The Kids' Science Challenge

My idea for a game is called magnetic soil ball. The object of the game is to get a magnetic ball and cover it with as much magnetic soil as possible. After you do that, you have to dunk or shoot the magnetic ball in the basket. When the ball goes into the basketball hoop, the magnetic soil falls of into a bucket below the hoop. Which ever team fills their bucket first wins the game. The other team could steal your ball. The players wear golden astrounaut suits to reflect the sun. The magnetic ball could also collect dust so the players could see.

Tyrone Hutchinson II is a 5th grader from Lyons Elementary School in Lyons, NY.

Coral reefs are being killed by the sand and silt from dredging operations. The mystery is, “who is killing the coral reefs in Florida?” To catch the culprits we will take the samples of sediment that has been dumped on/around the coral. Also, take samples of past dredging areas and compare/match them. Using the samples of sediment we will trace the area it came from, research and find out what dredging companies were used in that specific place. Using that information we will go from there.

We have found out that killing coral is illegal. We would like to catch whatever company is dumping wastes/sediment, from dredging, on coral instead of going farther out where they are supposed to go. I hope they know that killing 1 coral is killing over 39 organisms that live in and around it.

6th graders Mason Wonka and Caitlyn Taylor are team Marine Bustologists from Storm Grove Middle School in Vero Beach, FL.

I would like to use helicopter seeds (maple tree seeds) to safely and quickly drop emergency parcels and people from great heights.

Olivia Smith Donovan is a 4th grader from Claymont Elementary in Wilmington, DE.

My cheer jumps would be totally fantastic on Mars. I could probably do a double triple twist down, into a octuple back layout and still have time for a tight squeeze landing. My cheer coaches thought this would be a real challenge for their routine planning. So I might need to bring them along for help.

Paetyn Moyer is a 4th grader from Holliday Montessori in Grain Valley, MO.

Dust Hunter! The object of the game is to be the person with the most dust. You have ten minutes to kick dust into the air and then three minutes to gather as much dust as you can.

Faith Chamberlain is a 4th grader in Quenn of Angels Scholl in Port Angeles, WA.

Our sport takes place in a crater with lots of dust. We chose to use a zorb which is like a hamster ball from the thought of zorbing. We will use sensors and lasers for a scoring system. We will be wearing a suit in the ball just in case the ball breaks so you can still breathe. Also, the suit is providing a helmet for ultra violet rays, protection from cold weather, and it provides you water.

Team Marzbarz (Bliss Lvedtke, Tesla Newton, Madison Kirby, Kate Demarsh, Grant Peterson and Julia Masciarelli) are 5th graders from Eldorado K-8 in Superior, CO.

The mystery I want to solve is who toilet-papered my neighbors home while they were away.

Erin Mittman is a 5th grader from Duveneck Elementary School in Palo Alto, CA.

Something peculiar happened. When I went to check my plants for my project and record the data, I saw a big change in their growth charts. I knew something was up because I never used a miracle grow or anything. So, I, like a real detective, went back to the scene of the crime. I grabbed my magnifying glass and saw some footprints. They were really small. I suspected the criminal had to be anything but human. i took prints on all the humans and nonhuman members of the family to see who i could rule in and out.

Lillith Bulawa is a 6th grader at Staley Upper Elementary in Ava, NY.

Have you ever wondered why gum was under the seat? Who stuck it there? Those are my questions. My idea is to use forensic science to discover who stuck the gum under the seat. You could use the fingerprints on the gum or seat edge. How far down the gum was under the seat could determine the culprit's arm length. There could be fibers from the culprit's clothes on the seat or gum. Who sat in the seat at the time? Were they chewing gum? What color was it? Would the saliva from the gum have the chewer's DNA? Those questions and more can help solve this everyday mystery.

Jeremiah Tien is a home-schooled 5th grader from Bothell, WA.

An everyday mystery in my house is: Who’s been taking gumballs from the gumball machine? My solution works with almost any mystery that involves something that has sugar being eaten Solution: Maybe we can make something like Litmus paper, but changes color when it touches sugar(has to be nontoxic). Parents can put it in water, foods (Exept sugary ones), and maybe tooth paste. The culprits’s mouth will turn a color, so it’s easy to find among crowds.

Sona Dolasia is a 5th grader at Edna Maguire Elementary Schol in Mill Valley, CA

A dog goes missing at a birthday party; we try to figure it out with the available evidence.

Lauren A. Alcindor is a 5th grader at East Stroudsberg Elementary in east Stroudsberg, PA.

The Kangaroo Flyer Pouch for human babies.

Dannielle Kersetter is a 6th grader at Warren L. Miller Elementary in Millerton, PA.

It’s a Green cactus roof: Well, I thought about getting cactus spines on roofs. The reason I got this idea was because I learned that cactuses have special spines that keep it cool. So now we can make roofs with spikes so it will shade and insulate. No need for airconditioner.

Jayani Ratnam is a 4th grader at Gates Elementary School in Acton, MA.

My idea falls into the bio-inspired design category because it is based off of a plant. However, the energy it produces is for the benefit of humans; it is like a solar panel that grows, and thus, I call it an electroplant. There is a significant difference between a regular plant and the electroplant; the electroplant is entirely inorganic, if the water does not freeze or boil, it can grow in the vacuum of space. In my idea, almost every component in the design was based off of a plant. For example, the transpirator is reminiscent of trees, which evaporate water through their leaves, drawing up nutrients through their roots. This occurs using not a single ounce of electricity; I wanted my electroplant to be as energy efficient as possible, so I followed nature’s example.

Paul Miloro is a 5th grader at Keheley Elementary in Marietta, GA.

The lion's tongue was the inspiration for my invention. The surface of a lion's tongue is very rough as it has sharp spines called papillae on it. They help lions to easily remove every scrap of meat from the bones of its prey. Don't get next to a lion!

Grace-Anne Valverde is a 3rd grader at Texas Virtual Academy in South Irving, TX.

A skunk makes it powerful smell by adding two substances together. Thiols and Mercaptan are the names of both of them. These mix together and make one compound that smells horrible. Thiols are what give the skunk a strong smell and Mercaptan makes the smell stick or hang on for a long time. My invention idea is to make a spray bottle device that holds both Mercaptan and Thiols in different sides of the bottle. These two chemicals would only mix together when they are sprayed. For example Police Officers could carry a bottle of Skunk Spray with them to stop criminals like they can do now with Pepper Spray.

Rachel Huber is a home-schooled 5th grader in Saint Peter, MN.