5th Grade Science Fair Projects On Alcohol

How does alcohol affect the rate of plant germination?  We all know that alcohol is bad for people, but how does it affect the rate that plants sprout from a seed?  This science fair project on alcohol is great for students in grades 3 to 6, and will allow them to figure out whether or not alcohol can have a dramatic effect on plant growth or not. If you feel you need some extra help with all the scienctific method, I strongly recommend "Science Fair Projects Made Easy" as you'll get all the help you need in it.

 The dangers of alcohol on people are pretty well-known, but will plant seeds germinate (sprout) if they are soaked in alcohol?  The first step in doing a science fair project is to make a hypothesis.  This hypothesis is going to give your guess on whether or not you think that seeds that are soaked in alcohol overnight will germinate as well or worse than seeds that are soaked in water overnight.  Once you have your hypothesis written down, it's time to start the project. (Need to know how to write down your hypothesis? "Science Fair Projects Made Easy" can help.)

The equipment that you need for this science fair project on alcohol is: at least two small dishes to plant the seeds in, some ethanol alcohol, water, soil, two glass containers that can be covered and seeds.  You can use any type of seed, but you are going to want at least a hundred seeds (50 seeds that are soaked in alcohol, and 50 seeds that are soaked in water). 

Separate your seeds in the two even groups, and place each half into your glass container.  Have your parents help you to fill one of the containers with enough 30% ethanol to cover all the seeds.  In the other beaker, place the other half of the seeds, and cover these seeds with water like you did with the first beaker.  Cover both of the containers and leave them overnight. 

In the morning, you are ready to plant the seeds.  Make sure to follow the instructions on how deep to plant the seeds, and make sure to spread them evenly (for example, perhaps you want to put 25 seeds in each dish, which would mean that you need four dishes - 2 with alcohol and 2 with water seeds).  Make sure to give each dish of seeds equal water and light.  Now the waiting game begins. All thorough science fair projects involve waiting!  You are going to look at your dishes every day, and when you see a seed sprouting up, you're going to count it, and pull it out of the soil and discard it.  Make sure to remember to record your results in your science fair project notebook.  After the germination period is over, you are going to compare how many of the ‘water seeds’ sprouted versus how many of the ‘alcohol seeds’.  What are your results? 

Sure, it is natural for some seeds to never germinate, but you should see a very big difference between the seeds that were soaked in alcohol and the seeds that were soaked in water.  Was your hypothesis right?  Does alcohol have an effect on plant growth? What can you learn from this Science Fair Project?

This 5th grade science fair project on alcohol is really good in showing that alcohol is also dangerous for plants. So now we know alcohol is not good for humans and neither is it good for plants! This is a great 5th grade science fair project on alcohol.

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Enjoy your 5th Grade Science Fair Projects!

As Science Fair Projects need to be done correctly using the proper scientific method, I strongly recommend that you get one of the excellent e-books I recommend, and make sure you do the best Science Fair Project possible! Browse them and decide wich one suits your needs the best. Personally I think "101 Easy Science Projects" are great because it has projects suitable for all the grades. On the other hand if your project is due shortly, you may want to consider "24 Hours Science Projects." Then again, "Science Fair Projects Made Easy" and "Super Science Fair Projects" teaches you all the scientific methods and both have lots of help to ensure you do the best project possibe, so, have a look, I know you'll not be dissappointed.

For All The Grades:

101 Easy Science Projects

Science Fair Projects Made Easy

For the Elementary Kids

24 Hours Science Projects

Super Science Fair Projects