Seventh grade science fair projects are a lot of fun. This is the time when you truly get to see a child’s imagination and their abilities come to life. It is really interesting to see the things that children come up with. With seven graders it is important to keep in mind that teachers do not just want a project they want a written and oral report along with the project. It is also a good idea to have some type of diagram with pictures that can show the various stages of the project. Following is a list of five very creative science fair projects and what lesson each project taught the students.
1. Electrolysis experiment– By performing this experiment you will be able to see the process of electrolysis by actually splitting water into two gases. Water is made up hydrogen and of oxygen. By adding an electoral current you can then split the water into the two gasses. In this experiment because of the limited amount of electricity used you will see the water split into chlorine gas and hydrogen gas. Real electrolysis systems need a different solution and higher electricity levels. To demonstrate the process of electrolysis you will need the following materials:
1. 9 volt battery
2. Three pencils
3. Salt
4. Piece of cardboard
6. Small glass cup
7. Water
8. Notebook
The first thing that you need to do is remove the eraser and the metal part of your pencil. After you have done this you will need to sharpen both sides. Now you can cut your piece of cardboard so that it fits completely over the glass cup. Put the pencils into the cardboard about one inch apart. Pour warm water into your cup and add salt to the water. You will than want to allow it to sit for a while. This would be a good time to write down what you have done so far. Now take one of the electrical wires and put one end on the positive side of the battery. (the positive side is the side with the plus side for those who don’t know). The other end of the wire goes on the pencil point. Now take the second electrical wire and connect it to the negative side, and the other end of the wire to the tip of the other pencil. You are now ready to put the two ends of the pencil without the wire into the water.
You should begin to see little bubbles forming around the end of the pencils. Around one pencil you will see chlorine gas, and around the other pencil your will see hydrogen gas.
2. How quickly does water evaporate- This seventh grade science fair project is simple to do and will help students to learn about evaporation. They will get to see with their own eyes how water is absorbed by the air that surrounds it. They will also better understand how rain clouds can form through the process of evaporation. In order to perform this experiment you will need the following items:
1. 2 containers
2. Water
3. Pencil
4. Paper
5. Tape
6. Ruler
First you will need to fill the container with water and make a mark where the water level is. You should also use the ruler to mark down exactly how much water is in the container. Now after you have filled both containers, taken your measurements and make your marks you can than place one of your containers in a shaded spot inside the house, and the other container in a spot that gets a light of sunlight (such as the window). Each day you can then record the levels of water. Make a note if one of the containers seems to be evaporating faster than the other. This experiment will usually take at least one week for the water in the containers to get down to the bottom.
3. A workable Hygrometer- This seventh grade science project is an hygrometer which is an instrument that is used to measure how much moisture is in the air. This is a great way for students to learn about moisture in and hygrometers. In order to perform this experiment you will need the following:
1. Two paper clips
2. Block of wood
3. Glue
4. Thin wire
5. Sewing Needle
6. Long strand of hair (your own hair would be fine)
7. Index card
8. Cloth
9. Pin
This project does take a lot of patience and is best done with a helper.
The first thing that you will need to do is open the paper clips half way. You will need to use the pointed end of the paper clip and put them into the block of wood. Place the paper clips in the wood about an inch apart and make sure the paper clips are halfway apart. Next glue the wire into the eye of your needle. Wait until the glue is dry then put the needle on top of the paperclips, so that the wire sticks out over the edge of the block. You will now need to wash the strand of hair gently with soapy water, then dry it thoroughly . Place a pin in the side of the wooden block. Once it is dry you can tie the hair to the top of the pin. Then wrap the other end of the hair around the pin making a loop. Using the index card you can make a measuring scale then place it on the side of the block. As the humidity forms under the cloth the pin will move back and forth.
Next soak the cloth in hot water and put it over the entire device you have just made. When the hair stretches there is more moisture in the air and when it is dry the hair should contract.
4. Demonstrate the Greenhouse affect– This seventh grade science fair project will show how the earth’s climate has changed over the course of millions of years. Many scientist are concerned about the Greenhouse but it can sometimes be a difficult concept for some students to grasp. This experiment will help students to understand how the process of adding dangerous gasses to the atmosphere can change the climate of the earth. For this experiment you will need the following:
1. Two glass jars (they should be the same size)
2. 4 cups of water
3. 20 ice cubes
4. Clear plastic bag
5. Thermometer
6. Notebook
7. Index card
8. Marker
9. Pencil
The first thing you will need to do is fill the jars with at least two cups of water each. Next you will add 10 ice cubes to each of the jars. Label each of your glasses with the index card and marker. One glass should be marked A, and the other B. Now wrap one of the jar’s in the plastic bag to create the greenhouse affect. Measure the temperature of each of the jars. Take both of the jars and place them in the sun for at least two hours. At the end of the two hours you will want to measure the temperature of the water in both of the jars. Make sure to document your findings. You should notice that the air inside the glass gets a lot warmer with the one with the plastic bag on it. Make sure to document every step so that you can show the affects on the temperature. You should also get some additional facts on the affect of climate change on the earth to add to your oral report.
5. Making a Barometer- This seventh grade science experiment will help students to under stand how weather man use barometers to measure air pressure. They will understand how they are able to know how the weather is affected just by taking these readings. For this experiment you will need the following items:
1. Measuring cup
2. Colored dye (whatever color you choose)
3. Empty soda bottle
4. Notebook
5. Pencil
6. Camera
The first thing you will need to do is fill your measuring cup with water and add several drops of dye to it. Next put the soda bottle upside down in the measuring cup so that it fits snuggly into the measuring cup. You don’t want the top of the bottle to touch the bottom of the cup, but be held snuggly in place. The water level should reach into the soda bottle. You should make a mark on the cup to show the water level inside the bottle. Wait about two days and then look a the level and document whether it has changed any. This should allow you to see how much pressure was in the air when you trapped the air into the bottle. If the water level drops than that means there is a possibility for rain in the air. If the level rises you should plan on having drier weather. You should also take plenty of pictures form start to finish of this experiment.
There you have five seventh grade science experiments that are a lot of fun to do and very educational. Maker sure that you have an adult supervise when do any of the experiments mentioned above. I have also found than these are great experiments to have seventh grade students do in glass. This way they will fully grasp what they are learning and have fun in the process.
