DIY science projects with household items

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Here are some creative and educational DIY science projects that an 8th-grade student can do using common household items:

1. Homemade Lava Lamp

Materials Needed:
  • Clear plastic bottle or glass
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  • Water
  • Vegetable oil
  • Food coloring
  • Alka-Seltzer tablets
Steps:
  1. Fill the bottle about 1/4 full with water.
  2. Add a few drops of food coloring to the water.
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  3. Fill the rest of the bottle with vegetable oil, leaving some space at the top.
  4. Break an Alka-Seltzer tablet into small pieces and drop them into the bottle one at a time. Watch as the colored water bubbles up through the oil, creating a lava lamp effect.
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Explanation:
This experiment demonstrates the principle of density and how different substances interact. The oil floats on top of the water because it is less dense, and the Alka-Seltzer creates carbon dioxide gas bubbles that carry colored water up through the oil.

2. Elephant Toothpaste

Materials Needed:
  • Hydrogen peroxide (6% or higher concentration)
  • Dish soap
  • Food coloring (optional)
  • Dry yeast
  • Warm water
  • A bottle or container to mix the ingredients
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Steps:
  1. Mix a small amount of warm water with dry yeast and let it sit for a few minutes to activate.
  2. Pour hydrogen peroxide into the bottle or container.
  3. Add a few drops of food coloring and dish soap to the hydrogen peroxide.
  4. Quickly pour the yeast mixture into the bottle and watch the foam erupt out of the top.
Explanation:
This experiment demonstrates an exothermic reaction where hydrogen peroxide decomposes into water and oxygen gas, catalyzed by yeast. The dish soap traps the oxygen gas, creating a large amount of foam.

3. Baking Soda and Vinegar Volcano

Materials Needed:
  • Baking soda
  • Vinegar
  • Dish soap (optional for more foam)
  • Food coloring (optional for effect)
  • Playdough or clay (to form the volcano structure)
  • Small container (to place inside the volcano)
Steps:
  1. Form a volcano shape around a small container using playdough or clay.
  2. Place a few tablespoons of baking soda into the container inside the volcano.
  3. Add a few drops of food coloring and dish soap to the baking soda (optional).
  4. Pour vinegar into the container and watch the eruption!
Explanation:
This model demonstrates an acid-base reaction between baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and vinegar (acetic acid). The reaction produces carbon dioxide gas, which causes the eruption.

4. Crystal Growing

Materials Needed:
  • Borax powder
  • Pipe cleaners
  • String
  • Pencil or stick
  • Boiling water
  • Jar or glass
Steps:
  1. Bend pipe cleaners into desired shapes and attach them to a pencil or stick using string.
  2. Suspend the pipe cleaners in a jar or glass filled with boiling water.
  3. Add borax powder to the water and stir until it dissolves completely.
  4. Let the solution cool and leave it undisturbed for several hours or overnight. Crystals will form on the pipe cleaners.
Explanation:
This project demonstrates the process of crystallization, where dissolved solids come out of solution and form solid crystals as the solution cools and evaporates.
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