Best Science Experiments with Water: Science Fair Project Ideas

Water plays a crucial role in life. There are very few substances on Earth more important than water. All plants and animals cannot survive without it. If there was no water on Earth, there would be no life. In addition to its own intrinsic value, water also has an amazing range of properties and uses.

Here is a collection of simple but incredibly fun water experiments for you to explore water properties and to learn about their use.

Refraction

Refraction is the bending of light as it passes from one transparent medium into another.

You can do some really good magic tricks using this water refraction property.

A straw inserted in a glass of water seems to be broken in middle — Refraction Of Light

penny at bottom of glass with water shows a reflection — Double The Coin Experiment

arrow points right behind glass, arrow points left when the glass is full of water — Refraction Tricks

Water Density

Density is the key to the floating property of water. Buoyancy and density are interrelated and they can be used in interesting experiments.

Lava lamp in a glass using water, oil and blue food coloring — Homemade Lava Lamp

water with rainbow color inside a straw — Sugar Water Density Experiment

convection: red water floats from bottom to top, blue water sinks from top to bottom — Thunderstorm In A Tank

two grapes sink in one glass of water, another two grapes float in a glass of water — Grapes Sink Or Float?

blue water bottle on top of yellow water bottle on the left. Greenish blue water bottle on top of deep blue water bottle on the right — How To Make Ocean Currents

Ketchup Packet floats inside a bottle of water — How Do Fish Swim (Cartesian Diver)

Surface Tension

Surface tension exists in water because water molecules (the little pieces of water) tend to stick to one another (cohesion). You can come up with endless interesting projects using water’s surface tension property.

toy boat made out of paper and foam shapes — Make A Soap-Powered Boat

drops of water on top of penny form a dome shape — Water Drops On A Penny STEM Challenge

square cube soap bubble made with green pipe cleaners — How To Make A Square Bubble

using a straw, blow a big bubble on a surface — How To Poke A Bubble Without Popping It

finger dipped into a dish of peppers and the peppers disperse — See Surface Tension In Action

bubble snake dripping onto a hand — Make A Bubble Snake

Water Cycle Experiments

The water cycle can affect the Earth’s weather and climate. Clouds, rivers and ground water are all part of it. When one element in the cycle is disrupted, the environment and landscape can be affected significantly. Create this mini water cycle in a bag to see the water cycle in action.

water cycle in a bag using markers and blue water — What Is Water Cycle

Evaporation is a vital stage in the water cycle. Water on the ground or in the ocean are evaporated to create vapor and vapors condense to become clouds that make rain.

Water droplets under plastic wrap — Evaporation

Capillary Action

Capillary action is one of the most amazing water properties. This experiment illustrates how plants absorb nutrients and stay alive through capillary action.

rose with two colors on two sides — Color Changing Flowers

This is another experiment that uses capillary action in wooden toothpicks. You will see an expanding star forming right in front of you.

Make a star using colorful toothpicks — Make A Expanding Toothpick Star

Water Pressure Experiments

As you submerge in water, you will feel a force pushing at you from all sides. That is water pressure. It is a force that pushes water from a high pressure area to a low pressure area. Take a look at this simple water pressure experiment.

Three streams of water leaking from a bottle of water — Water Pressure Experiment

These experiments explore the solubility property of water. They are very entertaining to do and to look at, especially this Candy Science experiment.

Freezing Point

Besides the freezing point, the boiling point is also a very special property of water. See why salts are used to melt ice after a winter storm.

Fishing for a sticky ice cube using a twine — Fishing For Ice

Can you come up with an interesting boiling point experiment for the next science fair?

That’s it? These are all the water properties experiments?

Of course not!

There are basically countless science projects you can come up with exploring one water characteristic or another.

Water is fun!