Most high school and introductory college physics classes study simple harmonic motion and various wave phenomena. With the majority of states adopting the Next Generation Science Standards and pushing students to explore the scientific process for themselves, there is a growing demand for hands-on inquiry activities that involve and develop more data analysis and computational thinking skills. This article outlines several options for using an engaging standing wave phenomenon, Faraday waves, in physics classes. These options include the instructor using Faraday waves as a class demonstration of interesting fluid and wave properties, students doing an inquiry lab to investigate several properties of Faraday waves on water droplets, and the possibility of smaller numbers of students using Faraday waves as an independent research topic.