In this science project, children can determine the best insulation material for keeping liquids warm. Prepare several containers using several insulation materials, including a Styrofoam cooler, a hard, plastic cooler and an insulated bag. Also prepare three 1-pint plastic containers. Fill each container with 2 cups of boiling water. Measure the temperature of each cup of water every 30 minutes for 3 or 4 hours. Make a graph showing the effectiveness of each type of insulation. From there, you will be able to determine the best insulation material.
Fill three or four snack bags with crackers. Wrap the bags of crackers in different packing materials, including bubble wrap, packing peanuts, regular paper and fluffy stuffing. Place each wrapped bag in a shoe box. Toss the box around and drop each box an equal number of times. Check the box after each drop. Indicate how many tries it took to break the crackers in each packing material and which material was most effective.
Purchase soybean or some other seedlings of the same size. Place each seedling in an aquarium in a sunny location. Cover the top of the aquarium with different colored sheets of plastic, including blue, red, white and yellow. Create a hypothesis for which color of plastic will help the plants grow the best. Also, leave a plant in natural sunlight. Watch the growth of the seedlings over a period of several weeks. Record which light produced the maximum amount of growth for the seedlings.
Use this project to see if natural pesticide remedies can kill fruit flies. Allow five bunches of bananas to rot in three separate bowls. Coat one bowl with a solution of lemon juice -- one with grapefruit juice, one with commercial pesticide and one with tea. Leave one untouched. Record which bunch attracts fruit flies first and which bunch attracts fruit flies last or prevents them from eating the fruit altogether. Record which method was the most effective at keeping the flies away.