Chemical science projects that involve a chemical change are often chosen by middle and high school students. Many children like to do an experiment with a dramatic chemical change. When searching for a project, it can be difficult to find a chemical experiment that is easy to find and easy to work with.

A popular project involving chemicals is an experiment to determine which fruit or fruit juice has the most vitamin C. A simple indicator is made from cornstarch and iodine. Students (and parents) enjoy seeing the chemical reaction that occurs along with the titration, which is a fancy way of saying “put drops.” This project can be modified in several different ways, allowing your student’s creativity to shine. We received letters from many students telling us that this easy science project was submitted to the fair and was chosen as a winner.

Another great science project involving a chemical change is looking at what happens when yeast ‘eats’ sugar. In this project, warm water and yeast are placed in a bottle with a little sugar. A balloon is placed over the mouth of the bottle. As the yeast consumes the sugar, carbon dioxide is released, causing the balloon to burst. This project is so much fun to watch that our kids did it over and over until we ran out of yeast.

Both projects can be done as demos; they offer dramatic reactions that students will be able to observe immediately. Both science projects can also be experiments. They lend themselves naturally to questioning, hypothesis formation, and testing. The results can be easily graphed to form a conclusion.