Janice VanCleave's Super Science Challenges: Hands-On Inquiry Projects for Schools, Science Fairs, or Just Plain Fun!

How to Use This Book.

For Teachers.

1. Make a Scale Model of the Planets of the Solar System That Shows the Planets’ Distances from the Sun.

2. Demonstrate How the Sun Appears in Different Parts of the Sky during the Year.

3. Demonstrate Why Stars of the Same Luminosity Can Appear to Be of Different Brightness.

4. Determine Which Light Color Has the Least Effect on Night Vision.

5. Determine How the Focal Length of a Magnifying Lens Affects Its Magnifying Power.

6. Use the North Star to Determine Where You Live on Earth.

7. Design a Way to Measure Parallax Shift and Use It to Determine the Distance to an Object.

8. Determine Why the Sun and the Moon Appear to Be the Same Size in the Sky.

9. Demonstrate How Earth’s Rotation Affects Launching a Rocket into Space.

10. Determine How the Positions of the Sun, the Moon, and Earth Affect Moon Phases.

11. Determine How the Concentration of a Salt Solution Affects the Rate of Osmosis.

12. Create a Test to Determine if People Favor One Foot over the Other.

13. Create an Optical Illusion.

14. Clone a Plant.

15. Determine if Seed Type Affects the Speed of Seed Growth.

16. Develop a Method for Determining a Plant’s Rate of Transpiration.

17. Show That Fruits Contain Germination Inhibitors.

18. Determine if the Head of a Sunflower Is Made of Complete or Incomplete Flowers.

19. Determine the Rate of Geotropism of Plant Stems.

20. Determine the Effect of Gray Water on Plant Growth.

21. Keep Iron from Rusting.

22. Determine How the Rate of Diffusion of a Material Is Affected by the Shape of the Container It’s In.

23. Determine Which Type of Polymer Food Wrap Is Best at Preventing Food Dehydration.

24. Determine the Effect of Temperature on the Adhesion of Polyvinyl Acetate Glue.

25. Make Recycled Paper.

26. Find the Most Absorbent Brand of Paper Towels.

27. Separate the Substances in a Mixture.

28. Make More of a Solute Dissolve in Water.

29. Design Ways to Test Water Hardness.

30. Find Out Which Color Pigments Are Hidden in a Green Leaf.

31. Determine How the Physical Characteristics of Earth’s Surface Affect Climate.

32. Determine the Effect of Changes in Air Pressure on Wind Velocity.

33. Determine How Earth’s Rotation Affects the Spin Direction of Hurricanes.

34. Design a Device That Makes a Vertical Line.

35. Find as Many Real-Life Examples of Mechanical Weathering as Possible.

36. Find Ways to Keep Leaching from Polluting Water Sources.

37. Grow Large Crystals.

38. Determine What Factors Affect the Growth Rate of Crystals.

39. Make a Model of Earth’s Water Cycle.

40. Determine the Effect of Wind on Measuring Rainfall.

41. Find Ways to Reduce Friction.

42. Compare the Viscosity of Different Fluids.

43. Create a Balloon Rocket.

44. Build a Toy That Will Throw a Ball toward a Target.

45. Determine the Effect of Temperature on How High a Rubber Ball Bounces.

46. Determine if a Swing Will Move Faster with a Lighter Person on It.

47. Design a Musical Instrument That Can Play Different Pitches.

48. Use Colored Filters to Send Secret Messages.

49. Demonstrate the Scattering of Light.

50. Design a Solar Cooker.

Glossary.

Index.