Biology
Biology projects for class 1 to 5: 40 ideas.
Each project below opens to its own page with what it shows, the science behind it, the materials, safety, step-by-step instructions, what you should see and viva questions. Many can be made from things at home; where a kit helps, the page links one.
Other subjects for class 1 to 5: Physics, Chemistry, Maths, Earth and space, Electronics and robotics, Environment, Computing and coding.
What do seeds need to sprout?
Seeds need water, air and warmth to germinate. Most seeds sprout even in the dark, but the seedlings need light to turn green and keep growing.
Parts of a plant model
Roots take in water and hold the plant firm, the stem carries water up, leaves make food using sunlight, and flowers make seeds.
Bean seed against a glass jar: a root and shoot diary
A seed pressed between wet paper and the glass wall of a jar lets you watch the root come out first and grow down, then the shoot grow up and open its first leaves. Drawing it every day records how a seedling develops.
Turn a sprouting seed sideways: do roots still grow down?
When a sprouting seed is turned on its side, the root bends to keep growing downwards and the shoot bends upwards. Plants sense gravity, and the response is called gravitropism (or geotropism).
Plastic bag over a leafy twig: collect the water leaves give off
A clear bag tied over a leafy branch fills with droplets within a few hours, while a bag over a bare branch stays dry. Leaves lose water vapour through tiny pores (stomata), a process called transpiration.
Leaf rubbing album: parallel and net vein patterns
Rubbing a crayon over paper laid on a leaf prints its vein pattern. Grass, banana and wheat leaves show parallel veins; peepal, mango and hibiscus leaves show a branching net, and the pattern tells you which group the plant belongs to.
Human skeleton from cardboard tubes, straws and bottle caps
A life-size or half-size skeleton built from waste shows the main bones of the body, how the skull protects the brain, how the ribs make a cage around the heart and lungs, and where the joints let us bend.
Five senses stations: mystery box, smell jars and sound tins
Five simple stations test touch, smell, hearing, sight and taste one at a time. Each sense organ collects a different kind of information and sends it to the brain, which works out what the object is.
Eggshells in cola, juice, milk and water: a tooth decay model
Eggshells soaked in cola and fruit juice soften, stain and lose material within days, while shells in milk and water stay hard. Eggshell, like tooth enamel, is a hard mineral that acids slowly dissolve, so sugary and acidic drinks harm teeth.
Glitter germs: which handwashing method removes the most?
Glitter or turmeric mixed with a little oil stands in for germs on the hands. Rinsing with water alone leaves most of it, while 20 seconds of soap and rubbing removes nearly all, showing why proper handwashing matters.
Balcony bird diary: a 2 week tally of the birds around you
Watching the same spot for 15 minutes each morning and evening and tallying every bird seen shows which species live nearby, when each is active and what it eats. The diary becomes a small record of local biodiversity.
Ant trails: which foods do ants choose and how do they find them?
Tiny drops of sugar water, salt water, oil and plain water set out near an ant trail show which foods ants prefer and how a few scouts quickly bring many workers along a chemical trail. Rubbing a finger across the trail breaks it and the ants lose their way for a while.
Celery stalk in coloured water: how water climbs a stem
Plants pull water up through thin tubes in their stems. When the water is coloured, the colour travels up inside the stalk and shows exactly where the tubes run, all the way to the leaves.
White flower with a split stem that drinks two colours
A single white flower can turn two colours when its stem is split and each half drinks a different dye. It shows that water travels in separate channels all the way up to the petals.
Funnel and tube stethoscope to hear the heartbeat
A funnel and a rubber tube can carry the sounds of the heart to your ear. You hear a steady lub-dub that is made as the heart valves close.
Four body joints from waste: ball, hinge, pivot and gliding
Where two bones meet, a joint lets them move in a particular way. Models made from waste show how a ball and socket, a hinge, a pivot and a gliding joint each allow a different movement.
Clay mouth model with the four tooth types and their jobs
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.
Tea-stained eggshell: water, brush or toothpaste, which cleans best?
Foods and drinks can stain the surface of teeth, and brushing removes the stain. Stained eggshells stand in for teeth to compare rinsing, brushing with water and brushing with toothpaste.
Balanced thali plate model: what each food group does for the body
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.
Bamboo, pine cone and brick insect hotel for garden helpers
Many helpful insects, such as solitary bees, need small holes to nest or shelter. A hotel made from waste gives them a safe place and lets you observe from a distance who moves in.
Seed travel models: wind wing, fluff parachute, floating husk, hook and spring
Plants spread their seeds far from the parent so the young plants have room to grow. Paper and cloth models copy how wind, water, animals and bursting pods carry seeds.
Paper plate food chain and food web spinner
Energy passes from the Sun to plants and then to animals that eat them. The spinner shows who eats whom and why the chain starts with a producer.
Cardboard flower with removable parts that shows pollination
A flower has sepals, petals, stamens and a pistil. Pollen travels from the stamen to the stigma, which starts the making of seeds.
Egg tray seed nursery: which seeds sprout first?
Seeds need water, air and warmth to sprout. The nursery lets children compare how fast different seeds germinate and then plant them out.
Which bag ripens bananas faster? Ethylene gas at home
Ripe fruits release a gas called ethylene that makes other fruits ripen faster. By keeping green bananas in different bags and with a ripe fruit, you see how trapping this gas speeds up ripening.
Paper-cup stethoscope for listening to a heartbeat and counting it
Sound from the heart is passed through the chest and can be gathered by a cup, which makes it louder in your ear. Counting the beats gives the heart rate.
Sprouting moong and chana: a five-day length and weight log
Soaked seeds wake up, absorb water and start to grow roots and shoots. Measuring weight and sprout length every day shows how quickly the seed changes, and why sprouts are a popular food.
Nature walk collection tray with labels
Plants and their parts come in many sizes, shapes and colours. Collecting and sorting fallen things makes us look closely and notice differences.
Leaf colour matching chart: how many greens?
Leaves are not all the same green. Their colours show the plant type and age, and children learn to compare and name shades.
Mustard seeds on wet cotton wool: a growing diary
Seeds need water, air and warmth to sprout. Mustard seeds grow quickly, so we can see roots and shoots within days.
Sprouting moong in a wet cloth: day by day
Dry seeds are alive. With water they wake up and sprout, and the sprouts are a healthy food full of nutrients.
Onion roots growing in a jar of water
An onion bulb can grow roots when it touches water. We can watch the roots grow day by day and measure them.
Grass head: a sock friend with growing hair
Seeds grow when kept in damp soil and light. The sock holds the soil and the grass grows out of it like hair.
Seed collection box: 12 seeds from the kitchen and garden
Seeds differ in shape, size, colour and surface. Each shape helps the plant spread its seeds by wind, water or animals.
Does a plant lean towards the window light?
Plants grow towards light. A seedling kept by a window bends towards it, and turns back if we turn the pot around.
Heartbeat count: resting and after 20 jumps
The heart beats faster when the body works harder. We can feel the pulse and count it to see the change.
How big is my breath? Blowing up a balloon
Our lungs hold air. We can compare how much air different people can blow out in one breath by measuring a balloon.
Fingerprint cards: loops, whorls and arches
Every person has a different pattern of ridges on their fingertips. The patterns fall into a few main types: loops, whorls and arches.
Egg carton teeth model: incisors, canines and molars
We have different teeth for different jobs: cutting, tearing and grinding. A model helps us remember them and brush each properly.
Regrowing carrot and beetroot tops in a shallow dish
Plants store food in roots like carrot and beetroot. If the top is kept in water, it uses that stored food to sprout new leaves.