ENVIRO-PROJECTS FOR SCIENCE FAIRS—OR ANYTIME

A JET? YOU BET!

You can help students dream up new ideas for alternative fuel resources by asking them to think about simple forms of energy–and building off those ideas. Here's a fun experiment to get them started.

WHAT YOU NEED
• Balloon
• Thread
• Tape
• Drinking Straw

WHAT YOU DO
1. Pull the thread through the straw.
2. Tie the ends of the thread so that it stretches tightly across the room.
3. Blow up the balloon and hold the end closed.
4. Ask a student to help you use two pieces of tape to secure the balloon to the straw.
5. Release the end of the balloon and the balloon races across the room.

Explain to students that the balloon is like a jet-propelled car or plane. It is pushed forward by the rush of air leaving the end of the balloon. An actual jet engine pulls air in and heats it using burning fuel. This heated air is forced out the back of the engine and pushes the vehicle forward. What other things can your students dream up that could be powered by such a propulsion system?

"YOUR BREATH IS ATTRACTIVE"

Alternative energy is about finding new ways to move people and things around. This interactive experiment is a great way to get students thinking about new ways to do just that.

WHAT YOU NEED
• 2 ping-pong balls
• Thread
• Tape
• Drinking straw
• Scissors

WHAT YOU DO
1. Tape a piece of thread to each ball.
2. Hang the ping-pong balls so that they are about five inches apart from each other.
3. Point the straw so that one end is aimed between the two balls and blow through the straw.
4. Observe what happens: the two balls do not move apart. They actually come closer together.
5. Move the balls closer and farther apart to determine the effect distance has on the results of the experiment.

Explain to students that by blowing on the straw they are manipulating air pressure to bring the two balls closer together. The moving air reduces the air pressure between the two ping-pong balls. The greater air pressure on the other side of the balls pushes them together. Ask students to think about how they could this principle as an alternative energy source.


PLANT SOME AIR

This is a great way for students to see that plants make the oxygen we need to survive to survive.

WHAT YOU NEED
• Water
• Pondweed (from local pond or pet store)
• Glass jar
• Funnel
• Test tube

WHAT YOU DO
1. Place the pondweed in the jar and pour in water almost to the top.
2. Put the funnel in the jar so that wide end is holding the pondweed to the bottom of the jar.
3. Fill the test tube with water and slide its open end of over the narrow end of the funnel. Don’t worry if some of the water spills out of the test tube.
4. Move the jar so that it is the sunlight.
5. Oxygen generated by the pondweed will push water out of the test tube and create a bubble in the tube.

Point out to students that even this small pondweed is busily working to make sure that we have the right air to breathe!

TEMPORARY TEMPERATURE TAKER

Create a fun device for kids to track changes in their environment.

WHAT YOU NEED
• Clear, clean glass bottle
• Cold water
• Food coloring
• Clear straw
• Modeling clay

WHAT YOU DO
1. Fill the bottle with cold water until it’s about two-thirds full.
2. Add a few drop of food coloring.
3. Put the straw into the bottle and stir up the food coloring.
4. Placing it over the top of the bottle, use the modeling clay to seal the straw in place. This seal needs to be airtight.
5. Very carefully blow into the bottle until the water rises halfway up the straw.
6. Use a marker to mark this level on the straw. This will be the normal temperature.
7. Place the bottle in a warm spot. The water level will rise. Mark this level on the straw.
8. When you put the bottle is cold place, the water level will go down. Mark this level.

Explain to students that heat causes the air inside the bottle to expand. This pushes the water further up the straw. When it’s colder, the air contracts and the water level comes back down.

YOU ARE WHAT YOU DRINK
Ever wonder how the things we put in the environment affect plants and animals? Now you can see for yourself with this experiment.

WHAT YOU NEED
• 4 fresh white flowers
• 3 tall glasses
• 3 different colored inks or food colorings
• Scissors
• Water

WHAT YOU DO
1. Fill each glass about half full with water. Now put a different kind of food coloring/ink into each glass. Mix.
2. Cut the ends of all the flower stems and split the stem of one flower in two.
3. Put each of the three unsplit stem flowers in different glasses. For the split-stem flower, put one half of the stem in one glass and the other half in another glass.
4. Now watch as the white flowers change color.

A dramatic illustration of how plants absorb what’s in the water…just imagine all the pollution plants and animals absorb!

PIECE OF MIND
How can students help grow more plants when they don’t have any seeds? Show them how to grow plants from “cuttings” with this simple experiment.

WHAT YOU NEED
• Geranium plant
• Scissors
• Clear plastic bag (a recycled sandwich bag will work)
• Rubber band
• Pot
• Soil mix

WHAT YOU DO
1. Put the soil mix in the empty pot and add water so that the mix is moist.
2. Carefully snip a side shoot—with leaves but no flowers—off the geranium.
3. Plant this cutting in the moist soil mix.
4. Place the plastic bag over the pot and seal it tightly around the pot with the rubber band.
5. Watch as your cutting grows. Be sure to keep the soil moist.

A wonderful way for students to see firsthand how plants can grow without seeds.

For many more ideas, research projects and science information, visit our “Kid-Powered Rapid Research” page.