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50 Top 8th Grade Science Fair Projects and Classroom Activities

Find interesting ideas to engage all learners!

For even more free science ideas and printables, head to our science hub! You’ll find resources in every science subject for middle and high school.

Whether your students are preparing for the science fair or you’re looking for classroom ideas to grab their interest, we’ve got the answers! Find lots of 8th grade science fair projects across a spectrum of topics and difficulty levels (including plenty of easy science fair project ideas). Plus, check out fun classroom demos and hands-on experiments and activities your students will love.

To make it easier to find classroom activities or science fair projects for 8th graders, we’ve rated all the projects and activities by difficulty and the materials needed:

Difficulty:

Easy: Low or no-prep experiments you can do pretty much anytime
Medium: These take a little more setup or a longer time to complete
Advanced: Experiments like these take a fairly big commitment of time or effort
Basic: Simple items you probably already have around the house
Medium: Items that you might not already have but are easy to get your hands on
Advanced: These require specialized or more expensive supplies to complete

Biology and Life Science 8th Grade Science Fair Projects

Chemistry 8th grade science fair projects, physics and engineering 8th grade science fair projects, 8th grade science classroom demos, experiments, and hands-on activities.

Explore human behavior, plants and animals, the water cycle, and more with these 8th grade science fair project ideas.

FEATURED PICK

Ward’s Science OpenSciEd Kit : Earth’s Resources & Human Impact

Difficulty: Medium / Materials: Easy (Everything is provided for you!)

Absolutely perfect for teachers using OpenSciEd’s free curriculum for middle school classes , this awesome classroom activity kit can be used by any teacher working with their students on subjects like human impact on Earth’s resources and climate solutions. Ward’s Science OpenSciEd kits come with every item you need to start exploring with your students immediately.

Two eighth grade science students measuring the circumference of a blue balloon

Measure and compare lung capacity

Difficulty: Easy / Materials: Medium

This experiment combines math and biology to measure lung capacity using a balloon. There are a lot of interesting hypotheses students can form, document, and explore while taking these measurements.

Learn more: How To Measure Lung Capacity

A plant in a cardboard box, growing in a twisted pattern through holes toward light at the top

Guide a growing plant through a maze

Difficulty: Medium / Materials: Basic

Prove that plants really do seek out the light by setting up a simple or complex maze. This is a simple 8th grade science project with really cool results.

Learn more: Plant Light Maze

Frozen peas next to two plant containers labeled control and bacteria

Explore symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing bacteria

Difficulty: Medium / Materials: Medium

Many plants depend on nitrogen for growth, but how important is it? This science project compares the growth of pea plants with and without nitrogen-fixing bacteria.

Learn more: Symbiosis: Plants, Nitrogen, and Bacteria

Water quality testing kit with TDS meter

Test water quality

A water-testing kit opens up limitless options for 8th grade science fair projects. Test the water quality of local streams, swimming pools, or even the taps at home.

Learn more: Water Quality Experiment

Plaster cast of dog footprint next to autumn leaves, dated 7/25/15

Cast animal tracks

Explore wildlife biology by becoming an expert tracker! Learn to identify tracks and take casts. Turn this into an experiment by trying different methods to take casts, or use it as a method of identifying wildlife in the woods.

Learn more: Animal Tracks

Determine a plant’s favorite music

Play different types of music for plants, then observe and document any changes in the growth and development of the plants as they’re exposed to different genres of music.

Large fingerprint in black ink on white paper

Conduct fingerprint analysis

Budding forensic scientists will love this idea. Learn to dust for prints and try a technique called “fuming” for trickier surfaces. See if you can compare prints and make accurate matches in the classroom. You can buy a fingerprinting kit just for kids or use supplies from around the house.

Learn more: Fingerprinting

Notecard labeled Personality Type INFJ and worksheet labeled Memory Tests

Examine the connection between personality and memory

Do introverts have better memories than extroverts? This science project aims to find out. Round up some willing volunteers and administer the Myers-Briggs personality test, then challenge your subjects with a memory test. The results may or may not surprise you!

Learn more: Memory and Personality

Mason jars filled with water and algae, along with other chemicals

Measure algae growth

Fertilizer runoff has become a serious cause of water pollution. In this experiment, students will see its effects firsthand and brainstorm ways to keep it in check.

Learn more: Algae and Pollution Experiment

A series of plants in glass jars, labeled

Water plants with different liquids

In this easy science fair project, kids water plants with different liquids, like rainwater, tap water, salt water, and even soda. They might be surprised at the results!

Learn more: Effecting Plant Growth

Beakers and test tubes, pouring and mixing … do it all with these fun chemistry science fair project ideas for 8th graders.

Test tube with yellow liquid labeled neg, test tube with black liquid labeled pos, and stoppered bottle filled with iodine

Perform a starch test with iodine

This simple chemistry experiment uses iodine to determine the starch content of food items. Use the process to perform a variety of 8th grade science experiments related to food.

Learn more: Starch Test

Man rubbing hands together with plastic bag of black liquid in between

Keep your hands warm

If you live in a chilly part of the world, chances are you’ve seen chemical hand warmers for sale. In this 8th grade science fair project, use oxidation to make your own hand warmer, and find other creative ways to use this heating process.

Learn more: Homemade Hand Warmer

Compare electrolytes in sports drinks

Sports-loving kids will enjoy the chance to learn just how many valuable electrolytes their favorite sports drinks contain. Compare them with water or orange juice for a cool science fair project. You’ll need a few special supplies, like a multimeter and an ohm resistor , but they’re not too expensive and they’re easy to find.

Turn juice into spheres

You’ll need a few special supplies for this experiment , but the results are so cool. Turn spherification into a science fair project by experimenting with different beverages and liquids.

Block the sun’s UV rays

Use color-changing UV beads to test the protective power of medicine bottles, hats, clothing, and more. This is an easy 8th grade science fair project with nearly endless possibilities.

Tin pan of sand with large carbon snake growing out of it

Grow a carbon sugar snake

Remember those little black pellets that fire up into long snakes on the 4th of July? This is the same concept but much bigger! The simple chemical reaction of sugar and baking soda makes it happen. Turn this into an 8th grade science fair project by varying the formula to create even bigger results!

Learn more: Carbon Sugar Snake

Create a rainbow of flames

You can change the color of fire by adding chemicals found at your local grocery store—what a sight! How can you use these flame colors to determine the chemical content of other materials? Sounds like a cool 8th grade science fair project!

Study the effects of acid rain

Difficulty: Easy / Materials: Basic

In this project, students use chalk as a stand-in for stone to learn how acid rain affects buildings, statues, and more. Turn this into a science fair project by exploring ways to mitigate the effects of the acidity.

Black mortar filled with pink powder and a pestle

Extract bismuth from Pepto Bismol

Difficulty: Advanced / Materials: Advanced

This is the kind of project that really makes you feel like a scientist. Grinding tablets with a mortar and pestle, filtering in beakers, heating over a Bunsen burner … this is what chemistry is all about!

Learn more: Extracting Bismuth

A Hot Yeast Experiment. Bottle of fizzing liquid with a partially inflated green balloon attached to the top.

Optimize fermentation temperature

Delve into the mystery of how temperature affects the fermentation process and determine the optimum temperature for yeast development. (Test your hypothesis by baking a loaf of bread!)

Learn more: Hot Yeast

Bowl filled with root beer and dry ice, spilling over with white vapors

Brew up some root beer

Who says science can’t be delicious ? Tinker with the basic root beer recipe to make it sweeter, fizzier, or better in any way you like!

Learn more: Homemade Root Beer

For those who love to build and tinker, try a science fair project that experiments with various physics concepts like energy, electricity, motion, and more.

Simple lightbulb built from a glass jar, battery, and wires

Build a better light bulb

First, use the steps at the link to build a simple light bulb with a jar, some wire, and a 6-volt battery . Then, turn it into an 8th grade science fair project by tinkering with the various materials to make a light bulb that lasts longer, burns brighter, or is powered by an alternative source.

Learn more: Build a Light Bulb

Test the strength of interleaved paper

Paper seems smooth and slides apart easily, right? Not when you add friction into the mix! Mythbusters was amazed at how much strength it took to pull apart two interleaved phone books. Try this with smaller books for an 8th grade science fair project that people won’t believe!

Student standing on top of a structure built from cardboard sheets and paper cups

Stand on a pile of paper cups

Combine physics and engineering and challenge 8th grade science students to create a paper cup structure that can support their weight. This is a cool project for aspiring architects.

Learn more: Stand on a Paper Cup

Cook up a tasty treat with solar energy

Students can design and build a solar oven, and then use it to cook food to compare the cooking time and temperature with a conventional oven. See if you can improve on the original design by changing up the materials or construction.

8th grade science project studying viscosity, surface tension, and temperature.

Investigate advanced properties of liquids

Do surface tension and viscosity decrease with increasing temperature? Find out in this 8th grade science fair project.

Learn more: Surface Tension and Viscosity

Make a solar desalinator

Clean fresh water is a valuable commodity. Construct solar-powered desalination devices with readily available materials, and find the most effective desalination methods.

Engineer a roller coaster loop

Kids may have created roller coasters with marbles before, but have they ever built one with a loop-the-loop? They’ll have to experiment to find out which initial height gives a marble the speed it needs to complete the journey.

Lightning pattern made on piece of acrylic with photocopier toner

Capture a picture of lightning

Difficulty: Advanced / Materials: Medium

Lichtenberg figures capture the branching path of electricity as it travels through an object. You can make your own in a variety of ways, including burning it into wood or acrylic.

Learn more: Lichtenberg Figures

Collage of STEM car crash project images

Crash cars for science

This is a great class project for teachers, but it’s also excellent for an 8th grade science fair project. Build cars and crash-test them to learn the best methods of keeping passengers safe.

Learn more: STEM Car Crash Project

Wood craft stick balanced on end on a pencil, with orange pipe cleaner twisted around it

Discover the center of gravity

Once you find and maintain its center of gravity, almost any object will balance, even in surprising circumstances. Using this concept, what amazing objects can you balance and where?

Learn more: Center of Gravity Experiment

Bottle of distilled white vinegar, paper towel, aluminum foil, duct tape, pennies, electrical wires, and voltmeter

Power up homemade batteries

Building batteries is a classic science experiment for any age. Make it into an 8th grade science fair project by trying different variables and exploring the amount of power you can produce.

Learn more: DIY Batteries

Assemble a spring balance scale

Apply Hooke’s law to find out if the stretching of a spring can be used to accurately measure the weight of objects. The materials are simple, but you’ll need patience and physics to calibrate a spring and use it to test weights.

Model robotic hand made from paper, straws, and string

Design a robotic hand

This is a project that can be tweaked by coming up with ways to improve upon the design. Can you build a hand that can pick up a ball? How about one that can pluck up a piece of string? So many possibilities!

Learn more: DIY Model Robot Hand STEM Activity

Build an infinity mirror

Experiment with optical illusions by creating a tunnel of lights that seems to stretch away into infinity. Eighth grade science students will learn about engineering and the physics of optics along the way.

Construct a Rube Goldberg machine

Create a machine to complete a simple task in the most complicated fashion! This is a neat 8th grade STEM fair project because it allows you to use a variety of physics concepts in a fun way.

Explore a wide variety of 8th grade science concepts with these fun and engaging activities.

Protect an egg in a crash

We love this spin on the classic egg-drop project. In this version, students build a structure to protect an egg during a collision with a wall, making the connection between crash tests and physics concepts.

Egg on top of a toilet paper tube, standing on a plate on a glass of water, with a man ready to hit the plate

Drop an egg to prove the first law of motion

This experiment looks like a magic trick, but it’s firmly grounded in Newton’s first law of motion. When you knock the pie tin out of the way, the egg falls straight into the glass thanks to inertia. (Worried about making a mess? Use plastic eggs instead.)

Learn more: Egg Drop Inertia Challenge

Break out the leaf blower to teach Bernoulli’s principle

Eighth grade science students have probably seen a Bernoulli demo or two, often with straws and Ping-Pong balls. So grab their attention by trying it with a leaf blower and beach ball instead!

Newton's Cradle built of wood craft sticks, yarn, and marbles

Assemble a Newton’s cradle

Newton’s cradle is a fascinating way of demonstrating momentum and energy transfer. Follow the directions at the link to build one, or challenge 8th grade science students to experiment with their own construction methods.

Learn more: Newton’s Cradle

Extinguish a candle without blowing it out

Combine an acid-base experiment with some fire science in this really popular classroom science demo. It seems like magic, but it’s just science!

Student's hand holding a lighter over a candle that has just been blown out

Relight a candle without touching it

Tell students you’re going to relight a candle without touching the flame to the wick. The results will boggle their minds!

Learn more: Magic Traveling Flame

Demonstrate the “unpoppable” balloon

Your students won’t believe you when you say you can hold a balloon up to a flame without popping it. Use the conductivity of water to prove your point.

Test tube with cloudy liquid and small white floating strand

Extract your own DNA

DNA is the blueprint of life, and you’ll be surprised at how easy it is to extract your own with a few simple supplies. Preserve it in alcohol in the freezer when you’re done.

Learn more: How To Extract DNA at Home

Build a trash can air cannon

This is such a fun way to demonstrate an air vortex! It takes a little effort to build the air cannon, but you can use it year after year for amazing 8th grade science demos.

Eighth grade girl wearing goggles, looking at a container of water with test tubes and electric wires

Separate water into hydrogen and oxygen

Use electrolysis to prove that water really is made up of hydrogen and oxygen. It’s a simple concept but one that never fails to amaze.

Learn more: Separating Water Into Hydrogen and Oxygen

Assemble a ring of Pringles

Everybody loves an edible STEM challenge! Here’s one that seems simple but takes some time to work out: Build a ring of Pringles chips without using any other materials.

Student showing a foil platform balanced on drinking straws, holding two yellow plastic cups of water

Construct a cup holder

Can your 8th grade science students build a device to stabilize and carry two cups of water using only a few simple supplies? Oh, and can they manage it in just 5 minutes? This timed challenge pushes their creative engineering limits!

Learn more: Cup Holder STEM Challenge

Navigate a light maze

Here’s the STEM challenge: Bounce a beam of light around a corner past an obstacle. Increase the difficulty by adding more obstacles and variables.

Make solar oven s’mores

Demonstrate the principle of converting solar radiation into heat in the yummiest way possible by having your students construct their own solar ovens and baking s’mores using nothing but the light from the sun.