridge to cool. If you want to pretend you have magic powers, you should boil two to reveal the trick afterward. Present your kids with a row of identical eggs and ask if they can find the cooked one, without breaking any eggs.

The trick is to spin them. Cooked eggs spin much better than raw ones.

This teaches a critical lesson about physics. It shows how you can use science to uncover information that you can find out just from looking. Physics lets you ‘peek’ inside to find out what’s going on.

Extending The Idea

Here’s another experiment that explores the same idea. You need a long stick, around 1m is perfect, and a piece of clay. Put a fist-sized piece of clay around the stick. The clay should be towards one end of the stick, about 20 cm away from the end is perfect. Then try and balance the stick vertically on the palm of your hand.

The position of the clay makes a huge difference. When the clay is near the top, the stick rotates more slowly, making it easier for you to keep it balanced. It’s all about the position of the center of gravity.

Floating/Sinking Oranges

When it comes to simple physics experiments, it doesn’t get much simpler than this. All you need is:

• A bowl of water.

This is perfect if your kids have recently been doing science experiments about sinking and floating.

Ask your kids if they think an orange will sink or float. Then try it to see. So, it floats, not that exciting. But, what if you peel the orange, will that make a difference? Make sure to ask your kids to explain their reasoning.

If they have been learning about sinking and floating, they will likely say that it will still float, or it will float higher because you’re making it lighter. Which is why they’ll, hopefully, be amazed to find that without its peel, your orange sinks.

The question is, why?

Why do ‘Lighter’ Oranges Sink?

This is all about density. The peel of an orange is full of air pockets; they help protect it when it falls to the ground. They also reduce the density. When you take the peel off, it’s like taking off the orange’s life vest.

When it comes to a list of physics experiments for kids, it’s hard not to include catapults . After all, what child doesn’t like the idea of launching things into the air?

You can build catapults out of loads of household objects. The easiest to get hold of is popsicle sticks for the frame, a rubber band for the elastic energy store, a bottle cap to hold the projectile, and some glue to hold it all together. I recommend cotton balls or ping pong balls for a projectile — something that won’t hurt too much if someone’s aim is wandering.

There are so many physics ideas to explore inside these constructions, and so many variations to try. If your kids really enjoy this, you can try other similar science experiments to extend the ideas. For instance, you can learn about Trebuchets and try to build one of those instead.

Blowing Water Up A Straw

Here what you need to try this science experiment:

• Shallow bowl/saucer of water

The challenge – Can you lift the water out of the saucer, using the straw without sucking?

So how do you do it? You need to cut a small 3cm section off the end of your straw. You’ll then use your tape to stick the little piece back on. Except when you stick it back on, it should now be at 90 degrees to the rest of the straw. It should have one edge touching the rest of the straw. If it looks like a capital L, you’ve got it right.

Then you put the short end of the straw in the water and blow through the long end. If it doesn’t work, blow a bit harder!

What’s Going On?

When you blow, it creates an area of low pressure at the top of the small straw. Because the air pressure over the saucer is now higher, it pushes the water up the straw.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you teach kids physics.

Physics is a way of looking at the world. It’s learning to ask questions about how and why things happen the way they do. So, a great way to teach kids about physics is to encourage them to ask questions.

When you see something interesting, ask them why they think it happened. Physics, like all of science, is about curiosity and creativity. The best way to help your child learn about physics is to ask questions, try and think of answers together, and then test your ideas.

Isn’t physics really hard?

A lot of adults think that science and physics especially are hard. A lot of that is to do with how it was taught. If you learned physics by memorizing equations and rote learning, it would always seem complicated and boring.

But, the basic ideas of physics aren’t that hard to understand, even for kids. Simple physics experiments are a great tool to help kids love physics. When you love learning about a topic, it doesn’t seem so hard.

Why should kids learn physics?

Physics is amazing to learn about because it is behind everything in the world. Without an understanding of physics, we’d be stuck in the dark ages.

It’s really easy to take all our modern technology for granted. When you learn about physics, you discover how amazing it really is. For instance, did you know that your phone relies on quantum physics to work?

Trying out physics projects at home is a fantastic way to get kids interested in learning more about the world around them.

Sandy is an experienced STEM educator, having spent a decade teaching Physics. She also loves to volunteer at local STEM fairs to show kids, especially girls, how awesome it is. She is so passionate about science that one science degree wasn’t enough and she decided to complete a second part-time, while working.

Editor’s Picks

7 Best LEGO Star Wars Sets | Our Top Picks of All Time!

Best LEGO Creator Sets – Take Your Pick From These 7 Gems!

How to Use a Metal Detector: 8 Essential Tips to Get the Most of It

Best Metal Detector for Kids: 5 Top Picks (+ Buying Guide)

Best 2+ Player Cooperative Board Games (Top 6 in 2024)

MEL Chemistry Review: Is Your Child the Next Bill Nye?

• Earth Science
• Physics & Engineering
• Science Kits
• Microscopes
• Science Curriculum and Kits
• About Home Science Tools

Resource Center Home > Science Projects > Science Fair Projects > Physics Science Fair Projects

Physics Science Fair

Find physics science fair project ideas about magnetism, electricity, energy and solar power, and more.

Do this spinoff of the elephant toothpaste experiment using household items like yeast and hydrogen peroxide.

Split water into hydrogen and oxygen gas using two pencils and a battery in this fun electrolysis science project!

Learn about physics as you build your own mousetrap marshmallow catapult with this science project.

Learn about electromagnets and magnetic levitation.

A brief guide to exceptional science projects and science project videos on the web.

Build a mini solar car to see how to use solar energy for power.

Make a balloon rocket car and watch a video showing the project in action.

Top 13 Simple Science Experiments for Middle Schoolers

Your browser does not support the audio element.

Middle school science fairs and hands-on science lessons are an exciting and immersive part of any student’s education, and there is a great deal of potential to make them super fun!

When first looking into ideas for projects to take on, however, it can feel a little daunting. After all, what experiments strike the perfect balance between fascinating and achievable for young children?

If you’re trying to get started and have hit a bit of a roadblock with those blue-ribbon ideas to inspire future STEM leaders , here are 13 great ideas that are age appropriate while also being interesting and challenging!

Table of Contents

• Test How Color Affects Memory

Are specific colors better for your memory? Does it help to write notes and flashcards in one color more than it does with another?

This is a low-budget project that any student or classroom could take on, requiring only a variety of colored pens or markers, index cards and participants.

• Gather willing participants (classmates, teachers, etc.) and select a few obscure dates from history.
• On three sets of index cards, write the dates on the front and the event that corresponds with the dates on the back. One group should be in black marker, the second should be in a color that matches the emotional response to an event (red for danger, green for growth, etc.) and the third should be a different, randomly chosen color.
• Divide participants into the control group, the trend group and the random group. Give them all time to study the cards and then test their memory either through written or oral examination.
• The next day, conduct the same test with the participants without giving them additional study time to test long-term memory.

Not only is this middle school science experiment extremely easy to conduct, it can also help students learn potential vital study skills for any subject area in their future!

• Use Charcoal to Purify Water

Water filtration systems are extremely common nowadays, but to many it’s a complete mystery how they actually work!

This is a fairly simple experiment as well, so you’ll only need a measuring cup, a teaspoon, two baby food jars, water, activated charcoal and red food coloring.

• Fill the measuring cup with ½ cup of water and add 8 drops of food coloring. Pour half of the mixture into each of the jars.
• Add 2 teaspoons of activated charcoal to one jar and put the lids on both jars. Leave them in a place where they will be undisturbed for several days.
• Note the colors of the jars after 4 hours, 24 hours and then once a day for the remaining three days.

This experiment is great because it is simple, exciting and can be completed in a fairly short time frame. Plus, students will have an added appreciation for the importance of clean, filtered water!

• Experiment with Crystals

Crystals are easy to grow and a lot of fun for young students. Plus, there are many ways you can experiment with them during and after the growing process!

One specific way we can explore is aiming for a specific shape and end-product by making a crystal flower.

Either a real or fake flower will work for this experiment, but you do need a physical one to start one. If it is weak, you will want a pipe cleaner to support the weight. Other than that, all you will need is borax, hot water and food coloring.

• Pour boiling water into a cup or jar large enough to hold the flower.
• Stir in borax until it is finished dissolving and add food coloring.
• Place the flower into the cup and let the crystals grow for anywhere between a few hours and overnight (the longer you give, the thicker the crystals will be).
• Remove the crystal flower from the cup and place it on a paper towel to dry!

This is an extremely basic and easy experiment with exciting and beautiful results, so it can make for a fantastic classroom activity!

• See How Sugary Drinks Impact Teeth

Everyone knows the general concept that sugary drinks like soda and juice are terrible for your teeth and several other areas as well, but what if we could show young students just how bad they are?

The basic materials required here will be five eggs, five cups and masking tape. In terms of the drinks you’ll need, make sure to gather water, a dark sugar-free drink like gatorade, a dark juice like grape juice, a dark soda like cola and orange juice.

• Fill and label each cup with the name of their respective contents.
• Add the eggs and leave them in a safe spot. Be sure to check every few hours to record any noticeable updates.
• After 24 hours, take out the eggs. Since eggshells have a similar calcium makeup to enamel, the effects that each drink has on the shell will give a general intensified idea of how they impact teeth.

Not only will this experiment help to give students a general understanding of how sugary drinks can impact their teeth, it may inspire them to scrub a little more thoroughly every time they brush!

• Make a Hanging Compass to Understand Magnetism

If the science behind magnets is something that interests your students or is relevant to your curriculum, a hanging compass experiment may be the perfect way to go!

This will help them understand the Earth’s magnetic field as it influences the needle of the compass.

All that will be needed here is a magnet, a large steel sewing needles, a few smaller steel needles, pencil, a string and a wide-mouthed jar or cup.

• Rub the pointed end of the large needle on one end of the magnet 30-50 times to align the electrons in the needle and magnetize it. You can test this with the smaller needles by trying to gentle pick them up with the large needle (if it does not work, repeat this step).
• Knot one end of the string around the middle of the needle and the other end around the middle of the pencil.
• Lay the pencil across the mouth of the jar with the needle inside. The needle will turn to point North.

And just like that, you created a compass! This is a great hands-on way to show how magnetism works with the Earth’s natural magnetic field.

• Copper Plate Coins

This is a fun and creative way to learn how to use simple, common items to plate coins with copper. You can even incorporate unique designs into the finished product!

This is all done through electricity and can both make for a fascinating individual project or a part of a core lesson plan.

The materials required for this can be found in most homes or a quick trip to a dollar store. You’ll need a plastic cup, distilled white vinegar, two alligator clips (one red and one black), two copper strips, a nickel or quarter, a 9v battery and battery snap, masking tape, scissors and rubbing alcohol.

• Fill the cup with vinegar to a point that is about 2 in. high. Mark a small piece of tape with “+” and another with “-” to tape to either side of the cup.
• Clip a copper strip to the end of each alligator clip.
• Submerge the copper strips and tape the clips in place to keep them out of the vinegar.
• Place the battery into the battery snap and connect the black alligator clip to the black wire lead and the red clip to the red wire lead.
• Wait three hours until the vinegar is a greenish blue. Clean the coin with rubbing alcohol and take the positive alligator clip and copper strip out of the vinegar, replacing with the coin and submerging.
• Wait about 15-20 minutes before taking the coin out and drying it on a paper towel. The coin will now be copper plated!

If you are feeling particularly creative with this project, you can tape neat designs onto the coin to get a fun pattern or look with the plating.

Test How Oil Spills Impact Wildlife

Something that can really hit home for students is how their environment is being impacted by the actions of humans.

Specifically, we have already witnessed the disastrous effects of oil spills in recent history, so showing students just how it impacts our wildlife can help to further emphasize it.

All you will need here is water, liquid soap, corn oil, vegetable oil, a toothbrush and a feather. The feather is intended to represent wildlife like birds who are commonly affected by these accidents.

• Make a chart with the titles “Absorbed,” “Repelled” and “Changes” written across the top and “Water,” “Oil” and Liquid soap along the left side. Draw lines to form a grid.
• Dip the feather in water and record whether it was absorbed or repelled. Note any changes.
• Do the same with the oil and note whether there are any differences. Try to sprinkle water on the oil-soaked feather and note whether the water is absorbed or repelled this time.
• Add some soap to the water and try to scrub off the oil with the soapy water and toothbrush.
• Note how easy or difficult it was to clean the feather and how successfully it was able to return to its original state (or if it wasn’t).

This experiment will show how oil can compromise a feather’s ability to maintain warmth and dryness, showing the importance of caring for our environment and keeping these spills from happening in the first place as much as we can!

• Design a Solar Oven

Solar energy in general is becoming a much more popular and necessary source of electricity.

Believe it or not, it’s actually pretty easy to demonstrate how it all works to young students and actually have them design their own solar oven that can be used while camping or simply trying to cook with greener energy sources!

To tackle this experiment, you will need a cardboard pizza box, a pencil, a ruler, scissors, foil, clear tape, black construction paper, plastic wrap, newspapers, an oven mitt, a dish, a thermometer and cooking ingredients (avoid raw meat)!

• Make sure to clean the pizza box before use in case of any leftover cheese or crumbs. Use the pencil and ruler to draw a square one inch from the top of the box.
• Cut out three of the four sides of the square. Crease the uncut side to create a flap that stands up.
• Cut a piece of foil to use to cover the inner side of the flap. Wrap it tightly and secure it with tape.
• Line the bottom of the box with the black construction paper.
• Cut two pieces of plastic wrap the same size as the top of the box. Secure them to the inside edges of the square window with tape so that it is airtight.
• Roll the newspapers into tubes to stuff into the sides of the box (it should still be able to close).
• Use the oven and the sun to cook something (preferably between 11 A.M. and 2 P.M.)!

While this project may take some time, it is definitely something any young student can tackle. Plus, it produces some exciting and delicious results!

• Determine Whether Texting is a New Language

Texting has become such an integral part of our society’s communication particularly for younger generations.

Can it be considered a new language, though?

All that is needed for this project is a computer with internet access, a mobile phone, a digital camera and typical office supplies like paper, pens and poster board.

• Read overviews of relevant research and topics. Basic research surrounding linguistics and text messaging are fairly easy to find and understand.
• Compile a text messaging glossary. This can be accomplished through students’ basic knowledge of texting rhetoric as well as some more searches for common phrases, spellings and acronyms.
• Design a new text messaging application and interpret findings in a detailed report. Show these findings visually through charts and graphs.

While this experiment may not concern commonly relevant subject areas, it can easily tie into more social areas of science such as linguistics and communication as well as lead into topics surrounding technology .

• Dissect a Flower

Dissection of any organism can do a great job at explaining anatomy to students in a hands-on and visual way that lectures don’t provide.

That said, it can be hard to acquire and dissect animals like frogs or sharks, especially when it comes to younger classrooms. Plus, these projects can turn some stomachs at any age group. Flowers, however, are easy to obtain and have just as much educational potential!

For this, you will need flowers with easily identifiable parts. This could be something like a hibiscus, for instance, or any flower that will clearly display the anatomy being taught. You will also need a scalpel, pins and materials to draw and label the parts of the flower as students discover them.

• Carefully instruct students how to properly use a scalpel to make educated incisissions and locate relevant parts of the flower like the pistil, stamen and others.
• Use the pins to keep the flower open and make it possible to really study the insides of the plant. During this time, students can draw what they are seeing and label each part as they are able to identify it.
• Chart the different lengths of the flowers each student is dissecting to open up discussion on how these differences may have occurred and how they make impact the flowers’ fertility.

Of course, it’s always interesting to move onto other more complex dissections, but this is a great place for students to start!

• Create a Homemade Thermometer

Thermometers have been such a basic part of so many areas of society for so long now, including health, environmentalism and more.

It’s also much easier than you may think to make your own!

To take this on, you will need some basic materials like modeling clay, red food coloring, water, rubbing alcohol, a clear straw, a clear plastic bottle and a thermometer for reference.

• Pour equal amounts of water and rubbing alcohol into the bottle until it is a quarter of the way full.
• Add a few drops of food coloring and shake to mix.
• Insert the straw and wrap modeling clay around part of the straw and the bottle opening to ensure that it stays put. Do make sure to leave the opening of the straw uncovered.
• Test the thermometer by wrapping hands around the bottle and seeing what happens as it heats up! The mixture will expand from the heat and cause the red liquid to raise up in the straw.

This is an incredible safe and easy way to make your own thermometer, and it opens up the possibility for discussion with how heat can impact substances!

Top 5 physics experiments you can do at home

October 17, 2022 By Emma Vanstone Leave a Comment

Physics is key to understanding the world around us. While some aspects may seem tricky to understand, many fundamental physics concepts can be broken down into simple concepts, some of which can be demonstrated using basic equipment at home.

This list of 5 physics experiments you can try at home is a great starting point for understanding physics and, hopefully a source of inspiration for little scientists everywhere!

Physics experiments you can do at home

1. archimedes and density.

The story behind Archimedes’ discovery of density is that he was asked by the King of Sicily to work out whether a goldsmith had replaced some gold from a crown with silver. Archimedes needed to determine if the goldsmith had cheated without damaging the crown.

The crown weighed the same as the gold the King had given the goldsmith, but gold is more dense than silver, so if there were silver in the crown its density would be less than if it were pure gold. Archimedes realised that if he could measure the crown’s volume, he could work out its density, but calculating the volume of a crown shape was a tough challenge. According to the story, Archimedes was having a bath one day when he realised the water level rose as he lowered himself into the bathtub. He realised that the volume of water displaced was equal to the volume of his body in the water.

Archimedes placed the crown in water to work out its density and realised the goldsmith had cheated the king!

Density Experiment

One fun way to demonstrate density is to make a density column. Choose a selection of liquids and place them in density order, from the most dense to the least dense. Carefully pour a small amount of each into a tall jar or glass, starting with the most dense. You should end up with a colourful stack of liquids!

2. Split light into the colours of the rainbow

Isaac Newton experimented with prisms and realised that light is made up of different colours ( the colours of the rainbow ). Newton made this discovery in the 1660s. It wasn’t until the 1900s that physicists discovered the electromagnetic spectrum , which includes light waves we can’t see, such as microwaves, x-ray waves, infrared and gamma rays.

How to split light

Splitting white light into the colours of the rainbow sounds tricky, but all you need is a prism. A prism is a transparent block shaped so light bends ( refracts ) as it passes through. Some colours bend more than others, so the whole spectrum of colours can be seen.

If you don’t have a prism, you can also use a garden hose! Stand with your back to the sun, and you’ll see a rainbow in the water! This is because drops of water act like a prism.

3. Speed of Falling Objects

Galileo’s falling objects.

Aristotle thought that heavy objects fell faster than lighter objects, a theory later disproved by Galileo .

It is said that Galileo dropped two cannonballs with different weights from the leaning tower of Pisa, which hit the ground at the same time. All objects accelerate at the same rate as they fall.

If you drop a feather and a hammer from the same height, the hammer will hit the ground first, but this is because of air resistance!

If a hammer and feather are dropped somewhere with no air resistance, they hit the ground simultaneously. Commander David Scott proved this was true on the Apollo 15 moonwalk!

Hammer and Feather Experiment on the Moon

Brian Cox also proved Galileo’s theory to be correct by doing the same experiment in a vacuum!

While you won’t be able to replicate a hammer or heavy ball and feather falling, you can investigate with two objects of the same size but different weights. This means the air resistance is the same for both objects, so the only difference is the weight.

Take two empty water bottles of the same size. Fill one to the top with water and leave the other empty. Drop them from the same height. Both will hit the ground at the same time!

4. Newton’s Laws of Motion

Sir Isaac Newton pops up a lot in any physics book as he came up with many of the laws that describe our universe and is undoubtedly one of the most famous scientists of all time. Newton’s Laws of Motion describe how things move and the relationship between a moving object and the forces acting on it.

Making and launching a mini rocket is a great way to learn about Newton’s Laws of Motion .

The rocket remains motionless unless a force acts on it ( Newton’s First Law ).

The acceleration of the rocket is affected by its mass. If you increase the mass of the rocket, its acceleration will be less than if it had less mass ( Newton’s Second Law ).

The equal and opposite reaction from the gas forcing the cork downwards propels the rocket upwards ( Newton’s Third Law ).

4. Pressure

Pressure is the force per unit area.

Imagine standing on a Lego brick. If you stand on a large brick, it will probably hurt. If you stand on a smaller brick with the same force it will hurt more as the pressure is greater!

Snowshoes are usually very wide. This is to reduce the pressure on the snow so it sinks less as people walk on it.

Pressure and Eggs

If you stand on one egg, it will most likely break. If you stand on lots of eggs with the same force, you increase the area the force is applied over and, therefore, reduce the pressure on each individual egg.

That’s five easy physics experiments you can do at home! Can you think of any more?

Last Updated on June 14, 2024 by Emma Vanstone

Safety Notice

Science Sparks ( Wild Sparks Enterprises Ltd ) are not liable for the actions of activity of any person who uses the information in this resource or in any of the suggested further resources. Science Sparks assume no liability with regard to injuries or damage to property that may occur as a result of using the information and carrying out the practical activities contained in this resource or in any of the suggested further resources.

These activities are designed to be carried out by children working with a parent, guardian or other appropriate adult. The adult involved is fully responsible for ensuring that the activities are carried out safely.

Reader Interactions

Leave a reply cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

• Grades 6-12
• School Leaders

Get this FREE poster mailed to your school! ✨

72 Easy Science Experiments Using Materials You Already Have On Hand

Because science doesn’t have to be complicated.

If there is one thing that is guaranteed to get your students excited, it’s a good science experiment! While some experiments require expensive lab equipment or dangerous chemicals, there are plenty of cool projects you can do with regular household items. We’ve rounded up a big collection of easy science experiments that anybody can try, and kids are going to love them!

Easy Chemistry Science Experiments

Easy physics science experiments, easy biology and environmental science experiments, easy engineering experiments and stem challenges.

1. Taste the Rainbow

Teach your students about diffusion while creating a beautiful and tasty rainbow! Tip: Have extra Skittles on hand so your class can eat a few!

Learn more: Skittles Diffusion

2. Crystallize sweet treats

Crystal science experiments teach kids about supersaturated solutions. This one is easy to do at home, and the results are absolutely delicious!

Learn more: Candy Crystals

3. Make a volcano erupt

This classic experiment demonstrates a chemical reaction between baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and vinegar (acetic acid), which produces carbon dioxide gas, water, and sodium acetate.

Learn more: Best Volcano Experiments

4. Make elephant toothpaste

This fun project uses yeast and a hydrogen peroxide solution to create overflowing “elephant toothpaste.” Tip: Add an extra fun layer by having kids create toothpaste wrappers for plastic bottles.

5. Blow the biggest bubbles you can

Add a few simple ingredients to dish soap solution to create the largest bubbles you’ve ever seen! Kids learn about surface tension as they engineer these bubble-blowing wands.

Learn more: Giant Soap Bubbles

6. Demonstrate the “magic” leakproof bag

All you need is a zip-top plastic bag, sharp pencils, and water to blow your kids’ minds. Once they’re suitably impressed, teach them how the “trick” works by explaining the chemistry of polymers.

Learn more: Leakproof Bag

7. Use apple slices to learn about oxidation

Have students make predictions about what will happen to apple slices when immersed in different liquids, then put those predictions to the test. Have them record their observations.

Learn more: Apple Oxidation

8. Float a marker man

Their eyes will pop out of their heads when you “levitate” a stick figure right off the table! This experiment works due to the insolubility of dry-erase marker ink in water, combined with the lighter density of the ink.

Learn more: Floating Marker Man

9. Discover density with hot and cold water

There are a lot of easy science experiments you can do with density. This one is extremely simple, involving only hot and cold water and food coloring, but the visuals make it appealing and fun.

Learn more: Layered Water

10. Layer more liquids

This density demo is a little more complicated, but the effects are spectacular. Slowly layer liquids like honey, dish soap, water, and rubbing alcohol in a glass. Kids will be amazed when the liquids float one on top of the other like magic (except it is really science).

Learn more: Layered Liquids

11. Grow a carbon sugar snake

Easy science experiments can still have impressive results! This eye-popping chemical reaction demonstration only requires simple supplies like sugar, baking soda, and sand.

Learn more: Carbon Sugar Snake

12. Mix up some slime

Tell kids you’re going to make slime at home, and watch their eyes light up! There are a variety of ways to make slime, so try a few different recipes to find the one you like best.

13. Make homemade bouncy balls

These homemade bouncy balls are easy to make since all you need is glue, food coloring, borax powder, cornstarch, and warm water. You’ll want to store them inside a container like a plastic egg because they will flatten out over time.

Learn more: Make Your Own Bouncy Balls

14. Create eggshell chalk

Eggshells contain calcium, the same material that makes chalk. Grind them up and mix them with flour, water, and food coloring to make your very own sidewalk chalk.

Learn more: Eggshell Chalk

15. Make naked eggs

This is so cool! Use vinegar to dissolve the calcium carbonate in an eggshell to discover the membrane underneath that holds the egg together. Then, use the “naked” egg for another easy science experiment that demonstrates osmosis .

Learn more: Naked Egg Experiment

16. Turn milk into plastic

This sounds a lot more complicated than it is, but don’t be afraid to give it a try. Use simple kitchen supplies to create plastic polymers from plain old milk. Sculpt them into cool shapes when you’re done!

17. Test pH using cabbage

Teach kids about acids and bases without needing pH test strips! Simply boil some red cabbage and use the resulting water to test various substances—acids turn red and bases turn green.

Learn more: Cabbage pH

18. Clean some old coins

Use common household items to make old oxidized coins clean and shiny again in this simple chemistry experiment. Ask kids to predict (hypothesize) which will work best, then expand the learning by doing some research to explain the results.

Learn more: Cleaning Coins

19. Pull an egg into a bottle

This classic easy science experiment never fails to delight. Use the power of air pressure to suck a hard-boiled egg into a jar, no hands required.

Learn more: Egg in a Bottle

20. Blow up a balloon (without blowing)

Chances are good you probably did easy science experiments like this when you were in school. The baking soda and vinegar balloon experiment demonstrates the reactions between acids and bases when you fill a bottle with vinegar and a balloon with baking soda.

21 Assemble a DIY lava lamp

This 1970s trend is back—as an easy science experiment! This activity combines acid-base reactions with density for a totally groovy result.

22. Explore how sugary drinks affect teeth

The calcium content of eggshells makes them a great stand-in for teeth. Use eggs to explore how soda and juice can stain teeth and wear down the enamel. Expand your learning by trying different toothpaste-and-toothbrush combinations to see how effective they are.

Learn more: Sugar and Teeth Experiment

23. Mummify a hot dog

If your kids are fascinated by the Egyptians, they’ll love learning to mummify a hot dog! No need for canopic jars , just grab some baking soda and get started.

24. Extinguish flames with carbon dioxide

This is a fiery twist on acid-base experiments. Light a candle and talk about what fire needs in order to survive. Then, create an acid-base reaction and “pour” the carbon dioxide to extinguish the flame. The CO2 gas acts like a liquid, suffocating the fire.

25. Send secret messages with invisible ink

Turn your kids into secret agents! Write messages with a paintbrush dipped in lemon juice, then hold the paper over a heat source and watch the invisible become visible as oxidation goes to work.

Learn more: Invisible Ink

26. Create dancing popcorn

This is a fun version of the classic baking soda and vinegar experiment, perfect for the younger crowd. The bubbly mixture causes popcorn to dance around in the water.

27. Shoot a soda geyser sky-high

You’ve always wondered if this really works, so it’s time to find out for yourself! Kids will marvel at the chemical reaction that sends diet soda shooting high in the air when Mentos are added.

Learn more: Soda Explosion

28. Send a teabag flying

Hot air rises, and this experiment can prove it! You’ll want to supervise kids with fire, of course. For more safety, try this one outside.

Learn more: Flying Tea Bags

29. Create magic milk

This fun and easy science experiment demonstrates principles related to surface tension, molecular interactions, and fluid dynamics.

Learn more: Magic Milk Experiment

30. Watch the water rise

Learn about Charles’s Law with this simple experiment. As the candle burns, using up oxygen and heating the air in the glass, the water rises as if by magic.

Learn more: Rising Water

31. Learn about capillary action

Kids will be amazed as they watch the colored water move from glass to glass, and you’ll love the easy and inexpensive setup. Gather some water, paper towels, and food coloring to teach the scientific magic of capillary action.

Learn more: Capillary Action

32. Give a balloon a beard

Equally educational and fun, this experiment will teach kids about static electricity using everyday materials. Kids will undoubtedly get a kick out of creating beards on their balloon person!

Learn more: Static Electricity

33. Find your way with a DIY compass

Here’s an old classic that never fails to impress. Magnetize a needle, float it on the water’s surface, and it will always point north.

Learn more: DIY Compass

34. Crush a can using air pressure

Sure, it’s easy to crush a soda can with your bare hands, but what if you could do it without touching it at all? That’s the power of air pressure!

35. Tell time using the sun

While people use clocks or even phones to tell time today, there was a time when a sundial was the best means to do that. Kids will certainly get a kick out of creating their own sundials using everyday materials like cardboard and pencils.

Learn more: Make Your Own Sundial

36. Launch a balloon rocket

Grab balloons, string, straws, and tape, and launch rockets to learn about the laws of motion.

37. Make sparks with steel wool

All you need is steel wool and a 9-volt battery to perform this science demo that’s bound to make their eyes light up! Kids learn about chain reactions, chemical changes, and more.

Learn more: Steel Wool Electricity

38. Levitate a Ping-Pong ball

Kids will get a kick out of this experiment, which is really all about Bernoulli’s principle. You only need plastic bottles, bendy straws, and Ping-Pong balls to make the science magic happen.

39. Whip up a tornado in a bottle

There are plenty of versions of this classic experiment out there, but we love this one because it sparkles! Kids learn about a vortex and what it takes to create one.

Learn more: Tornado in a Bottle

40. Monitor air pressure with a DIY barometer

This simple but effective DIY science project teaches kids about air pressure and meteorology. They’ll have fun tracking and predicting the weather with their very own barometer.

Learn more: DIY Barometer

41. Peer through an ice magnifying glass

Students will certainly get a thrill out of seeing how an everyday object like a piece of ice can be used as a magnifying glass. Be sure to use purified or distilled water since tap water will have impurities in it that will cause distortion.

Learn more: Ice Magnifying Glass

42. String up some sticky ice

Can you lift an ice cube using just a piece of string? This quick experiment teaches you how. Use a little salt to melt the ice and then refreeze the ice with the string attached.

Learn more: Sticky Ice

43. “Flip” a drawing with water

Light refraction causes some really cool effects, and there are multiple easy science experiments you can do with it. This one uses refraction to “flip” a drawing; you can also try the famous “disappearing penny” trick .

Learn more: Light Refraction With Water

44. Color some flowers

We love how simple this project is to re-create since all you’ll need are some white carnations, food coloring, glasses, and water. The end result is just so beautiful!

45. Use glitter to fight germs

Everyone knows that glitter is just like germs—it gets everywhere and is so hard to get rid of! Use that to your advantage and show kids how soap fights glitter and germs.

Learn more: Glitter Germs

46. Re-create the water cycle in a bag

You can do so many easy science experiments with a simple zip-top bag. Fill one partway with water and set it on a sunny windowsill to see how the water evaporates up and eventually “rains” down.

Learn more: Water Cycle

47. Learn about plant transpiration

Your backyard is a terrific place for easy science experiments. Grab a plastic bag and rubber band to learn how plants get rid of excess water they don’t need, a process known as transpiration.

Learn more: Plant Transpiration

48. Clean up an oil spill

Before conducting this experiment, teach your students about engineers who solve environmental problems like oil spills. Then, have your students use provided materials to clean the oil spill from their oceans.

Learn more: Oil Spill

49. Construct a pair of model lungs

Kids get a better understanding of the respiratory system when they build model lungs using a plastic water bottle and some balloons. You can modify the experiment to demonstrate the effects of smoking too.

Learn more: Model Lungs

50. Experiment with limestone rocks

Kids  love to collect rocks, and there are plenty of easy science experiments you can do with them. In this one, pour vinegar over a rock to see if it bubbles. If it does, you’ve found limestone!

Learn more: Limestone Experiments

51. Turn a bottle into a rain gauge

All you need is a plastic bottle, a ruler, and a permanent marker to make your own rain gauge. Monitor your measurements and see how they stack up against meteorology reports in your area.

Learn more: DIY Rain Gauge

52. Build up towel mountains

This clever demonstration helps kids understand how some landforms are created. Use layers of towels to represent rock layers and boxes for continents. Then pu-u-u-sh and see what happens!

Learn more: Towel Mountains

53. Take a play dough core sample

Learn about the layers of the earth by building them out of Play-Doh, then take a core sample with a straw. ( Love Play-Doh? Get more learning ideas here. )

Learn more: Play Dough Core Sampling

54. Project the stars on your ceiling

Use the video lesson in the link below to learn why stars are only visible at night. Then create a DIY star projector to explore the concept hands-on.

Learn more: DIY Star Projector

55. Make it rain

Use shaving cream and food coloring to simulate clouds and rain. This is an easy science experiment little ones will beg to do over and over.

Learn more: Shaving Cream Rain

56. Blow up your fingerprint

This is such a cool (and easy!) way to look at fingerprint patterns. Inflate a balloon a bit, use some ink to put a fingerprint on it, then blow it up big to see your fingerprint in detail.

57. Snack on a DNA model

Twizzlers, gumdrops, and a few toothpicks are all you need to make this super-fun (and yummy!) DNA model.

Learn more: Edible DNA Model

58. Dissect a flower

Take a nature walk and find a flower or two. Then bring them home and take them apart to discover all the different parts of flowers.

59. Craft smartphone speakers

No Bluetooth speaker? No problem! Put together your own from paper cups and toilet paper tubes.

Learn more: Smartphone Speakers

60. Race a balloon-powered car

Kids will be amazed when they learn they can put together this awesome racer using cardboard and bottle-cap wheels. The balloon-powered “engine” is so much fun too.

Learn more: Balloon-Powered Car

61. Build a Ferris wheel

You’ve probably ridden on a Ferris wheel, but can you build one? Stock up on wood craft sticks and find out! Play around with different designs to see which one works best.

Learn more: Craft Stick Ferris Wheel

62. Design a phone stand

There are lots of ways to craft a DIY phone stand, which makes this a perfect creative-thinking STEM challenge.

63. Conduct an egg drop

Put all their engineering skills to the test with an egg drop! Challenge kids to build a container from stuff they find around the house that will protect an egg from a long fall (this is especially fun to do from upper-story windows).

Learn more: Egg Drop Challenge Ideas

64. Engineer a drinking-straw roller coaster

STEM challenges are always a hit with kids. We love this one, which only requires basic supplies like drinking straws.

Learn more: Straw Roller Coaster

65. Build a solar oven

Explore the power of the sun when you build your own solar ovens and use them to cook some yummy treats. This experiment takes a little more time and effort, but the results are always impressive. The link below has complete instructions.

Learn more: Solar Oven

66. Build a Da Vinci bridge

There are plenty of bridge-building experiments out there, but this one is unique. It’s inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s 500-year-old self-supporting wooden bridge. Learn how to build it at the link, and expand your learning by exploring more about Da Vinci himself.

Learn more: Da Vinci Bridge

67. Step through an index card

This is one easy science experiment that never fails to astonish. With carefully placed scissor cuts on an index card, you can make a loop large enough to fit a (small) human body through! Kids will be wowed as they learn about surface area.

68. Stand on a pile of paper cups

Combine physics and engineering and challenge kids to create a paper cup structure that can support their weight. This is a cool project for aspiring architects.

Learn more: Paper Cup Stack

69. Test out parachutes

Gather a variety of materials (try tissues, handkerchiefs, plastic bags, etc.) and see which ones make the best parachutes. You can also find out how they’re affected by windy days or find out which ones work in the rain.

Learn more: Parachute Drop

70. Recycle newspapers into an engineering challenge

It’s amazing how a stack of newspapers can spark such creative engineering. Challenge kids to build a tower, support a book, or even build a chair using only newspaper and tape!

Learn more: Newspaper STEM Challenge

71. Use rubber bands to sound out acoustics

Explore the ways that sound waves are affected by what’s around them using a simple rubber band “guitar.” (Kids absolutely love playing with these!)

Learn more: Rubber Band Guitar

72. Assemble a better umbrella

Challenge students to engineer the best possible umbrella from various household supplies. Encourage them to plan, draw blueprints, and test their creations using the scientific method.

Learn more: Umbrella STEM Challenge

Plus, sign up for our newsletters to get all the latest learning ideas straight to your inbox.

You Might Also Like

16 Red-Hot Volcano Science Experiments and Kits For Classrooms or Science Fairs

Kids will erupt with excitement! Continue Reading

Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved. 5335 Gate Parkway, Jacksonville, FL 32256

Get Your ALL ACCESS Shop Pass here →

Science Experiments For Middle Schoolers

Middle schoolers love science! These hands-on middle school science experiments can be completed in the classroom or at home, whether you’re exploring viscosity, density, liquids, solids, and more. Below you’ll find a great list of middle school science activities and experiments, including 7th grader science fair project ideas to get you started. 

What is Middle School Science?

Are you looking for cool science experiments for kids that also offers a valuable opportunity to learn basic chemistry, physics, and earth science concepts? With simple ingredients and basic materials, your middle school students will have a blast with these easy science experiments.

You’ll find that just about every science experiment on the list below uses supplies you can easily find around the house or classroom or are quick and easy to pick up at the supermarket.

Mason jars, empty plastic bottles, baking soda, salt, vinegar, zip-top bags, rubber bands, glue, hydrogen peroxide, food coloring (always fun but optional), and various other common ingredients make science accessible to everyone!

Explore chemical reactions to simple machines, surface tension, gravity, buoyancy, and more with various science experiments, demonstrations, and activities.

Printable Science and STEM Packs

For a comprehensive guide to all of our science and STEM projects , make sure to look at these guides to get started today.

Try These Science Experiments for Middle Schoolers

Grab a pen and make a list! Everything you need for educational and fun science is right here.

At the end of this huge list, you’ll find more science resource guides such as vocabulary words , book choices , and information on the science process !

Alka Seltzer Rocket

Get ready for some fun with this Alka Seltzer Rocket. Easy to set up and simple to do, it is chemistry in action!

Apple Browning Experiment

How do you keep apples from turning brown? Do all apples turn brown at the same rate? Answer these burning apple science questions with an apple oxidation experiment.

Archimedes Screw

Archimedes’ screw, is one of the earliest machines used for moving water from a lower area to a higher area. Make an Archimedes screw that uses cardboard and a water bottle to create a machine to move cereal!

Atoms are tiny but very important building blocks of everything in our world. What are the parts of an atom?

Balloon Experiment

Blow up a balloon using a baking soda and vinegar chemical reaction. Also try our soda balloon experiment .

Blubber Experiment

How do whales stay warm in very cold water? Test out how blubber works as an insulator with this fun science experiment.

Bottle Rocket

There’s nothing better than a baking soda and vinegar reaction when it comes to science experiments, and it is great for a variety of ages including middle schoolers.

Cabbage pH Indicator

Explore how re cabbage can be used to test liquids of varying acid levels. Depending on the pH of the liquid, the cabbage turns various shades of pink, purple, or green! It’s incredibly cool to watch, and kids love it!

Cells (Animals and Plants)

Learn about the unique structures that make up plant and animal cells with these two free, hands-on STEAM projects.

Candy Experiments

Take a sweet treat and apply science to it. There are a variety of ways you can experiment and explore candy for physics fun!

Crushed Can Experiment

Love exploding experiments? YES!! Well here’s another one the kids are sure to love except this one is an imploding or collapsing experiment! Learn about atmospheric pressure with this incredible can crusher experiment.

Dancing Corn

Can you make corn dance? Explore a simple chemical reaction, with the addition of corn kernels. Also try it with raisins or cranberries !

Dancing Sprinkles

Turn on your favorite tunes and make colorful sprinkles dance! Explore sound and vibrations when you try this fun   dancing sprinkles experiment.

DIY Compass

Learn what a compass is and how a compass works, as you make your own homemade compass. All you need are a few simple materials to get started.

DNA Extraction

Usually, you can’t see DNA except with a high-powered microscope. But with this strawberry DNA extraction experiment, you can get the DNA strands to release from their cells and bind together into a format that’s visible with the naked eye.

Egg Drop Challenge

Take the egg drop challenge as you investigate what makes for the best shock absorber for dropping an egg without it breaking on impact.

Egg In Vinegar Experiment

Can you make an egg bounce? Find out with this chemical reaction, of an egg in vinegar.

Elephant Toothpaste

Explore a foaming exothermic chemical reaction with hydrogen peroxide and yeast that looks like “Elephant toothpaste”!

Dry-Erase Marker Experiment

Create a dry-erase drawing and watch it float in water.

Floating Rice

Grab some rice and a bottle, and let’s find out what happens when you put a pencil in the mix! Do you think you can lift a bottle of rice with a pencil? Try this fun friction experiment and find out.

Green Pennies Experiment

Why is the Statue of Liberty green? It’s a beautiful patina, but how does it happen? Explore the science in your own kitchen or classroom by making green pennies.

Growing Crystals

There are several ways to explore super saturated solutions and grow crystals. Grow borax crystals , sugar crystals or check out how to grow salt crystals . All three chemistry experiments are cool for kids!

Heart Model

Use this heart model project for a hands-on approach to anatomy. You only need a few simple supplies and very little prep to make this fun heart pump model.

Invisible Ink

Write a message that no one else can see until the ink is revealed with your own invisible ink! Cool chemistry that’s perfect to do at home or in the classroom. Compare it with a different type of invisible ink with cranberry secret messages .

Lava Lamp Experiment

What happens when you drop alka seltzer tablets into oil and water? This type of experiment explores both physics and chemistry.

Liquid Density Experiment

This fun liquid density experiment explores how some liquids are heavier or denser than others.

Lemon Battery

What can you power with a lemon battery? Grab some lemons and a few other supplies, and find out how you can make lemons into lemon electricity! Also try this with potatoes !

Learn how our amazing lungs work, and even a bit of physics with this easy balloon lung model. 

The chemical reaction in this magic milk experiment is fun to watch and makes for great hands-on learning.

Melting Ice Experiment

What makes ice melt faster? Investigate with a fun ice melting experiment that kids are sure to enjoy. Plus, try an icy STEM challenge.

Mentos and Coke

Here’s another fizzing experiment kids are sure to love! All you need are Mentos and Coke. It’s not a chemical reaction taking place like you might think.

Milk and Vinegar

Transform a couple of common kitchen ingredients into a moldable, durable piece of a plastic-like substance. Make plastic milk with a chemical reaction.

Oil Spill Experiment

Apply science to the care and protection of the environment with this oil spill demonstration. Learn about an oil spill and investigate the best ways to clean it up.

Penny Boat Challenge

Design a simple tin foil boat, and see how many pennies it can hold before it sinks. How many pennies will it take to make your boat sink? Learn about simple physics while you test out your engineering skills.

Pepper and Soap Experiment

Sprinkle some pepper in water and make it dance across the surface. Explore surface tension of water when you try this pepper and soap experiment.

Pop Rocks and Soda

Pop rocks is a fun candy to eat, and now you can turn it into an easy Pop Rocks science experiment.

Potato Osmosis Lab

Explore what happens to potatoes when you put them in concentration salt water and then pure water.

Rising Water Experiment

Place a burning candle in water and watch what happens to the water. Explore the science of burning candles when you try this fun candle experiment.

Salad Dressing- Emulsification

You can mix oil and vinegar for the perfect salad dressing! It’s called emulsification. Simple science you can set up with ingredients found in your kitchen cupboards.

Saltwater Density Experiment

Investigate whether an egg will sink or float in salt water.

Skittles Experiment

Explore what happens to skittles candy in water and why the colors don’t mix.

Screaming Balloon

This screaming balloon experiment is an awesome   physics activity! Explore centripetal force or how objects travel a circular path with a few simple supplies.

Grab the glue and make a classic chemistry demonstration. Slime is all about science and a must try at least one. If you want a 2 for1, our magnetic slime is just about the coolest thing you’ll ever play with… it’s alive (well, not really)!

Stormwater Runoff

What happens to rain or melting snow when it can’t go into the ground? Set up an easy stormwater runoff model with your kids to explore what happens.

Surface Tension Experiments

Learn what the surface tension of water is and check out these cool surface tension experiments to try at home or in the classroom.

Walking Water

Watch the water travel as it makes a rainbow of color! How does it do that?

Free Printable Science Fair Project Pack

Looking to plan a science fair project, make a science fair board or want an easy guide to set up your own science experiments? Go ahead and grab this free printable science fair project pack to get started!

Helpful Science Resources

Here are a few resources that will help you introduce science more effectively to your students and feel confident yourself when presenting materials. You’ll find helpful free printables throughout.

• Best Science Practices (as it relates to the scientific method)
• Science Vocabulary
• All About Scientists
• Free Science Worksheets
• DIY Science Kits
• Science Tools for Kids
• Scientific Method for Kids
• Citizen Science Guide
• Join us in the Club

Bonus STEM Projects

STEM activities include science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. As well as our kid’s science experiments, we have lots of fun STEM activities for you to try. Check out these STEM ideas below…

• Building Activities
• Engineering Projects For Kids
• LEGO Engineering Projects
• What Is Engineering For Kids?
• Coding Activities For Kids
• STEM Worksheets
• Top 10 STEM Challenges For Kids

Printable STEM Activities Pack

80+ Doable Engineering Projects in one convenient pack!

• Full instructions with sample images
• Activity-specific instruction sheets
• Data Collection Sheets
• Questions for Reflection
• Architecture Building Cards: Try the tallest tower challenge
• Bridge Building Cards: Explore different types of bridges to build your own.
• Paper Chain STEM Challenge: Who can make the longest chain? Great icebreaker or quick challenge!
• 3 Little Pigs Architectural Pack: Design a house that won’t blow away!
• Great marshmallow challenge: A classic challenge kids love!
• Real-world STEM challenge lesson but don’t know where to start? Our easy-to-follow template shows the steps!
• What’s the difference between a scientist and an engineer?
• Crossword and word search with engineering vocabulary.
• Engineering vocabulary cards
• Design a one-of-a-kind invention and write about it with this 5-page activity!

Subscribe to receive a free 5-Day STEM Challenge Guide

~ projects to try now ~.

• Sign in / Register
• Administration
• My Bookmarks
• My Contributions
• Activity Review
• Edit profile

The PhET website does not support your browser. We recommend using the latest version of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge.

Cool Physics Experiments to Do at Home

Cool Physics experiments will not only fascinate and amaze your kids but will teach them about important scientific principles.

Some coolest physics experiments include Newton’s cradle, the simple Bernoulli experiment, the balloon rocket experiment, and the density tower experiment. Learn about atmospheric pressure with the egg in the bottle and the rising water experiments.

In this blog post, I will share the details of these and more cool physics experiments that are perfect for young kids and teenagers. These experiments are not only educational but also fun. I hope you enjoy them.

Table of Contents

7 Cool Physics Experiments to Do at Home

Here are the 7 most fun Physics experiments you can do at home.

1. Newton’s Cradle Experiment

Newton’s cradle experiment demonstrates the conservation of momentum and energy.

How to do it

You will need the following items:

• A set of Newton’s Cradle balls (or any type of metal balls that are identical in size and weight)
• A table or other flat surface
• Strings that are the same length

Attach one end of each string to a different ball. Suspend the balls from a frame so that they are touching each other. You can easily achieve this by making sure the strings are the same length and attaching them to a board at the same height.

Pull back one ball and release it so that it hits the middle ball. The released ball will swing up and hit the ball at the opposite end. That ball will then swing up and hit the ball next to it and so on. The last ball will swing up and hit the first ball, starting the process all over again.

The results explained

What is happening is that the balls are colliding in such a way that the momentum of each ball is conserved. In other words, the combined momentum of all the balls before the collision is equal to the combined momentum of all the balls after the collision.

The energy is also conserved in this experiment. The energy is converted from kinetic energy (the energy of motion) to potential energy (the energy stored in the balls as they are raised up) and back to kinetic energy again.

This is a simple but elegant demonstration of some very important scientific principles. Try it yourself and see.

2. The Simple Bernoulli Experiment

The Bernoulli principle is one of the most important principles of fluid dynamics. It explains how wings generate lift and how airfoils work. When the speed of a fluid increases, the pressure decreases. This principle is what makes flight possible.

Here’s how to do it

• A piece of paper
• A pair of scissors

Cut a rectangular piece of paper that is about twice as wide as the straw. Fold the paper in half lengthwise and tape it together.

Cut a slit in the center of the paper, being careful not to cut all the way through. Insert the straw into the slit and tape it in place. Now blow gently across the top of the paper. What happens?

When you blow across the top of the paper, the airspeed above the paper increases. An increase in airspeed means a decrease in pressure. The decrease in pressure on the top of the paper is greater than the increase in pressure on the bottom of the paper. This creates a force that lifts the paper up into the air.

This is how airplanes generate lift. The wings are shaped so that the air travels faster over the top of the wing than the bottom. This decreases the pressure on the top of the wing and creates lift.

Try this experiment with different shapes of paper and see how it affects the results.

3. The Egg in the Bottle Experiment

This experiment demonstrates how atmospheric pressure and temperature can affect the shape of an object.

• A hard-boiled egg
• A glass bottle with a narrow neck

Remove the shell from the hard-boiled egg. Place it in the mouth of the glass bottle. The mouth should be just smaller than the egg in diameter so the egg doesn’t fall through.

Roll the piece of paper into a cone shape and hold it over the neck of the bottle. Light the paper on fire, remove the egg and drop the burning paper into the bottle. Quickly place the egg back in the mouth of the bottle. What happens?

The fire goes out almost immediately because the oxygen in the bottle is quickly used up. After some time, the egg drops into the bottle.

Before we placed the burning paper into the bottle, the atmospheric pressure inside the bottle was the same as the atmospheric pressure outside. So there was no pressure pushing the egg into the bottle.

When we placed the burning paper in the bottle, it heated up the air inside the bottle. The air inside the bottle expanded. When we sealed the bottle with the egg, the fire went out and the air inside the bottle contracted. This created a vacuum.

The atmospheric pressure outside the bottle became greater than the atmospheric pressure inside the bottle, so the egg was forced into the bottle.

4. The Balloon Rocket Experiment

The Balloon Rocket is a classic physics experiment that demonstrates Newton’s Third Law of Motion: for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. In simple terms, it is all about thrust.

• Two chairs or a table
• A plastic clip or peg

Place two chairs a few feet apart or use a table. Cut a length of string and tie one end to the back of one chair. Thread the other end through the straw and tie it to the back of the other chair. The string should be taut but not too tight.

Cut two small pieces of tape and affix them on the top part of the straw, about an inch apart. These will be used to hold the balloon in place.

Blow up the balloon, twist the neck, and use the peg to make sure the air doesn’t escape. Now attach the balloon to the straw using the two pieces of tape.

Remove the peg and release the balloon and watch it fly!

Once you remove the peg and release the balloon, the air will rush out of the balloon in one direction with great force. The straw will be forced in the opposite direction with an equal force. This is because of Newton’s Third Law of Motion. The faster the air rushes out of the balloon, the greater the force will be.

5. The Candle in the Jar Experiment

This experiment is a great way to learn about the relationship between air and combustion.

• A glass jar
• A wooden board or a ceramic plate
• A lighter or matches

Light the candle and place it on a wooden board or ceramic plate. Quickly put the glass jar upside down on top of the candle. After some time, the flame will go out.

The flame will keep burning for some time before it eventually goes out. Combustion requires oxygen. When you put the jar on top of the candle, you create a sealed environment. The oxygen inside the jar is quickly used up and the flame goes out.

If you want to see the flame burning for longer, try using a bigger jar. The bigger jar will trap more oxygen than the smaller jar and the flame will burn for a longer period of time.

6. Density Tower Experiment

This is another fun Physics experiment that you can do at home. It’s a great way to learn about density and how some liquids are heavier or denser than others.

• A clear plastic bottle with a screw-on lid
• Vegetable oil
• Food coloring
• Turkey baster
• You may also need other liquids such as rubbing alcohol, milk, dish soap, etc.

Mix some drops of food coloring into your water and mix well. Add equal parts of all the liquids into the bottle. Start with one liquid before going to the next. Each time you add a liquid, make sure it doesn’t touch the sides of the bottle.

You can start by ranking all the liquids based on how dense you think they are and then add them starting with the densest. After adding all the liquids, close the bottle and let it sit for some time.

The liquids will form layers based on their density. The densest liquid will be at the bottom and the lightest liquid will be at the top. This experiment tells us that some liquids are heavier than others.

The lighter liquid will float on top of the denser liquid because it is less dense.

7. Rising Water Experiment

The rising water experiment is a great way to learn about air pressure, heat, expansion, and contraction.

• A votive candle
• A clear glass jar
• A shallow dish
• Lighter or Matches
• Food coloring (Optional)

Pour some water into a shallow dish. You will only need just enough to cover the bottom part of the dish. You can add food coloring to the water for better visibility. Place the votive candle in the center of the jar and light it using a lighter or matches.

Immediately you light the candle, place the clear glass jar upside down on top of the shallow dish. Observe what happens to the water inside the jar.

When you light the candle, the heat from the flame will start to heat up the air inside the jar. The air inside the jar expands, but soon, the oxygen inside is depleted and the candle goes out.

The heated air inside the jar starts to cool and contracts. As the air inside the jar cools, it creates a vacuum. The atmospheric pressure outside is greater than the pressure inside the jar and this causes water to be forced up the jar.

Why Physics Experiments Are Great for Kids

Here’s why you might want to start helping your kids perform fun Physics experiments at home:

They Foster Curiosity

Kids are fascinated by the world around them, and there is no better way to foster that curiosity than through hands-on learning. Physics experiments are a great way to introduce your kids to the basic concepts of science while also providing them with some fun and engaging activities.

Physics Experiments Encourage Observation and Exploration

You will appreciate the value of good observation skills when your kids are constantly asking you how things work. Physics experiments provide a perfect opportunity for kids to practice their observational skills while also exploring the world around them.

They Help Kids Develop Problem-Solving Skills

Nothing is more satisfying than watching your child figure out how to solve a problem on their own. Physics experiments can help kids develop their problem-solving skills as they learn how to apply the concepts they are observing.

Physics Experiments Are a Great Opportunity for Family Bonding

There is no better way to spend some quality time with your kids than by helping them with their physics experiments. Not only will you get to bond with your kids, but you will also get to share in their excitement as they learn about the world around them.

Evaluation and Critical Thinking

Another great benefit of physics experiments is that they help kids develop their evaluation and critical thinking skills. As your kids experiment, they will learn how to identify the variables that are affecting their results. This will help them develop their ability to think critically about the world around them.

So, what are you waiting for? Get started on some cool physics experiments with your kids today. The ones listed here are among the most fun that you can do at home. Not only are they fun, but they’re also a great way to learn about the world around us.

Do you have any other cool Physics experiments that you like to do at home? Share them with us in the comments below.

Recent Posts

10 Creative Indoor Camping Ideas and Adventures Your Kids Will Adore

There's something magical about camping under the open sky, roasting marshmallows over a crackling campfire, and singing campfire songs. But what do you do when the weather doesn't cooperate, or you...

8 Proven Sleep Strategies for Enhanced School Success

Is your child struggling to perform well in school? The answer may lie in how much sleep they're getting. Establishing a consistent sleep schedule and adopting good sleep habits can significantly...

10 Simple Physics Experiments With Everyday Materials

Published on may 17, 2017 at 9:00 am by nenad trencevski in lists , news.

There are people who can do truly amazing and fascinating experiments, and luckily for you, we created a list of 10 simple physics experiments with everyday materials to learn and impress your friends.

Not only small children, but many adults are excited and intrigued to see some kind of an experiment especially physical experiment. Today, just like a long time ago, there are people who understand and people who don’t understand the laws of physics and how they actually work. This is the main reason why people are so impressed with them and often ask “How did you do that?!”

David Pereiras/Shutterstock.com

It is interesting to try all kinds of different experiments at home to entertain yourself and your friends as well. However, despite that you can use a physical experiment to impress someone special or if you have children teaching them physical experiments and how the physics works could have a positive impact on them. For example, maybe they will get into the physics world so much they would want to explore it even more.

If you are a professor, on the other hand, you can also show these experiments to your students in a very simple but fun and interesting way. They will get the physical laws quicker and will remember them probably for the rest of their lives. Some of them will even remember how their professor passed his knowledge about physics to them and they will do the same for their children. If you are into physics, you can also check our list of 10 Winning Science Fair Projects For High School.

Keep in mind that when it comes to experimenting and playing with physics, safety comes first. Most of these simple physics experiments with everyday materials are completely safe, however, some of them are requiring an adult supervision. Don’t underestimate the power of physics and always put safety as the first step of the experiment.

In order to create our list of 10 simple physics experiments with everyday materials, we used Informit , a YouTube Video , and Little Shop of Physics as our sources to see what are the simple experiments you can do at home. The list is sorted by the number of mentions and the rankings provided by our sources. Keep in mind that sometimes  you can use different materials and achieve the same result!

Now without further ado, let’s jump to our list and try to make these simple physic experiments.

Slideshow List XFinance Straw Flute experiment fun physics experiments The Submarine experiment cool physics experiments Imploding Can experiment Bernoulli Ball experiment Two Ball Bounce experiment simple physics experiments Root Beer Float experiment Invisible Glass experiment Cartesian Diver experiment Making Water Detour experiment physics experiments to do at home Building Better Bubbles experiment science experiments for middle school cool science experiments to do at home amazing science experiments for high school 10 winning science fair projects for high school amazing science experiments with everyday materials 10 Simple Physics Experiments With Everyday Materials Show more... Show less