15 Awesome Science Fair Project Ideas

By
Lily Kip
Lily Kip
Lily Kip is a crafts expert, artist, and writer focusing on family and kids' craft ideas. She has written craft roundups for kids, from creations to make with seashells and beads to the best types of crafts kids can make to sell on their own.
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Updated on 11/17/19
Illustration of kids science fair projects

Illustration: The Spruce / Kelly Miller

If you're tapped out onmodel volcanoesand dinosaur dioramas, try out one of these clever science fair project ideas instead. With plenty of new ideas to try as well as some classic fair crafts, this is the best, most comprehensive list of fun science-based learning activities. Get your kids excited about the school year and this year's science fair and tackle one of these projects!

  • 01 of 15

    Sprout House

    sprout house

    The Stem Laboratory

    发芽的房子是一个完美的方式教生物,ecology, and just a little bit of green thumb magic! Set up your sprout houses—or sprout villages and cities if you've got ambitious scientists in your midsts—and watch them grow. This is a great craft for kids of ages 4 through 9, and easily can be adapted to be more simple or more advanced.

    Sprout HousefromThe Stem Laboratory

  • 02 of 15

    Kinetic Sand

    kinetic sand

    @nadydelrosaphotography

    Make this DIY kinetic sand as a standalone project to learn about chemistry. Or, you can take it a step up (literally!) and incorporate some physics by making some incredible sandcastles! We recommend this project for children ages 7 to 10.

    Kinetic SandfromThe Spruce

  • 03 of 15

    Craft Stick Catapult

    Coffee Cups and Crayons

    Get in on some kinetic fun with a physics-inspired catapult craft. Launchpom pomsand other small, soft objects as far as you can with an easy at-home mini catapult. We recommend this craft for children ages 5 and up.

    Craft Stick CatapultfromCoffee Cups and Crayons

  • 04 of 15

    Galaxy in a Bottle

    galaxy in a bottle

    Kids Activities Blog

    This craft is super easy and perfect as an independent project for older kids. Do some reading on space science to learn about nebulas and black holes, and then make this galaxy in a bottle as a cute model. We recommend this craft for ages 3 and beyond. While it's easy for little ones, tweens especially will love to hang onto the final product as a cool room decoration long after the fair is over and done with.

    Galaxy in a BottlefromKids Activities Blog

    Continue to 5 of 15 below.
  • 05 of 15

    Silly Slime

    silly slime

    @nadydelrosaphotography

    Slime is a fun craze these days and can be bought in any toy store. But just because it's a trend, doesn't mean it's not a greatscience project. And what better way to get kids excited about science than show them how one of their favorite things to play with is also a polymer? We recommend this project for children ages 6 and up—there's no age cap on slime!

    Silly SlimefromThe Spruce

  • 06 of 15

    3D Glasses

    3d glasses

    @nadydelrosaphotography

    This super cool project shows your kids the light-science behind traditional3D glasses. With DIY glasses that actually work, you can find some easy 3D images online or dig up an old 3D picture book from your garage (or find one at a used book store) to test them out. We recommend this physics and light activity for kids ages 6 to 8.

    3D GlassesfromThe Spruce

  • 07 of 15

    Clouds and Rain Weather Model

    clouds and rain model

    A Dab of Glue Will Do

    Maybe you can't bring a storm indoors, but you can get pretty close with this creative weather model. If you've got some budding meteorologists in the house, this is a great way to talk about theprocess that changes clouds to rain. We recommend this craft for young children ages 3 to 6, as it requires no "lab" work.

    Clouds and Rain Weather ModelfromA Dab of Glue Will Do

  • 08 of 15

    Homemade Spectroscope

    spectroscope homemader

    Buggy and Buddy

    See all the colors of the rainbow with an easy homemade spectroscope. It's a great way to recycle old CDs and DVDs that are scratched, broken, or out of use. This is a great color science/physics project for 4 to 10 year olds.

    Homemade SpectroscopefromBuggy and Buddy

    Continue to 9 of 15 below.
  • 09 of 15

    Easy Fake Snow

    fake snow craft

    @nadydelrosaphotography

    Whether the weather is hot or cold,fake snowis a super-fun and science-y activity to make any day. This could work as both a meteorology project to talk about the weather or a chemistry project to talk about the process of turning baking soda and shaving cream into "snow." We recommend this as a sensory activity for younger children with lots of supervision, so it doesn't get in any mouths or eyes, and as a chemistry-based craft for kids ages 7 through 9.

    Easy Fake SnowfromThe Spruce

  • 10 of 15

    Crystal Names

    crystal names

    Playdough to Plato

    Step up your homemade crystal game and make some crystal names! With just hand-shaped pipe cleaners, hot water, borax, and food coloring, you can make your own beautiful crystalized name. Talk with your kids about the chemistry behind the craft and theprocesses of crystallizationwith a helpful "Behind the Science" section on the tutorial. We recommend this craft for children ages 3 through 10.

    Crystal NamesfromPlaydough to Plato

  • 11 of 15

    Chromatography Butterflies

    chromatography butterflies

    Buggy and Buddy

    Study the spread of water molecules and color particles with a science craft that doubles as a beautiful art project. Chromatography butterflies are a super sweet way to sneak school into playtime. For a science fair, set up some stations and string up a clothesline to display your "research findings." We recommend this color science activity for children ages 4 to 7.

    Chromatography ButterfliesfromBuggy and Buddy

  • 12 of 15

    Paper Plate Clock

    Rita Shehan

    For kids just learning to tell time, this is the perfect STEM-based craft. An easy paper craft with a practical application, have your kids move the hour and minute hands to different times to test how well they know analog time. We recommend this counting craft for kids ages 7 to 8, or whenever your children are learning about time in class.

    Paper Plate ClockfromThe Spruce

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  • 13 of 15

    Lava Lamp

    lava lamp

    Little Bins for Little Hands

    Maybe you'll remember this groovy little craft from your own science fair days—an at-home lava lamp! Teach chemical density science with just oil, food coloring, water, and some recycled water bottles. We recommend this craft for kids ages 7 to 9.

    Lava LampfromLittle Bins for Little Hands

  • 14 of 15

    Bubble Blowing Mixture

    bubbles

    @nadydelarosaphotography

    Thought bubble blowing was just a fun summer activity? Well, it can more than easily make for a great science fair project, too. This is achemistry projectthat we recommend for children ages 6 to 8.

    Bubble Blowing MixturefromThe Spruce

  • 15 of 15

    Bouncy Balls

    bouncy balls

    The Stem Laboratory

    Bounce into learning with this craft that doubles as a chemistry and a physics exercise. Walk your kids through the process of mixing the materials to make the balls, and discuss what makes some balls bounce and others drop and stay put. We recommend this craft for kids ages 5 and up.

    Bouncy BallsfromThe Stem Laboratory