Recommended for middle school students! A collection of quick science project ideas you can do in a short time.
Are you struggling to choose a topic for your middle school independent research project? In fact, with a small twist, you can easily do interesting experiments using everyday items like smartphones, mouthwash, and even bread! In this article, we’ll share tips for independent research—from original ideas to classic experiments—that will make everyone say “Wow!” All of these experiments let you experience the wonders of science, such as programming and chromatography.
Through your summer vacation project, you’re sure to make exciting new discoveries!
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Recommended for junior high school students! A collection of quick science project ideas (71–80)
Experiment to make clear ice
If you take a close look at the ice in drinks served at shops or the ice cubes sold in stores, they’re beautifully clear.
Meanwhile, the ice you make at home often looks cloudy, doesn’t it? That’s because clear ice contains fewer impurities and is frozen slowly over time.
Once you know the trick, it’s nothing special—but turning this mystery into a science project could be fun.
People often say you can make clear ice by wrapping water in bubble wrap (the cushioning material) and chilling it, but it would be great to run comparative experiments on those conditions.
Ultra-clear ice really draws attention!
Baking Soda and Vinegar Experiment
A highly recommended project for anyone looking for a classic, science-focused independent study is the “baking soda and vinegar experiment.” If you’re in middle school, you’ve probably produced various gases in science class.
For example, oxygen is generated by mixing manganese dioxide and hydrogen peroxide.
In the experiment introduced here, mixing baking soda and vinegar produces carbon dioxide.
There are many ways to present it, such as inflating a balloon or a glove with the generated carbon dioxide.
The “baking soda × vinegar” experiment is also a versatile idea that can be adapted into a project like “making different gases using everyday materials.”
Electric string telephone production
String telephones are a classic kids’ craft, but they’re a bit too simple for middle schoolers, aren’t they? So this time, I’d like to introduce the idea of an electric string telephone.
It looks just like a regular string telephone, but by using components built into a personal safety alarm, we’ll make a string telephone that carries your voice as an electrical signal.
It’s a simple yet authentic project that uses tools and a soldering iron, so middle school students should have fun building it.
Once the string telephone is complete, please also put together a summary of the steps and an explanation of how the voice transmission works.
Recommended for middle schoolers! A collection of quick science project ideas (81–90)
Let’s explore the secrets of sound
Here’s an idea for a flute you can make just by connecting straws.
Prepare straws that are all the same thickness and length.
You’ll need 8 straws for the mouthpiece, and since you’ll place spacer straws between them, prepare an additional 7, for a total of 15.
Cut the spacer straws to 5 cm.
The straws that become the flute pipes will vary in length depending on the pitch, so be sure to measure their lengths carefully with a ruler.
After cutting, seal one end of each straw with tape to make it a closed pipe.
Once everything is connected and glued together, it’s done.
Try experimenting with different lengths to see what sounds they make.
Grow microorganisms
Have you ever wondered what microorganisms really are? Let’s try raising a plankton called Artemia—also known as sea monkeys—using an easy microorganism-growing kit.
Artemia are often called living fossils because they haven’t changed for 100 million years.
Their eggs can withstand long periods of desiccation, so they can even be sold in capsule toy machines.
Just watching the newly hatched Artemia swim around is soothing, and before you know it, you might grow quite fond of them.
Survey on universal design
Facilities and products that can be used regardless of culture, nationality, age, or gender are called universal design.
Scissors are one example.
Scissors are basically made for right-handed people.
You’ll notice if you try: when you use them with your left hand, they don’t cut well.
Recognizing this, scissors designed with universal design principles are now available.
Try looking around and see what universal design items you can find in your daily life.
Research brimming with love for Dragon Ball
I think it would be fun to choose Dragon Ball, an anime that’s extremely popular with kids, as the theme for an independent research project! Dragon Ball is loved by a wide range of generations, from children to adults.
You could count the sound effects that appear in the manga, present them with graphs and numbers, and note how many times the same sounds are used.
It might also be enjoyable to think about how powerful the Kamehameha is, or to research how nutritious senzu beans are.
Over the long summer vacation, incorporating something you’re interested in into your independent research could help deepen your knowledge.
