Recommended for high school students! A collection of easy one-day science project ideas
High school students who are struggling to choose a topic for their summer vacation independent research project, this is for you.
If you’re looking for an easy project—like “an experiment that can be done in a short time” or “a research project that looks impressive”—good news! This article introduces independent research ideas packed with the fun of science, focusing on experiments and hands-on builds.
From steam engines to planetariums, these are all projects that will make viewers exclaim, “Wow!” And surprisingly, many are easier to tackle than you’d think.
Find a wonderful project that will become a lasting summer memory!
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Recommended for High School Students! A Collection of Easy One-Day Independent Research Ideas (71–80)
sand candle
Here’s a science project idea that adapts sand art using colorful sand.
Make cute and romantic sand candles and become the star of your class! It’s super easy: place a candle wick in the center of a glass and add sand little by little with a spoon.
The fun of this project is trying different things—experiment with color combinations, adjust the amounts, or mix the sands.
There are also sand candle kits available, so check those out if you want an easy start.
After you’re done, light it in the dark and let it soothe you!
pinhole camera
A pinhole camera is a classic choice for a summer vacation science project.
It’s a simple camera you can make with two boxes: make a small hole in one box, and stretch tracing paper over the other to serve as a screen.
Then place the box with the hole on the outside, slide the two boxes together, and take a look…
The subject appears on the screen upside down and reversed left to right.
Try writing a report explaining why the image appears this way.
If you can go further and use photographic paper to actually shoot and develop images, that’s even better.
Make a pinhole camera and study its structure
For your summer vacation independent project, how about making a pinhole camera? You can easily make one with craft paper, black construction paper, tracing paper, and aluminum foil! First, draw the layouts for an inner box and an outer box on the craft paper and cut them out.
Cut the construction paper to the same shapes and glue it onto the craft paper.
Assemble the boxes so that the black paper faces inward.
Attach tracing paper to the inner box, then sandwich aluminum foil in the pinhole frame and glue it in place.
Make a small hole in the center and attach it to the outer box.
Stack the outer and inner boxes, and your camera is complete! When you look into the box, the world appears upside down—it’s really fun.
Try to use it in a bright place.
Felt Humidifier
In winter, the air gets dry and it’s easy to strain your throat.
To get ready for the cold season, why not make your own personal humidifier that you can keep in your room as a summer vacation project? By simply changing the felt piece on top, you can enjoy different styles of humidifiers.
The basic structure is a felt craft placed on top of a ceramic vessel filled with water.
Felt absorbs water well, providing a gentle humidifying effect.
You can crochet the felt into flower shapes or make cute animals—both are great! It’s also fun to do felt crafts with friends.
If you add a few drops of essential oil to the water, everyone might feel a bit more luxurious.
Be sure to change the water frequently to prevent mold!
PET bottle water purifier
Many people are looking for simple science projects.
In such cases, a PET-bottle water purifier is recommended.
In this experiment, you create a purifier by filling a plastic bottle with materials like charcoal, gravel, and cloth.
You can test the purifier’s effectiveness and explore how it works, or focus your study on themes like designing a water purifier that’s easy to make during disasters.
Cook home-style dishes from countries around the world
How about a tasty independent research project? In this project, you’ll explore home-cooked dishes from countries around the world.
Of course you’ll look into how they’re made and the ingredients, but it’s also important to think about what the dishes reveal about each country’s climate and culture.
Home cooking is extremely helpful for understanding a country’s people and their daily lives.
Someday, when you travel, the knowledge from your project will help bring you closer to that country.
Ice experiment using saltwater
For independent research projects, it seems many people make crafts.
So why not stand out by doing a chemistry experiment instead? Many of you probably know that adding saltwater to ice lowers the temperature.
But does the degree of cooling depend on the amount of salt? How about this experiment, which allows for solid research with simple preparation—just ice, saltwater, and a thermometer?