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 independent research project ideas (21–30)
Exploring Global Warming Through Data
How about researching global warming, which has long been a matter of concern? By learning about how the Earth works and past trends, you may be able to contribute to environmental conservation.
Anyone can do it as long as they have the means to look things up, such as a computer.
Clouds with a plastic bottle
This is a method to learn about the principles of clouds using everyday items.
You’ll create clouds with a mechanism similar to real clouds, so think about what the underlying principle might be.
Since all the materials are common and easy to find, it’s convenient as well.
Give it a try!
How clean can a 10-yen coin get?
It’s a well-known story that dipping a 10-yen coin in soy sauce makes it shiny, and this is an experiment to seriously try it out.
As you can see in the video, watching a decades-old 10-yen coin gleam like new is quite moving.
The Marble That Won’t Come Out
If you’re looking for an easy, hands-on science project, the “Unremovable Marble” is a great pick.
In this project, you’ll use the properties of wood to make a mysterious toy.
Wood becomes soft when soaked in water, and if you insert a marble into the wood at that time, it won’t come out once the wood dries.
When you see it in its dry state, it looks absolutely impossible to have put the marble in, so enjoy making it and look forward to everyone’s reactions when you reveal the trick!
Research materials that can melt ice faster
Here’s a science project that investigates how ice melts! For the experiment, use ice made from tap water as well as ice made by mixing in sugar or salt before freezing, and compare how they melt.
Also prepare materials like Styrofoam, aluminum cups, and glass plates to compare how the type of plate affects melting.
To properly record the experiment, use a thermometer and a timer to measure the exact room temperature and time.
Watching ice melt feels refreshing in the hot summer, making this a perfect project for summer vacation.
Make compost from kitchen waste
It’s an easy project you can do in a day, but with a change in angle it could turn into a grand investigation: “Making compost from kitchen scraps.” Basically, you just put soil in a storage bin, mix in food waste, and leave it.
You can add an extra step like pouring in rice-washing water or adding natto, but most of the time it’s just left alone.
If you want to make it a proper study, there are plenty of variables to test: swap rice-washing water for other liquids, replace natto with yogurt, and so on.
Exploring fermentation times also seems quite deep.
It’s a great science project for a passionate middle schooler who doesn’t want to settle for an ordinary summer!
Make plastic from milk
Did you know you can make plastic using milk? Conventional plastic is a synthetic resin, so it’s not very environmentally friendly.
But plastic made from milk returns to the soil, making it eco-friendly! If you prepare molds you like, you can create original pieces.
Testing whether it truly biodegrades in soil would also make for a good experiment.
