Easy Science Fair Project Ideas For A 6th Grader

Science projects give students an opportunity to learn outside the classroom. Sixth graders are given the opportunity to choose projects on their own, along with the help of their parents, and learn about science in nontraditional ways. The students should be given a variety of ideas for potential science projects to help spark their imagination—and then choose a project from a list, or create their own personal science project.

Build a small bird feeder and place it in the student's backyard. The student should then experiment by placing different types of food for birds in the bird feeder. The child should record the types of birds that visit the bird feeder each day. Identify the birds through the use of a bird guide book. Change the food each week for a period for four to six weeks and record which types of birds visit, depending on the type of food used.

Determine which soil is best for growing specific types of flowers. Choose three different types of soil and three different types of flowers. This will require nine small flower pots. Plant the same type of flower seed in three different soils. Monitor which soil the flower grows best in. Do this for the three different flowers, and present your results based on which soil is best for each specific plant and which flower grows best in each type of soil. It is possible one type of soil will be best for all three flowers, or that some flowers grow better in different types of soil.

Study the different moons of Jupiter and research different characteristics about each moon. Present a chart describing the location of the moon in relation to Jupiter, the composition and the interesting facts discovered about each moon. Create a model of Jupiter and its moons to display as part of your science project.

Choose three to four different types of sand that can be purchased at a local greenhouse or garden store. Explore several different characteristics of the different types of sands. These can include the size of the sand, color and magnetic characteristics. To do this, equipment such as a microscope and a small magnet will be necessary. Have the child record the characteristics of the sand for each of these experiments. Ask the child to sketch what she sees in the microscope, and label each type of sand by its shape, color and level of magnetism.

Conduct a series of tests to find out if eggs sink or float in water. Place the eggs in glasses of water. In one glass, measure and add salt slowly, observing the changes. In the second glass, do the same procedure with sugar. Compare how adding sugar and salt to the water that an egg is floating in affects its ability to sink or float.