6th Grade Science Fair Projects

Ever wondered what does a jury look for in science fair projects? You might have seen that a simple science experiment by your classmate bags the first prize, whereas your complicated experiment with lots of charts, tables, materials etc. fails to impress the jury! You sure invested a lot of time and effort in collecting the paraphernalia for the experiment and making complicated charts etc. But did you take time to understand the concept thoroughly? Probably not! Remember, understanding is exactly what influences the results. Your friend took a simple concept and mastered it. Obviously he was very confident and prepared to answer the questions of the jury. On the other hand, your poor understanding of the concept got you nowhere in the competition. So, while choosing the science fair projects for 6th grade, make sure you master the concept.

6th Grade Science Fair Project Ideas

You can explore hundreds of subjects right from biology to environment science to behavioral psychology for your science fair project. Although, originality certainly pays off when it comes to results, you can sure go for a repeated project if you can present it in an innovative way.

Balloon Inflating Machine
This is a very interesting and funny experiment. You might have constructed a paper mache volcano as young kids. This experiment is based on the same concept, i.e reaction of acids and bases to produce an effervescent gas. All you need for this experiment is an empty bottle, baking soda, vinegar and a balloon. Pour vinegar at the bottom of the bottle. Stretch the balloon to open its neck and put baking soda in it. Next, hold the bottom of the balloon and attach it to the neck of the bottle. Make sure not to let any baking soda fall into the vinegar. After you have the neck of the bottle inside the neck of balloon, release the bottom of the balloon slowly to allow baking soda fall into the vinegar. As soon as it reacts with vinegar, fizzy gas erupts from the mixture and shoots upward. As there is no room for this gas to escape, it inflates the balloon in an attempt to get out.

Which Brand of Soda Has More Fizz
Do you know which brand of soda has more fizz? This should make for an interesting science fair project for middle school. However, measuring fizz is not possible. So, how do you go about it. You essentially measure the sugar content in the soda. Compare several soda brands and check their labels for sugar content. The soda brand with the highest sugar content will have less room for carbon dioxide or fizz, whereas that with the lowest sugar content will have maximum fizz. Note your observations.

Effect of Acid Rain on Rocks
We all know that acid rain corrodes rocks. But how exactly does this happen. This simple experiment allows you to study the effects of acid rain on rocks. Take a piece of limestone and pour some vinegar in it. Limestone is a compound of calcium carbonate, which is also found in several other types of rocks. As soon as you pour vinegar in it, the calcium carbonate in limestone reacts with the acid in vinegar to produce fizz. Eventually, the reaction will completely dissolve the limestone piece. Repeat the experiment with different types of rocks and acids. Note your observations and find out which acid erodes the rocks most.

Effect of Music on the Mind
Music influences the human mind tremendously. But do you know what genre of music affects you the most? This behavioral science experiment can be conducted in any day care or kindergarten. Play different genres of music and see how kids respond to it. Also, check the effect of music on the sleeping pattern of kids. Draw an inference from your observations.

There are several other topics for science fair projects that you can explore. No matter what you choose, just make sure you get to the depth of the subject.