Science Fair Projects for the 6th Grade

It’s the day that both students and parents alike dread, the science fair project. This is especially stressful if there is some sort of contest involved. But when it comes to doing a science fair project, the exploding volcano just isn’t going to cut it anymore. If you are looking for some fun and possibly award winning 6th grade science fair projects, then check out these ideas and take the stress out of the science fair. You will find some ideas of potential science fair project ideas, as well as any materials that you might need, but it will be entirely up to you to do the work and the experiment yourself.

Of course, if you need help remembering what the scientific method is, you can check out: Steps of the Scientific Method

Science Fair Project Idea #1 – Taste Differences Between Regular & Low Fat and/or Diet Foods

What you will need: 5-10 different people (it may be fellow classmates or family members) and different types of food that has a low fat / diet counterpart. When you are choosing your food testers, it would be beneficial if you could select people who are in the same age group, and furthermore, an equal amount of the same sex (i.e., 5 boys of the age age and 5 girls of the same age range).

The premise of the experiment: You are going to test a few different foods that have both a regular and diet counterpart. You will present these food items to your testers and ask them to test each food product. They will then need to guess if the item is a regular item or if it is a diet / low fat food item. Make sure that you write down any reactions to tasting the item that the testers have, such as an odor, aftertaste, or initial taste.

Science Fair Project Idea #2 – Biodegradable Items

This science fair project works best if you have some time before it is due, like maybe a month or two in advance.

What you will need – Six 2 liter pop bottles that are empty and that have the tops of the bottles cut off, you will need some tape, preferably the kind that you can write on and stick on the bottle (this will serve as your labels), some soil that can fill each of the pop bottles, some water to wet the soil with, plant matter (it may be a leaf from a live plant), vegetable matter (such as a piece of tomato), a medium-sized piece of a plastic bag, a medium sized piece of Styrofoam, a small piece of wood, and a piece of metal (use any kind that you have available to you).

The premise of this experiment: Essentially what you are trying to do is see what items are biodegradable and what items are not biodegradable. You will notice which items break down the quickest and what items take a while or may never break down. You’re going to fill each of the six pop bottles with soil. Filling them halfway will work best. After you fill each of the pop bottles, you are going to want to bury the six items above in each of the bottles. Sprinkle a little bit of water onto the soil (for best results, make sure that you use the same amount for each bottles), and then begin your experiment. Record the results of your observations as you please or however it would work best for you. You may want to record the decomposition of the items daily, or twice daily. If you really want to make your science fair project stand out, then take pictures each time you are checking for results, then use them as a display which tracks the progress of decomposition. Based on this experiment, you can tell which items are biodegradable and which items are not biodegradable.

Science Fair Project #3 – The Remembering Game

What you will need – 2-4 people, preferably of the same age group and sex (2 boys of the same age and 2 girls of the same age), a TV, and a movie.

The premise of this experiment: You are going to test and see who remembers things the best. You can approach this experiment in a variety of different ways. If you would like, you could have 1 of the boys and 1 of the girls watch a movie. You do not need to tell them anything. For the other group (the another boy and the other girl), you will tell them to watch the movie and remember everything that they can about the movie. After each of the groups are done watching the movie, give them a test on the movie and score it. See who did better and compare it based on the group who you told to remember everything and the group to whom you said nothing to. Who scored better on the test?

Science Fair Project #4 – Plant Growth & Music

What you will need – 3 plants (any type will be fine as long as all 3 are of the same type / variety) and 2 different types of music (rock and classical), and a timer.

The premise of this experiment: Basically what you are going to do is take the three plants and expose two of them to music and the third will not be exposed to any sort of music. Make sure that all 3 of your plants are going to be watered and sitting in the same spot, getting the same amount of sun daily. For the plant that is not going to be receiving any sort of music, take it and set it aside for 30 minutes per day. Make sure not to expose it to any music or sound at this time. After the 30 minutes are up, place the plant back where the other plants are, and take your second plant. Set your timer for 30 minutes and play classical music for the plant. You’re going to want to make sure that the plant is close to the music source. After the 30 minutes are up, place that plant back and take the third and final plant. Again, expose the plant to rock music for 30 minutes. After this is done, note any changes to the plants at this time. You may want to record measurements of the plants daily, or any color change, new growth, etc. The best time to record all of your observations would be right before the plant is going for its music treatment. Do this every day for a few days, a week, or two-three weeks and measure the results daily. Which plant grew better if at all? What can you conclude about the effect of music on plants? Does it work?

Science fair projects can be fun for all ages. With many of these experiments, you can take the basis of the experiment and perfect it to truly make it your own. All of these experiments are also customizable, so if there is something that you want to change or something different that you would like to try, then go for it. Just always remember to stick with the scientific experiment when conducting any science fair experiment. This will be a big part of your experiment and your grade!