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.
Earth and spaceEasy
Cut-away model of a composite volcano with magma chamber and vents
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
A composite volcano is built from alternating layers of hardened lava and ash. Magma rises from a chamber deep below through a central pipe and sometimes side vents, and the cut-away shows how the inside connects to the crater at the top.
You will need
- A thermocol or cardboard base
- Newspaper and flour-and-water paste, or clay
- Red, orange, grey and brown paint
- A straw or pipe for the central vent
- Labels on toothpicks
Safety: An adult should cut thermocol with a blade. Flour paste should be used fresh and dried well so it does not grow mould.
Take it further: Build a second, low and wide shield volcano beside it and compare the two shapes.
Earth and spaceEasy
Solar system distances rolled out on a toilet paper strip
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
The planets are not evenly spaced. On a scale where the Sun to Neptune is 100 sheets of toilet paper, the four rocky planets all fit inside the first 5 sheets and the gaps between the outer planets grow huge, something no picture in a textbook can show.
You will need
- A roll of toilet paper with at least 100 sheets
- A marker
- A long corridor or a playground
- A table of planet distances in astronomical units
- Small paper planet labels
- Tape
Take it further: Work out where the nearest star, about 270,000 AU away, would be on the same scale.
Earth and spaceEasy
Planet sizes compared with fruit and seeds from the kitchen
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
The eight planets differ hugely in size. With the Earth as a peppercorn, Jupiter is a large orange and the Sun would be a ball taller than a child, so everyday objects show the true sizes far better than equal-sized clay balls.
You will need
- A peppercorn, a mustard seed, a pea, a coriander seed, a large orange, a small orange, two lemons
- A tray or a board
- Labels
- A measuring tape
- A chart of planet diameters
Take it further: Use the same scale to place the Moon, a tiny seed about 1 millimetre across, 12 centimetres from the peppercorn.
Earth and spaceEasy
Globe with painted climate zone bands and India's climates marked
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
The Earth has broad climate zones: the tropical zone between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, the temperate zones up to the polar circles, and the polar zones. The Tropic of Cancer runs through the middle of India, so the country spans tropical and sub-tropical climates with mountains that add cold zones.
You will need
- A thermocol or rubber ball about 20 centimetres across
- Paints: red, orange, green, white
- A thread and a marker for drawing latitude lines
- A stand
- Printed outline of India
- Labels
Safety: Paint in a ventilated room.
Take it further: Add a second set of labels for five world cities and compare their climates by zone.
EnvironmentEasy
Four-bin waste sorting game with 40 picture cards
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
Household waste belongs in different bins: wet kitchen waste for composting, dry recyclables, hazardous items like batteries and medicines, and sanitary waste. Sorting cards into four coloured bins teaches the habit and shows how little should really go to a landfill.
You will need
- Four small boxes painted green, blue, red and yellow
- Forty cards with drawings or cut-out pictures of waste items
- A chart paper for the answer key
- Colours and glue
- A timer
Take it further: Add a fifth e-waste box and find out where in your town old phones and chargers are collected.
BiologyEasy
Blood in a bottle: plasma, red cells, white cells and platelets
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
Blood is made of a pale yellow liquid, plasma, with red cells, white cells and platelets floating in it. A sealed bottle with beads shows the parts and their rough amounts.
You will need
- A small clear plastic bottle with a cap
- Water with a few drops of yellow food colour
- About 100 red plastic beads or red sequins
- A few (3 to 5) larger white beads
- A teaspoon of tiny glitter or rice grains as platelets
- A label sheet with a legend
- Waterproof glue to seal the cap
- A funnel
Safety: Beads and sequins are small parts, so keep them away from young children. An adult must apply the glue to the cap and supervise.
Take it further: Make a bigger jar model with exact bead numbers for the proportion of red cells to white cells, which is around 600 to 1.
BiologyEasy
Clay mouth model with the four tooth types and their jobs
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
Our teeth have different shapes for different jobs. Incisors cut, canines tear, premolars and molars crush and grind, and each kind can be matched to the food it deals with.
You will need
- White clay or salt dough (1 cup flour, 1/2 cup salt, water)
- A cardboard mouth shape cut as two arches
- Red paper or red poster colour for the gums
- Toothpicks to hold teeth
- Small samples of food: a piece of carrot, a roti and a chikki
- Coloured pencils
- A mirror
Safety: An adult must cut the cardboard. Do not eat the salt dough, and wash hands after handling it.
Take it further: Make a chart of how many teeth your classmates have lost and count the average number of milk teeth left in the class.
BiologyEasy
Balanced thali plate model: what each food group does for the body
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
A good meal has foods that give energy, foods that build the body and foods that protect it. A paper or clay thali shows roti and rice, dal, vegetables, curd and fruit in sensible amounts.
You will need
- A large steel plate or a round of thick cardboard as the thali
- Coloured paper, clay or dough in many colours
- Small cut-outs from old magazines (optional)
- Glue and scissors
- Labels on card
- A small bowl cut from an egg carton for dal and curd
- Pencils and a chart paper
Safety: An adult must help with scissors. Do not eat the dough or clay.
Take it further: Plan three days of balanced thalis for your own family using only foods from your local market and cook one.
BiologyEasy
Paddy field food web as a hanging mobile with who-eats-whom threads
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
In a paddy field many food chains join into a web. A hanging mobile with threads showing who eats whom makes it easy to see how energy passes from rice plants to the top animals.
You will need
- A bamboo hoop, an embroidery ring or a cut-out cardboard circle
- Card cut-outs of: rice plant, algae, grasshopper, caterpillar, fish, frog, water snake, egret, eagle, fungus and a bacteria cluster
- Coloured threads in two colours
- A paper punch or a pin
- Glue and markers
- Colour labels
Safety: An adult must use scissors and the pin or punch. Keep thread out of reach of very small children.
Take it further: Draw a second food web for a pond or a forest near you and compare the producers and top predators.
BiologyMedium
Coloured bead necklace from DNA to mRNA to a short protein
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
The order of bases in a gene is copied into a messenger strand, and every three bases of that strand name one amino acid. Four colours of beads show the copying and reading step by step.
You will need
- Beads in four colours: A (red), T (blue), G (green), C (yellow)
- A fifth colour for U (white)
- Two long pieces of string or pipe cleaners
- A card with a codon table of six codons
- Small labels or paper flags for amino acids
- A ruler and glue dots
- A notebook
Safety: Beads are small parts: keep them from young children and do not put them in the mouth. An adult must supervise.
Take it further: Make a second necklace using real codons from a short stretch of the insulin gene from a school textbook and translate it.
MathsMedium
Taxicab geometry on a city grid: distances, midpoints and square circles
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
On a street grid you cannot travel diagonally, so the distance is the sum of the horizontal and vertical steps. With this rule a circle looks like a diamond, which shows that geometry depends on how distance is defined.
You will need
- A large sheet of graph paper or a chalk grid on the floor
- Coloured pens
- String
- A ruler
- A small toy or cap as a taxi
- A map of a nearby town with a grid-like area
- Paper for tables
Safety: If you draw on a floor or playground, do it away from traffic and use washable chalk.
Take it further: Define an ellipse and a parabola in taxicab geometry and sketch them.
BiologyEasy
Plant cell model in a foil tray with clay organelles
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
A plant cell has a rigid cell wall, a cell membrane, a nucleus, a large vacuole and green chloroplasts. The model shows where each part sits and what job it does.
You will need
- A rectangular foil or thermocol tray (free from sweet shops)
- Green, brown and orange clay or atta dough
- A ping-pong ball or a ball of clay for the nucleus
- A transparent plastic pouch filled with green gel or water for the vacuole
- Toothpicks and paper flags for labels
- Glue and a few dry beans as ribosomes
Safety: An adult must cut the thermocol or plastic with a knife. Keep beans and small parts away from young children.
Take it further: Look at an onion peel under a magnifier or microscope and match what you see to your model.
PhysicsEasy
Arch bridge versus beam bridge from cardboard strips
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
An arch pushes sideways on its supports and carries a load by compression. A flat beam of the same material sags because the bottom is stretched.
You will need
- Cardboard strips 5 cm wide and 40 cm long (old boxes)
- Two stacks of books as supports
- Small coins or pebbles as load
- A small cup
- Tape and a ruler
- Two heavy books to stop spreading
Safety: An adult must cut the cardboard with a knife.
Take it further: Try a pointed arch and a semicircular arch and see which holds more.
Earth and spaceMedium
Thermocol ball model of the Earth with crust, mantle and core
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
The Earth is made of layers: a thin crust, a thick mantle, a liquid outer core and a solid inner core. The cut-away shows their relative thickness.
You will need
- A thermocol ball 12 cm wide, or two ball halves
- Clay in four colours
- A kitchen knife or thin wire (adult only)
- Poster paint
- Glue and a toothpick for labels
- A ruler
Safety: An adult must cut the thermocol. Wear a mask when cutting, because the dust can irritate the nose.
Take it further: Scale the layers to a 12 cm ball and calculate each thickness in centimetres.
ChemistryMedium
Bohr atom models for the first ten elements with beads and wire
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
Electrons fill shells around the nucleus in order: two in the first shell and up to eight in the second. The models show how this explains the valency of the first ten elements.
You will need
- Thermocol balls or clay for nuclei
- Different coloured beads for protons, neutrons and electrons
- Thin wire or cardboard circles as shells
- A cardboard base
- Glue
- Markers
Safety: An adult must cut the wire and thermocol. Avoid sharp wire ends.
Take it further: Add the next ten elements with a third shell and see how sodium and chlorine can form a bond.
ChemistryEasy
Ball and stick molecules of water, CO2 and methane from clay and sticks
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
Atoms join to form molecules in fixed shapes. Water is bent, carbon dioxide is straight and methane is a tetrahedron, which affects their properties.
You will need
- Clay or dough in 3 colours
- Toothpicks or matchsticks without heads
- An egg tray to keep the parts
- Chart paper
- Markers
- Glue
Safety: Use only toothpicks or matchsticks with the heads removed by an adult. Keep small parts from young children.
Take it further: Make ethene or benzene using flexible wire for double bonds.
ChemistryMedium
Periodic table wall chart of the first 20 elements with shell cups
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
Elements in the same column have the same number of outer electrons and similar properties. The chart shows the pattern of metals, non-metals and noble gases.
You will need
- A large chart paper or the back of an old flex banner
- Egg tray cups cut singly
- Poster paint in four colours
- Beads for electrons
- Glue and a marker
- A ruler
Safety: An adult must cut the egg tray and flex. Keep beads away from small children.
Take it further: Extend the chart to the next 10 elements and add their common uses.
Earth and spaceMedium
Paper-mache globe with latitude and longitude lines
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
The globe shows how the Earth is a sphere, with latitudes parallel to the equator and longitudes running pole to pole. A place can be located by its two numbers.
You will need
- A large balloon
- Old newspaper torn into strips
- Flour paste (flour and water)
- Poster paints
- A thread and a marker
- A stand made of a cardboard ring
- A small string loop
Safety: Wash your hands after using paste. An adult must handle any pins for the axis.
Take it further: Use a torch to show how the tilt makes day length change.
MathsMedium
Straw and pipe-cleaner dome that shows why triangles are rigid
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
A four-sided frame can collapse but a triangle cannot change shape without changing the length of a side. A dome of triangles is strong and light.
You will need
- About 40 drinking straws
- A packet of pipe cleaners or thread
- Scissors (adult help)
- A ruler
- A square of straws for comparison
- A tray
Safety: An adult must cut the straws. Cut pipe cleaner ends are sharp, so bend them in.
Take it further: Check Euler’s formula V minus E plus F equals 2 for your dome.
MathsEasy
Ice-cream stick fraction wall for halves, quarters and eighths
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
Equal parts of the same whole can be compared by length. The wall shows that one half equals two quarters and four eighths.
You will need
- About 40 ice-cream sticks or card strips of equal length
- Poster colours
- A ruler and pencil
- Glue
- A cardboard backing sheet
- A marker
Safety: An adult must cut the sticks if they need trimming. Keep paint away from the mouth.
Take it further: Add thirds and sixths and find which fractions can be compared directly.
PhysicsMedium
Cardboard dam model that shows why a dam is thicker at the base
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
Water pressure grows with depth, so the base of a dam must be thicker than the top. The model has a spillway and a sluice gate and shows how stored water gives energy.
You will need
- A large plastic tub or tray
- Corrugated cardboard covered with plastic film
- Clay or plasticine to seal gaps
- A bottle with water
- Small paper boats
- Waterproof tape and a ruler
Safety: Work over a tray. An adult must cut the cardboard and clean up the spilled water.
Take it further: Compare the jet distance at three different depths and plot it.
BiologyEasy
Cardboard flower with removable parts that shows pollination
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
A flower has sepals, petals, stamens and a pistil. Pollen travels from the stamen to the stigma, which starts the making of seeds.
You will need
- Coloured cardboard and old magazines
- Cotton wool or yellow dough for pollen
- Fevicol and a stapler
- Velcro dots or tape loops to make parts removable
- Scissors (adult help)
- A pencil and marker
Safety: An adult must cut the card and handle the stapler.
Take it further: Look at a real hibiscus flower and match it to the model.
BiologyMedium
Layered foam sheet model of a leaf cross-section with stomata
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
A leaf has an epidermis, palisade cells full of chloroplasts, loose spongy cells with air spaces, veins and stomata. The layers are built to catch light and let gases move.
You will need
- Coloured foam sheets or thin thermocol layers
- Green and yellow clay
- Straws cut for vein tubes
- A cardboard base
- Glue and a pen
- Pins and labels
Safety: An adult must cut the foam and straws. Keep pins away from small children.
Take it further: Peel a thin layer from a leaf and look for stomata under a microscope.
BiologyEasy
Class seed bank of local varieties with germination record cards
Show detailsHide detailsWhat it shows
Saving seeds of local vegetables, pulses and flowers keeps variety alive. A record card for each seed packet teaches how farmers collect, dry, label, store and test seeds.
You will need
- Seeds of at least eight local plants (from kitchen or garden)
- Small paper envelopes or glass jars
- Silica gel or dry rice to keep seeds dry
- Labels and a marker
- A shoebox or tin as the bank
- Cotton wool and a plate for germination tests
Safety: Wash hands after handling seeds, especially treated or sprayed ones. Only collect seeds from untreated plants. Do not taste seeds, and keep the bank away from children and pets.
Take it further: Retest the same seeds after three months to see how storage changes germination.
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.