Science Project Ideas Needed for Year 6 dd

[Earlybird]

DD has been assigned the task of doing a simple science project that can be done at school (with a classroom partner) that cannot involve:
Plants, animals or eating anything.

Any suggestions? Websites or references that might provide some ideas would be much appreciated.

Does it have to be biology based? Because she could do something physics related/mechanic-y? You could look at bitesize. You could also look at planet?

What about that lava thing where you mix citric acid, soda bic , with water, washing up, bit of red food colouring mixture? Makes moderately impressive "lava". Science behind it is in the recesses of my brain but I'm sure it's easily found.

Thanks for response. Will check with her on the biology question.

Sorry to be dim but what is planet?

That was meant to be planets, not some new website or something

they can compare how much gluten (glue to a 6 year old) is in different types of flour

cornflour
plain flour
bread flour

'J'cloth

weigh out same amount of each type of flour, bundle it up in a square of 'J' cloth, rinse under the tap until the water runs clear, then weigh whatever is left in the cloth -they can predict which it will be then compare the result

you can bake the reisdue if you want but I wouldn't advise eating it lol

oops just re read and it's year 6 nt 6 year old -year 6 can call it gluten lol

Try looking up about.com and easy science projects. Have seen my sis(science teacher) use this.

I thought you were enlightening me about some fab new website!

Do you have something in mind that she could do in a lab setting that relates to planets?

Do you have any equipment available? I was thinking of a simple electrical circuits (battery, switch, light bulbs and wires to connect in various ways) - perhaps by dismembering a torch?

Circuits would be good, in a lab I don't know what you could do but for a research project on planets you could research size (put into perspective eg 20 times the size of the earch etc), how it's different to earth plus make a model etc.

They studied electricity last year, and learned about circuits etc (meant she did pretty well with the hands-on electrical exhibit at the Science Museum this summer).

So far, she has a half-formed idea that involves a hairdryer and blowing various size/weight balls across a table......, so am trying to help her along.

Thanks for the suggestions so far, and keep 'em coming please!

what about measuring the length of a spring with different weights attached?

that could be a possibility........I should have guessed that a poster with the name of 'gelatinous' would have good ideas about science!

There are some interesting links from this page, including to this potentially messy one.

What you need for a nail to rust.
Dry nail, nail in boiled water with oil on top, nail in water, possibly nail in salty water would rust even quicker.
I'm sure google will have something it's a standard Y7 sort of thing.

Just realised the second link takes you to the home page - lots of ideas for experiments/investigations. The messy one was "the Philosopher's Stone" which is at the very bottom of the drop down menu - and is showing that even when it looks as if something is changing by magic, it's actually recombining the original ingredients not making something new.

Looking at the different coloured pigments that make up a black felt pen. (chromatography)

You need a few different black pens and some strips of absorbent paper (coffee filter, cheap drawing paper) and some water and/or solvent (nail polish remover) - find a diagram on the Internet.

It's like a detective trick - you can work out which pen was used to write the ransom note

BBC bitesize rocks and metals have the rusting experiment, stupid iPod wont copy the link.

Felt pen one is fun.
Some paste food colourings split too.
Food colourings also make good microscope stains, but a primary probably doesn't have a decent microscope or like it's pupils using razor blades.

I like using this site. Also the science museum site - sorry haven't found you a link but promise it's easy to google. Our y6 particularly loved investigating the effect of hot air and cold air on a balloon inflating, shaking carbonated water, blowing balloons up and the like to explore gases, and they always love the "volcano experiment" with bicarb and vinegar.

Hmmm..

Different insulating materials around a cup of hot (or icy) water? Lots of scope for presenting data as bar charts, line graphs etc., thinking about fair testing etc. (Science teaching thinking about educational scope and curriculum links rather than fun - sorry!).

The dissolving sugar one on mrs shreks link also has a lot of educational scope (could use teaspoons of sugar rather than sugar cubes)

Get two cans of coke, one diet, one ordinary.

Fill a basin up with water

Put both cans in

Why does one float and one sink?

Lay a speaker on its back, cling film it heavily if you value it.
Mix cornflour and water and pour the resulting paste in the speaker cone.
When you play something really bass-heavy through the speaker, the cornflour gloop "dances" as shock waves from the sound solidify the liquid briefly.