Science projects
Your Science Exhibition Guide
Choose a project, build it, present it and answer the judges with confidence
Science project idea finder
1029 science project ideas, from class 1 to college.
Find a project by class, subject and type. Every idea explains the science it shows, what you need, how long it takes and how to stay safe, with free ebooks and ready-made kits if you need them. 930 ideas have numbered steps and viva questions on their own page.
Want a complete build with diagrams? 16 free detailed project guides
- Class 1 to 5Simple, safe models made with help at home.224 ideas
- Class 6 to 8Working models of the science you learn in class.485 ideas
- Class 9 and 10Energy, electricity, light and first robots.467 ideas
- Class 11 and 12Investigatory projects for the practical exam.332 ideas
- College and diplomaArduino, IoT and sensor projects.119 ideas
Idea finder
Find your project
Choose your class and what interests you, or search for a word such as magnet, solar, heart or robot. Open any card for a summary, or its title for the full page with the science, the steps and the viva questions.
ChemistryEasy
Chromatography of the colours in candy coatings
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
The coloured coating on candies such as Gems is often a mixture of several food dyes. Water climbing up filter paper carries the dyes at different speeds, so a single dot of colour spreads into separate bands and shows what the mixture contains.
You will need
- One packet of coloured sugar-coated candies
- Coffee filter paper or white blotting paper cut into 2 cm by 10 cm strips
- A glass with 1 cm of water
- A pencil and a clip or tape
- A dropper or a toothpick
- A white plate
Safety: Do not eat candies that have been handled on the plate; use a fresh one if you want to eat.
Take it further: Try the same test with salt water instead of plain water and see whether the bands move differently.
ChemistryEasy
Ice melting race: salt, sugar, sand or nothing?
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
Sprinkling salt on ice makes it melt faster than plain ice, sugar helps a little, and sand hardly at all. Dissolved substances lower the temperature at which water freezes, so salted ice melts even when the room is cold.
You will need
- Four ice cubes of the same size
- Four saucers
- A teaspoon each of salt, sugar and sand
- A timer
- A ruler or a syringe (no needle) to measure melt water
- Notebook
Safety: Ice is slippery; wipe up drips so nobody slips. Do not eat the salted ice.
Take it further: Make a cold bath of ice and salt in a bowl and see how quickly it freezes a small packet of juice.
ChemistryEasy
Three states of water in a bag taped to a sunny window
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
A zip bag with a little water and an ice cube, taped to a sunny window, shows all three states of water: the ice melts, the water evaporates, and the vapour condenses into drops on the cool upper part of the bag that run back down like rain.
You will need
- A clear zip-lock bag
- A quarter cup of water
- One ice cube
- A drop of blue food colour, optional
- Tape
- A marker to draw a sun, cloud and sea on the bag
Safety: Close the bag fully so it does not leak; keep food colour away from clothes.
Take it further: Tape a second bag to a shaded window and compare how long the ice takes to melt and how many drops form.
ChemistryEasy
Lava bottle with oil, water and a fizzing tablet
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
Oil floats on water because it is less dense, and the two do not mix. A piece of fizzing antacid tablet (ENO or similar) dropped in makes carbon dioxide bubbles that lift blobs of coloured water up through the oil and let them fall again, like a lava lamp.
You will need
- A clear plastic bottle
- Cooking oil to fill three quarters of the bottle
- Water to fill the rest
- A few drops of food colour
- An effervescent antacid tablet or a spoon of ENO fruit salt, broken into pieces
- A torch to shine through, optional
Safety: Do the activity on a tray, and do not drink from the bottle afterwards. Keep the tablet pieces away from small children who might swallow them.
Take it further: Add a spoon of salt instead of the tablet and explain why the blobs rise and fall differently.
ChemistryEasy
Floating egg: how many spoons of salt does it take?
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
A fresh egg sinks in plain water but floats once enough salt is dissolved, because dissolving salt makes the water denser than the egg. Counting the spoons needed turns a trick into a measurement of density.
You will need
- One fresh egg
- A tall transparent glass or jar
- 2 cups of water
- Table salt, about 10 teaspoons
- A teaspoon and a stirrer
- Sugar for a second test, optional
- Notebook
Safety: Handle the egg gently and wash hands after touching it. Do not drink the salty water.
Take it further: Test an old egg and a fresh egg in plain water; an old egg floats because air has collected inside it.
ChemistryEasy
Which coating stops a nail from rusting?
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
Iron rusts when both water and air reach it. Coating a nail with oil, paint, nail polish, wax or petroleum jelly keeps them away. Comparing coated nails with a bare one over ten days shows which coating protects best and why painted gates and oiled tools last longer.
You will need
- Six plain iron nails (not galvanised)
- Cooking oil, nail polish, candle wax (adult melts), petroleum jelly and a little poster paint
- Six small glasses or cut bottle bottoms
- Tap water
- Labels and a marker
- A magnifier
Safety: An adult must melt and handle the wax, and nail polish must be used in a ventilated room away from flames. Nails are sharp; carry them point down.
Take it further: Scratch the paint on one coated nail and watch whether rust spreads under the coating from the scratch.
ChemistryEasy
Cleaning copper coins with vinegar, then growing green patina
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
Dull old copper or brass coins shine again in a dip of vinegar and salt, because the acid dissolves the dark copper oxide layer. If the coins are then left wet with vinegar in the air, a blue green coating forms, the same patina seen on old temple bells and statues.
You will need
- Five dull copper or brass coins or copper pieces (old one-paisa coins, copper wire scraps)
- Quarter cup of vinegar
- One teaspoon of salt
- A small bowl and a saucer
- Paper towels
- Lemon juice and plain water for comparison
Safety: Vinegar can sting cuts and eyes; wash hands after handling and keep the coins away from the mouth. Do this on a tray; the blue green crust is not to be touched by small children.
Take it further: Put a clean iron nail into the used blue vinegar for an hour and look for a copper coating forming on it.
ChemistryMedium
Milk plastic buttons made with vinegar (casein)
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
Adding vinegar to hot milk makes the milk protein casein clump into curds. Pressed and dried, the curds set into a hard, mouldable plastic. Buttons and ornaments were made this way before petroleum plastics existed.
You will need
- 1 cup full-cream milk
- 4 teaspoons vinegar
- A saucepan and a stove (adult only)
- A sieve or clean cloth
- Paper towels
- Cookie cutters or bottle caps as moulds
- Food colour, optional
Safety: An adult must heat the milk and do the pouring; the child works with the curds only after they are cool. Do not boil the milk over, and do not eat the plastic.
Take it further: Make one batch from toned milk and one from full-cream milk, and compare the amount of plastic each gives.
ChemistryEasy
Cleaning muddy water by settling, decanting and filtering
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
Muddy monsoon water can be made clear in stages: heavy soil settles, the clearer water is poured off, and a home-made sand and cloth filter removes the fine particles. The water looks clean but is still not safe to drink, which the project explains.
You will need
- A bottle of muddy water made from garden soil
- Two clear jars
- A plastic bottle cut in half as a funnel (adult cuts)
- Clean cotton cloth, coarse sand, small pebbles and a few spoons of charcoal pieces
- A spoon
- White paper to judge clarity
Safety: An adult must cut the bottle. Never drink the filtered water; filtering removes particles, not germs.
Take it further: Add a pinch of alum (fitkari) to a jar of muddy water, stir, and compare how much faster the mud settles.
ChemistryEasy
Evaporation race: water, hand sanitiser and oil on a plate
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
Equal drops of water, alcohol-based hand sanitiser and cooking oil evaporate at very different speeds: the sanitiser disappears in minutes, water in about an hour, and oil hardly at all. The difference shows how strongly each liquid’s molecules hold on to each other.
You will need
- A steel or glass plate
- A dropper or syringe (no needle)
- Water, alcohol-based hand sanitiser and cooking oil
- A marker that writes on the plate or three sticky labels
- A timer
- A small fan or a hand fan, optional
Safety: An adult must supervise the sanitiser, which is flammable: keep it well away from the kitchen stove and any flame, and do not touch eyes. Use only a few drops.
Take it further: Measure the mass of a cup of water each day for a week to work out how much evaporates per day in your room.
ChemistryEasy
Fizzing sherbet powder from citric acid and baking soda
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
Dry citric acid and baking soda do nothing together, but the moment they get wet, on the tongue or in water, they react and release carbon dioxide bubbles. The project shows that many reactions need water to start, and lets you find the mix that fizzes most.
You will need
- Food-grade citric acid (nimbu phool), 2 teaspoons
- Baking soda, 2 teaspoons
- Icing sugar or powdered sugar, 4 teaspoons
- A dry bowl, dry spoon and small dry paper packets
- A glass of water
- A balance or measuring spoons
Safety: Use only food-grade citric acid from a grocery store. Taste only a pinch at a time; too much is sour and upsets the stomach. Keep the mixture completely dry until it is used.
Take it further: Weigh a glass of water before and after dropping in a spoon of mix, and work out how much gas escaped.
ChemistryEasy
Naked bouncy egg: vinegar dissolves the shell
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
An eggshell is calcium carbonate, which reacts with the acid in vinegar and fizzes away as carbon dioxide, leaving the egg held only by its soft membrane. The rubbery egg also swells, showing that water passes into it through the membrane.
You will need
- One raw egg
- A glass jar with a lid
- Enough vinegar to cover the egg, about 1 cup
- A spoon
- A ruler and a kitchen balance, optional
- Golden syrup or strong sugar solution for the extension
Safety: The egg is raw, so wash hands after touching it and keep it off food surfaces. Bounce the finished egg only from a few centimetres over a tray; it bursts if dropped from higher.
Take it further: Put the naked egg in strong sugar syrup for a day and watch it shrink as water moves out again.
ChemistryMedium
Baking soda, baking powder or neither: which cupcake rises?
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
Cakes rise because gas bubbles form in the batter. Baking powder contains both an acid and a base and makes gas on its own when wet and heated; baking soda alone needs an acid like curd or lemon in the batter. Baking four small cakes with different raising agents shows which rise and why.
You will need
- Four steel cups or a muffin tray
- Flour (maida), sugar, cooking oil and milk for a simple batter
- Baking soda and baking powder
- Curd or lemon juice
- An oven, microwave with convection, or a pressure cooker used as an oven (adult only)
- A ruler
- Labels
Safety: An adult must handle the oven or cooker and the hot cups. Keep hands away from the hot tray and let the cakes cool before measuring.
Take it further: Try doubling the baking powder in one cup and see whether more is always better, or whether the cake collapses.
ChemistryMedium
Home-made bath bombs: fizz time in warm and cold water
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
A bath bomb is a pressed mix of baking soda and citric acid held together by a little oil. Dropped in water it fizzes as carbon dioxide forms. Timing identical bombs in cold and warm water shows that the same reaction runs faster when the water is warmer.
You will need
- Baking soda, 4 tablespoons
- Food-grade citric acid, 2 tablespoons
- Coconut oil, 1 teaspoon, slightly softened
- Food colour and a drop of perfume, optional
- Bottle caps or a small spoon as moulds
- Two bowls of water, one cold and one warm (adult pours warm)
- A timer
Safety: An adult must pour the warm water. Keep citric acid out of the eyes, wash hands after mixing, and do not eat the mixture.
Take it further: Make bombs with twice the citric acid and see whether they fizz longer or just leave acid behind.
ChemistryEasy
Chalk and marble chips in vinegar: a model of acid rain damage
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
Chalk and marble are both calcium carbonate, which acid rain slowly eats away on old buildings such as the Taj Mahal. Pieces in vinegar fizz and lose mass, while pieces in plain water stay unchanged, so the loss can be measured and compared.
You will need
- Four pieces of blackboard chalk and four small marble chips or pieces of a broken marble tile
- Vinegar, 1 cup
- Plain water, 1 cup
- Four small glasses
- A kitchen balance that reads grams, or a ruler
- Labels
Safety: Vinegar stings eyes and cuts; wash hands after handling. Marble edges can be sharp; an adult should break any tile pieces.
Take it further: Coat one marble chip with candle wax before soaking and see whether a coating can protect stone.
ChemistryEasy
Testing kitchen foods for starch with diluted iodine
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
A drop of diluted tincture of iodine turns blue black on anything that contains starch, such as potato, rice and bread, and stays brown on foods without starch, such as cheese or oil. It is a quick chemical test that sorts foods and can expose starch added to milk or spices.
You will need
- Tincture of iodine from a first-aid box, 10 drops in 2 spoons of water (adult dilutes)
- A dropper
- Small pieces of potato, rice, bread, banana, apple, paneer, boiled egg white and a spoon of oil
- A white plate
- Paper and pencil for the results table
Safety: An adult must dilute and handle the iodine; it stains skin and clothes and must never be swallowed or put near eyes. Throw away all tested food.
Take it further: Chew a piece of bread for a minute, then test it; saliva begins turning starch into sugar and the colour is weaker.
ChemistryEasy
Frost on a tin can using only ice and salt
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
Crushed ice mixed with salt gets colder than ice alone, below the freezing point of water. The outside of a tin filled with the mix becomes so cold that water vapour from the air freezes on it as a white frost, which never happens with plain ice.
You will need
- Two clean, dry steel or aluminium tins (cold drink cans or food tins, edges smoothed by an adult)
- Crushed ice, about 2 cups
- Table salt, 4 to 6 tablespoons
- A spoon
- A thermometer that reads below zero, optional
- A tray to catch drips
Safety: An adult must smooth any sharp tin edges. Do not hold the salted tin for long; it can get cold enough to hurt skin. Do not eat the salty ice.
Take it further: Put a small sealed packet of fruit juice into the salted ice and time how long it takes to freeze solid.
ChemistryEasy
Does dissolved sugar still weigh the same?
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
When sugar disappears into water, its mass does not disappear: the sugar water weighs exactly as much as the sugar and the water did separately. Weighing before and after shows that dissolving spreads the sugar out but destroys nothing.
You will need
- A kitchen balance that reads grams
- A glass of water
- Sugar, about 20 g
- A small dry cup for the sugar
- A spoon
- Salt for a repeat test
Safety: No hazards beyond a glass that could break; use a plastic cup if a young child is doing it.
Take it further: Weigh a glass of water with a fizzing tablet beside it, drop the tablet in, and explain why the mass goes down this time.
ChemistryEasy
Yeast and sugar balloon: which sweetener makes most gas?
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
Yeast feeds on sugar and releases carbon dioxide gas, which inflates a balloon over the bottle. Comparing plain sugar, jaggery, honey and an artificial sweetener shows which foods the yeast can actually turn into gas, the same reaction that makes bread rise.
You will need
- Dry yeast, 4 teaspoons (from a bakery or grocery)
- Four small bottles and four balloons
- Warm water, 2 cups (adult pours)
- A teaspoon each of sugar, grated jaggery, honey and a sugar-free sweetener
- A string and ruler to measure the balloons
- A timer
Safety: An adult must pour the warm water; it should be only as warm as bath water or the yeast dies. Do not seal the bottles with caps, use balloons only.
Take it further: Keep the sugar fixed and run three bottles in cold, warm and hot water to find the temperature yeast likes best.
ChemistryMedium
Comparing water hardness of local samples by soap drop count
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
Hard water contains dissolved calcium and magnesium salts that react with soap to form scum before any lather can form. Counting the drops of a standard soap solution needed to get a lasting lather ranks tap, borewell, RO, rain and bottled water from softest to hardest.
You will need
- A plain bathing soap, 2 g, grated
- Distilled or RO water, 200 ml, for the soap solution
- Five water samples of 10 ml each: tap, borewell or hand pump, RO or bottled, rainwater, and distilled water as a control
- Five identical small bottles with caps or test tubes with stoppers
- A dropper or a 1 ml syringe without needle
- A measuring cylinder or a 10 ml syringe
- A notebook and labels
Safety: Nothing hazardous, but samples from ponds or drains must not be used; an adult must collect borewell water. Wash hands after handling samples.
Take it further: Boil a portion of the hardest sample, cool it and retest; the drop count falls if its hardness was mostly temporary.
ChemistryMedium
Does boiling soften water? Temporary against permanent hardness
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
Temporary hardness, caused by calcium and magnesium bicarbonates, is removed by boiling, which deposits them as carbonate scale. Permanent hardness from sulphates and chlorides is not. Testing a sample before and after boiling, and after adding washing soda, shows which kind of hardness it has.
You will need
- Borewell or hard tap water, 200 ml
- A saucepan and stove or a lab beaker and burner (adult or teacher only)
- Standard soap solution (2 g soap in 200 ml distilled water)
- Washing soda (sodium carbonate), a quarter teaspoon
- Three small bottles with caps
- A dropper and a 10 ml syringe
- A clean steel spoon to inspect for scale
Safety: An adult or teacher must do the boiling and handle the hot pan. Let the boiled water cool fully before testing. Washing soda is mildly caustic to eyes; wash hands.
Take it further: Scrape the scale from the pan, add a drop of vinegar and watch it fizz, confirming it is a carbonate.
ChemistryEasy
Testing milk for added water, starch and detergent
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
Three quick tests catch the commonest milk adulterants: a drop on a tilted plate flows slowly for pure milk but runs fast if watered, iodine turns blue if starch was added to thicken it, and shaking with water gives a thick lather if detergent was mixed in. The project compares packet, dairy and loose milk.
You will need
- Three milk samples of 50 ml each from different sources
- A smooth steel plate or glass slide
- Tincture of iodine diluted ten times (adult prepares)
- A dropper
- Three small bottles with caps
- Cornflour and a drop of liquid detergent to make known adulterated controls
- Labels and a notebook
Safety: An adult must dilute the iodine, which stains and must not be swallowed. Do not drink any sample used in the tests, and especially not the controls.
Take it further: Measure the density of each sample with a lactometer or by weighing 50 ml, since watered milk is less dense.
ChemistryEasy
Is the honey pure? Kitchen tests against sugar syrup
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
Pure honey is a very concentrated sugar solution with little free water, so it behaves differently from honey diluted with sugar syrup: it sinks as a lump in water instead of spreading, is not soaked into blotting paper, and forms a thread between the fingers. Running the tests on branded, local and home-made syrup samples shows what each test can and cannot tell.
You will need
- Three honey samples of 2 spoons each from different sources
- A sugar syrup made by dissolving 7 spoons of sugar in 3 spoons of warm water (adult pours warm water)
- Four glasses of water
- Blotting paper or a tissue
- A spoon and a dropper
- A kitchen balance, optional
- Labels
Safety: An adult must handle warm water for the syrup. Do not taste samples that have been on blotting paper or in glasses.
Take it further: Keep a spoon of each sample open for a week and compare how much each one crystallises; real honey often does.
ChemistryEasy
Rate of reaction and surface area: whole, halved and crushed tablets
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
An effervescent tablet fizzes in water as its citric acid and bicarbonate react. The same tablet crushed to powder finishes in a fraction of the time, because the reaction happens only at the solid surface and powder has far more surface. Timing whole, halved, quartered and powdered tablets gives a clean rate curve.
You will need
- Twelve effervescent tablets (vitamin C or antacid type) or ENO sachets
- Four identical glasses
- Water at room temperature, measured 100 ml per glass
- A stopwatch
- A spoon and a clean sheet of paper for crushing
- A balance if available
- Notebook
Safety: Do not swallow the tablets or the fizzing water during the test. Crush tablets inside folded paper so powder does not fly into eyes.
Take it further: Repeat the powder test in cold, room-temperature and warm water to separate the effect of temperature from surface area.
Before you start
How to choose a good project
Six things to think about before you decide. A project you understand and finish well beats a big one you rush.
Start with a question
Good projects answer a question you are curious about: why does iron rust, which fabric keeps tea hottest, how does a robot follow a line? A question gives your project a purpose.
Check what is asked
Find out whether your teacher wants a working model, a still model or an investigatory project, the size limits, the topic or theme, the date, and whether ready-made models are allowed.
Match your time and class
Each idea here shows a class band, a difficulty and a rough time. Choose something you can finish properly with time to test it, rather than something huge you have to rush.
Pick science you can explain
Judges and examiners ask how it works. Choose an idea whose science you understand, or can learn from your textbook and the free ebooks, and practise explaining it.
List materials and costs
Write down everything you need before you start. Many models use things from home; motors, LEDs, sensors and boards are easy to buy as spare parts or in a kit.
Make it your own
Change one thing and measure what happens, add a chart of your readings, or show a real-life use. Even a well-known model becomes yours when you add your own observations.
Plan your time
A four-week project timeline
Work backwards from the date of your exhibition or submission. Short of time? Do the same steps faster, but never skip testing.
- 4 weeks before
Choose and get it approved
- Shortlist two or three ideas
- Write your aim or question in one sentence
- Show your teacher and agree the idea
- 3 weeks before
Read and collect materials
- Read the science in your textbook and a free ebook
- Sketch the design with measurements
- Collect or buy the materials and spare parts
- 2 weeks before
Build and test
- Build one part at a time and test each part
- For an investigation, repeat each reading at least three times
- Write every observation in a notebook with the date
- 1 week before
Write the report and chart
- Aim, materials, method, observations, result and conclusion
- A neat table or graph of your readings
- A chart or poster with a labelled diagram
- Last 2 days
Rehearse
- Practise a one-minute explanation out loud
- Prepare answers to the questions below
- Pack spares: cells, wires, tape and glue
On the day
Present it with confidence
You will usually have a minute or two to explain your project, then questions. Practise both out loud at home.
A one-minute explanation
- 1Name and question“My project is a … It answers the question …”
- 2What it showsOne sentence of science, in your own words.
- 3How it worksPoint to each part as you explain it.
- 4What you foundYour readings or result, and what they mean.
- 5Real lifeWhere the same science is used every day.
Questions judges often ask
- What does your project show, in one sentence?
- How does it work? Which law or idea of science is behind it?
- What did you change, and what did you measure?
- What went wrong while you were making it, and how did you fix it?
- Where is this idea used in real life?
- What would you improve if you made it again?
What your project file needs
- Title page with your name, class and school
- Aim or question
- Introduction: the science behind it
- Materials list
- Method, step by step, with a diagram
- Observations in a table
- Result and conclusion
- Precautions and safety
- Sources: books and websites you used
Projects and kits
Ready-made projects, kits and spare parts
Need a working model, a kit to build yourself, or a motor, LED, battery or sensor to finish your own? Every idea card links to the matching section of the store.
School Projects, Class 1 to 9
Ready-made working models for class 1 to 9: science, maths, physics, chemistry and biology.Browse
School Projects, Class 10 to 12
Working models and investigatory projects for class 10, 11 and 12.Browse
Best Out of Waste
Models made from bottles, cardboard and old parts, for waste-management themes.Browse
Robotics and Coding
Robot kits, Arduino projects, line followers, obstacle avoiders and smart projects.Browse
DIY Kits
Kits with every part and step-by-step instructions, to build the model yourself.Browse
Components and Spares
Motors, LEDs, batteries, switches, wires, sensors and breadboards to build or repair.Browse
Engineering Projects
Minor and major projects for diploma and BTech students.Browse
Cannot find what you need? Ask the head office on WhatsApp.
Free ebooks
Free books for making projects
Step-by-step project books for every class, plus guides to exhibitions, project files and viva questions. Free to download, read and print.
Science projects
Writing a Science Project File
How to write the report, from the cover page to the bibliography
Science projects
Viva Questions for Science Projects
How to answer examiner questions, with sample questions for popular projects
Science projects
Easy Science Projects for Class 1 to 5
Simple, safe projects young children can make with a little help
Science projects
Science Projects for Class 6 to 8
Working models matched to middle-school science topics
Science projects
Investigatory Projects for Class 11 and 12
Topics, method and report structure for physics, chemistry and biology
Stay safe
Safety rules for every project
Read these with a parent before you start. Ideas that need extra care carry their own safety note on the card.
Never use mains electricity
Power your models with cells, batteries or a low-voltage adapter. Never connect anything home-made to a wall socket.
Adult help for sharp and hot tools
Cutters, blades, glue guns, soldering irons and drills need an adult beside you. Cut away from your body on a board.
Chemicals with care
Use only safe household materials at home. Acids, stains and other lab chemicals are for the school lab with your teacher. Wear goggles and never taste anything.
Flames only with an adult
Candles and burners only with an adult present and water nearby. Tie back long hair and keep paper away.
Look after batteries
Do not short-circuit a battery, mix old and new cells, or puncture or heat a lithium battery. Remove batteries when the model is stored.
Small parts away from little ones
Magnets, button cells and small parts can be swallowed. Keep them away from younger brothers and sisters, and wash your hands after making.
Questions about science projects
Still have a question?
Chat on WhatsAppWhat is the difference between a working model, a still model and an investigatory project?
A working model moves or works to show a principle, such as a windmill that lights an LED. A still model shows how something is built or arranged, such as the layers of the Earth. An investigatory project asks a question and answers it by experiment: you change one thing, measure the result and draw a conclusion from your readings.
Can I buy a ready-made project?
Check your school’s rules first: some competitions want models made by the student, and some allow ready-made ones. Either way, you must understand how it works and be able to explain it. A good approach is to build from a kit, or to add your own measurements and chart to a ready-made model.
How long does a school project take?
Each idea here shows a rough time for the making. Leave extra time for reading, testing, the report and practice: three to four weeks from choosing to presenting is comfortable for most school projects.
What should go in my project report or file?
A title page, your aim, the science behind it, the materials, the method with a diagram, your observations in a table, the result and conclusion, precautions, and the books and websites you used. The free ebook “Writing a Science Project File” explains each part.
What if my model stops working on the day?
Carry spare cells, wires and tape, and test everything when you arrive. Take a short video or photos of it working at home. If something still fails, explain calmly what should happen and what you would check: judges value understanding as much as a perfect model.
More help
Stuck on a project?
Read the student help pages, try the free calculators for circuits and units, or ask the head office on WhatsApp.