(Also on my main account @waffledragon) A cool science fair project to try out sometime for anybody with a Makey Makey. (To use without a Makey Makey: hold space to lower fishing rod, remove space to reel in when fish touches rod, up arrow key to switch between aquarium and fishing mode) I came up with the idea for this project myself, and all code and some of the artwork (bubbles, fishing rod, fish silhouette) is by me. The basic premise for how this works is you set up a tub of water with an alligator clip connecting it to Earth. Then, you make a "fishing rod" (just some sort of stick or straw or something with a conductive material attached--I used paper clips, as long as they're bent really well around each other it works fine) and attach that to space. When they dip the rod in the water, the rod on screen goes in too. For added effect, put the tank of water in front of the screen in full screen mode. Then, optionally, you can add a "button" made out of foil bound to the up arrow key to switch to aquarium view. Just make sure to leave instructions that you touch it with the fishing rod, or make a separate earth binding that is a different part of the button nearby. If you don't want to have a keyboard available for naming or you're worried about inappropriate names, consider having some other identifying factor such as the color effect or size (or combine multiple of these) so that people can see the one that *they* caught and be more interested.
This is a great one because you can explain not only the premise of the Makey Makey and all the conductivity goodness that comes along with that, but you get to explain the code behind it all too, and it's really interactive and engaging as well as being pretty simple. (FOR THOSE WHO DON'T KNOW: A Makey Makey is a product that connects to the computer via USB and uses the natural conductivity of objects, such as metal, organic material, and water, to simulate keyboard inputs. Using this, you can connect your computer to objects in the real world--for example, playing a piano...with bananas for keys.) Feel free to use this project or a remix of it--just remember to credit me!
