Using a lead pencil, draw and color in a circle on a piece of paper. Rub your index finger on the circle until your fingertip is black with lead. Stick a 1-inch piece of tape onto your finger then remove it. Place the piece of tape on a blank piece of paper and label it "index finger," then repeat the process for all fingers. Note the three different types of fingerprints, arch, whorl and loop, using these results to show how different each of our own fingerprints is.
This project requires biological family participation as well as participation from the student. Repeat the steps of the identification project, except this time purchase an ink pad instead of a lead pencil. Store results in a three-ring binder, creating pages for each family member from whom a fingerprint is collected. Using a magnifying glass, compare everyone's individual fingerprints, noting and charting any discovered similarities or differences.
Using an ink pad, take fingerprints from every classmate and label them clearly with their names. The Federal Bureau of Investigation suggests either rolling the fingers from nail-to-nail or using the "flat" procedure whereby all right and left forefingers are inked first, followed by the two thumbprints. Students can take copies home for parents' records, as well as giving copies to the school. Make bigger photocopies of the fingerprints for display in the project, using this information as further illustration that there are no two fingerprints alike.
Show the impact of environment elements on a fingerprint with this project. With the help of an adult, test fingerprints on a glass surface for its resistance to "sun" (heat), "snow" (cold) or "rain" (water). Conduct the heat test in an oven set at the temperature of choice, a freezer for the element of cold, and imitate rainfall by spritzing or splashing the glass with water. Examine the fingerprints afterward with a magnifying glass and record the results. Look for which element and print combination has the best quality after exposure.