Slime, crystal spikes, and plastic milk? What do these odd items have in common? They are all science fair experiments! The 8th graders of Mr. Schopp’s science class have been working since Thursday, May 28th to create a fantastic science fair project. Explosions, chemical reactions, and eruptions are all encouraged even though they are dangerous. Their work was presented on Thursday, June 4th. Each person had one partner from any class to work with, or by themselves.

Following the scientific method, these 8th graders have come up with some neat ideas.

Brooke Beissel and Sammy Anderson came up with the elephant toothpaste.

“It foams out and it can be any color,” Brooke says when asked what she likes about it.

Sophie Epps and Paige Miest tried out a replica of a windmill.

“It moves without using your hands,” Sophie reflects.

Reed Kremers and Logan Hofstedt created a pop bomb. They used mentos, salt, and skittles to make the diet soda react.

“I like it because it explodes with the variable that we put in the diet soda,” Reed says.

Derick Reisdorfer and Daniel Sholing  tested the different stroke effect of the patterns of a shotgun.

Derick says, “It is fun. I did it at home and it was a good excuse to shoot. We are going to have a video of the whole thing.”

Chase Van Staden and Jett Allison created the silver egg.

“It looks alienish. It creates a silver barrier,” Chase says when asked why he thinks it is interesting.

Mr. Schopp has been doing this science fair for 28 years because it reteaches the

scientific method and it helps students remember it. The students also love doing the project.

During the science fair many experiments were successful but also unsuccessful when trying to recreate what exactly happened. Whether the students brought in flaming fans, glow sticks, or erupting vinegar reactions, they all enjoyed this opportunity to choose their own experiment and bring classroom learning to life.