Science Fair Project Ideas: Plants & Music
Science Fair Project Ideas
The school Science Fair can be as fun or boring as you make it. You can pick a topic you just don't care about, or you can pick something interesting with a twist.
Granted testing plant growth, isn't the most exciting science project in the world, but when you add music to the mix, you've added your own twist to the project.
Again, this is an in-between project, meaning it's not the most unoriginal topic, but it's not the most unique either.
But, think about it, you get to play your favorite music loud, and your parents can't tell you to turn it off because it's "I'm working on my science project Mom!"
Supplies
- Bean plants (already sprouted) (have 2 plants for every music genre you plan on testing plus 2 plants that will not be exposed to music; it may be best to stick with 3 or 4 music styles.)
- Plastic cups
- Plastic plates
- Potting soil
- CDs and/ or radio
- Notebook
- Ruler
- Scissors
- Distilled water
Alternative Project Idea
Instead of testing music genres, you may consider testing regular household noises.
- Place 2 plants in a relatively silent room of the house, such as a bathroom.
- 2 plants in a well- used area of the house, such as a kitchen or living room.
- 2 plants in a room of the house where you will play light music.
Directions
Note: This project is going to take several weeks because you're watching plants grow, so make sure that you start as early as you can. You don't want to run out of time when the deadline hits.
Note: Make sure to have CDs or compilation CDs of the music genres you want to test. With this particular project, you can use the radio for genres such as country, rap, R&B, rock, etc.
Start off by preparing the bean plants in the plastic cups with the potting soil. Make sure to poke holes in the bottom of the cups and place them on the plastic plates in order to accommodate for drainage.
If you can't find pre- sprouted bean plants, then you'll have to start with bean seeds.
Note: You're using beans versus other plants and flowers because bean plants tend to grow faster than other plants.
Next, place two of the six plants in a quiet room with a CD of classical music, or some kind of calming music, and play the music for part of the day.
Place two plants in a room without any music, and place two plants in each room where you will play the different music genres.
Each day, you will want to play the music for a set amount of time, usually 1 hour will be enough.
Make sure to water the plants every three days. Remember that the amount of water for each plant and the time between watering must be the same per plant.
Every day, you will want to measure the plants to see how much, if any, they've grown. Keep detailed reports of your findings, making sure to include the size of preexisting leaves, new leave growth, fullness of the plants, and the color of the plants. You may want to take pictures to have visual notes, as well as written notes.
Your Findings
At the end of your project, you'll want to compare the results between each music genre.
It may be easiest to compare the results by using an Excel chart and spreadsheet.
Which plants grew the best? Was there one that was a brighter color than another?
Make sure to incorporate all findings.