Hi. Okay... I'm British, so just to check.... 8th grade is 13 - 14 years old, yes?
So, thinking of something for your level of physics, I would suggest the following.
You need:
1) A large glass jar. Something that is at least 8 inches in diameter and 12inches tall (Maybe your chemistry teacher can help find something).
2) Table tennis ball
3) String
4) Glue.
Glue one end of the string to the ball and the other to the bottom of the jar. Fill the jar up with water. The length of the string must be such that it keeps the table tennis ball 'just' below the surface of the water.
So, now you have a table tennis ball suspended in water inside the jar.
What will happen when you accelerate the jar across the table. What direction will the ball move? Most (80% of people usually guess wrong and say that the ball will hit the 'back' of the jar (like your head hits the back of the seat if the car you are in accelerates quickly). In fact, it goes forward.
It is a great visual demonstration of Newton's 2nd law usually shown as Force = mass x acceleration, but for this demo, Newton's original equation, F = ∆p/∆t is more useful. p is momentum = mass x velocity. t is time.
Both the ball and the water experience the same force (same ∆mv/∆t) as you push the jar across the table.
However the ball has much less mass (m) than the equivalent volume of water. Because ∆mv/∆t is the same for water and ball (air!) the velocity of the ball has to be greater. The ball accelerates more than the water for the same force!
This might not be as interesting as building a device to measure the mass of an electron, or simulate special relativity using a bowling ball and two toilet roll tubes! But it WILL WORK, and should impress your physics teacher as Newton's laws are one of the most important concepts of classical physics but are often misunderstood. PM me if you want more details or any other ideas.
Regards,
AL.