CHEMISTRY SCIENCE FAIR PROJECT (by: Miss Nia)

1. Chemistry Garden/ Magic RocksThis is the classic chemical garden or crystal garden, and one of the easiest ways to make an aquarium unfit for aquatic life ever again, so use a mason jar or other clear glass container that will serve no other purpose than to do this project. Metal salts react with sodium silicate to form fanciful waxy-looking towers.

2. Hot Ice or Sodium AcetateGot vinegar and baking soda? If so, you can make 'hot ice' or sodium acetate at home and then cause it to instantly crystallize from a liquid in 'ice'. The reaction generates heat, so the ice is hot. It happens so quickly, you can form crystal towers as you pour the liquid into a dish.

Experiment Materials: vinegar, baking soda3. Burning Money

This is a magic trick using chemistry. You can set a bill on fire, yet it won't burn.4. Chalk Chromatography Science Project

Use chalk and rubbing alcohol to separate out the pigments in food coloring or ink. This is a visually appealing science project that yields quick results.Coffee Filter ChromatographySeparation chemistry is a snap. A coffee filter works great, though if you don't drink coffee, you can substitute a paper towel. You could devise a project comparing the separation you get using different brands of paper towels. Leaves from outdoors can provide pigments. Frozen spinach is another good choice.

5. Classic Chemical VolcanoThis is the old-school chemistry lab volcano, as opposed to the baking soda volcano that used to be a staple at science fairs. Ammonium dichromate glows and gives off sparks as it decomposes, and makes its own cinder cone of green ash. Chromium compounds are toxic - this is a chemistry lab demonstration and not a great choice for the armchair scientist. It's still cool. It involves fire. This is the classic science fair demonstration in which you simulate a volcanic eruption using kitchen chemicals.

Experiment Materials: baking soda, vinegar, water, detergent, food coloring and either a bottle or else you can build a dough volcano

6. Seven Layer Density ColumnMake a density column with many liquid layers using common household liquids. This is an easy, fun and colorful science project that illustrates the concepts of density and miscibility.

7. Invisible InkInvisible inks either react with another chemical to become visible or else weaken the structure of the paper so the message appears if you hold it over a heat source. We're not talking about fire here. The heat of a normal light bulb is all that's required to darken the lettering. This baking soda recipe is nice because if you don't want to use a light bulb to reveal the message, you can just swab the paper with grape juice instead.Write a secret message, which becomes invisible when the paper is dry. Reveal the secret!

Experiment Materials: paper and just about any chemical in your house8. Penny Chemistry

You can clean pennies, coat them with verdigris, and plate them with copper. This project demonstrates several chemical processes, yet the materials are easy to find and the science is safe enough for kids.

9. Make pH IndicatorMake your own pH indicator solution from red cabbage or another pH-sensitive food then use the indicator solution to experiment with the acidity of common household chemicals.

Experiment Materials: red cabbageCabbage pH Paper: Make your own pH paper test strips and then test the acidity of common household chemicals. Can you predict which chemicals are acids and which are bases?

10. Colored FlowersIt's easy to make your own colored flowers, especially carnations and daisies, but there are a couple of tricks that help ensure great results. Here's how you do it.