Dropping a ruler from a higher position will test the boys in the class against the girls for their reaction time. One person should hold the ruler standing on a chair. Use the same person to test both the boys and the girls. Hold the ruler at the very top above the head of the boy or girl. The person being tested should have his hand at the bottom of the ruler, ready to catch it as it is dropped. Give a 5 second warning and drop the ruler. Record the level and convert the distance into a reaction time with an online chart at the Neuroscience for Kids website.
Test reaction times with a science experiment using the ruler drop method but using parents against the 7th grade students. Use the same person to hold the ruler for the students and the parents. Drop the ruler and measure the point where the student or the parent caught it. Compare the reaction times of the children and the parents before and after they practice to see if reaction times improve.
Compare the reaction times of sound and visual stimulus using your computer. Use an online test from the Math is Fun or the Exploratorium websites to test reaction times using sight alone. Websites Science Joy Wagon and Flash Science have reaction time testers using audio cues. Gather data using other students' reaction times to each kind of stimuli and compare on a graph.
Reaction times may be improved with stimulants, such as mint tea. Use a group of students for a control group and test their reaction times with the ruler drop method or computer software without any mint tea. Another group drinks mint tea 30 minutes before being tested. A third group drinks milk 30 minutes before the testing. Compare the results. Repeat the test more than once to compare the data.