RAG MusicScience
Wonderful independent research

[For First Graders] A Collection of Science Project Ideas Using Everyday Materials

Many first graders struggle with their summer vacation projects and crafts.

It’s completely understandable to feel unsure—“It seems hard,” “What should we make?” In this article, we introduce experiment and craft ideas that kids can enjoy.

From a fascinating experiment with floating vegetables, to postcards made from milk cartons, to colorful aroma stones—there are plenty of fun projects using familiar materials.

Enjoy them together as a parent and child, and make great summer memories!

[For 1st Graders] A Collection of Independent Research Ideas Using Everyday Materials (61–70)

Snowflakes made of yarn

@hoikushisatomi

[From around age 4] Snowflakes with yarnNursery teacher / Childcare workerKids will love it#NurseryTeacherDailyLifeHand gamesworkTranslation#NurseryTeacherThingsKnitting yarn#YarnPlay

♬ Stylish cafe-style BGM – Hiro Hattori

After cutting three disposable chopsticks short, use two of them to make an X shape, then place it over the remaining stick set vertically and secure them with yarn.

Next, wrap more yarn around them to create a snowflake.

When wrapping, go one stick at a time: loop the yarn once around a stick, then move on to the next chopstick.

The yarn doesn’t have to be the same color—switching to a different yarn partway through creates a pretty pattern.

You’ll get a variety of snowflakes depending on how many wraps you make and the types of yarn you use, so try making several kinds.

paper cup light

@chooobo2

This time, I’m introducing how to make the “Original Light from a Paper Cup 💡” that we’ll create in the workshop on November 16 ✨ The picture you draw will glow in the dark 😳! Since Christmas is coming, I drew a tree! Depending on age, just coloring and adding stickers is enough—the pen colors and sticker shadows glow and look so cute 🩷 This time I drew on a clear file, but drawing directly on plastic wrap is also OK 🙆‍♀️◎ (Use a transparent clear file.) Using a clear file makes it easier to draw than on plastic wrap, and the finished piece is less likely to break! Workshop details are posted in the Instagram Highlights!Made in DecemberChristmas craftsChristmas partyTranslation#HandmadeToysPaper cup craft

♬ All I Want for Christmas Is You – Mariah Carey

Let’s make an exciting item using a paper cup! First, cut a piece of a clear file (plastic folder) to match the size of the paper cup’s rim.

Use a permanent marker to draw any picture you like.

Next, cut out the bottom of the paper cup and decorate the sides with stickers, etc.

Finally, place the drawing you made on the rim side of the paper cup, cover it with plastic wrap from above, and secure it with a rubber band—that’s it! If you shine a light through the hole where you cut out the bottom and aim it at a wall, your picture will be projected on the wall.

It looks perfect for Halloween or Christmas too.

Try playing with it in a dark room!

How to Make an Easy Guitar

[Instrument Craft] How to Make a Simple Guitar (Rubber Bands, Paper Cups) [Handmade Instrument, Playable Toy, Playable Craft] Upcycling Play – For Preschoolers and Lower Elementary Students
How to Make an Easy Guitar

A simple guitar you can make with paper cups lets you easily live out the dream of strumming a ringing guitar.

First, glue the bottoms of two paper cups together.

Then stack another paper cup on each side with slits cut into them, and attach rubber bands into those slits—done.

The key here is the length of the rubber bands.

By choosing which slit to anchor them in and lining up rubber bands of different lengths, you can create differences in sound just like a real guitar.

Think about what kind of sound will make it feel cool, and fine-tune it into your ideal guitar.

For demon-slaying only! Bean-throwing rubber band gun

[Kids Craft] Oni-Busting Special! Bean-Throwing Rubber Band Gun! (Chopsticks & Rubber Bands) [Playable Craft] Setsubun—Demons Out!
For demon-slaying only! Bean-throwing rubber band gun

Oni-busting only! Here’s how to make a bean-throwing rubber band popper.

Prepare chopsticks, roasted soybeans (fukumame), construction paper, tape, scissors, and rubber bands.

Roll the construction paper into a tube, then secure the tube with rubber bands by clamping it between a pair of chopsticks folded in half.

The key is to wrap the rubber bands tightly so they don’t loosen.

Be careful not to cut your hand on the ends of the chopsticks.

When launching, dent the tip of the paper tube, hook on a rubber band, set it, and play.

When playing, don’t aim at people and make sure to play safely.

How to make a croaking frog

[Preschool Teacher] Make and Play Right Away! How to Make a Croaking Frog ✨ [Daycare & Kindergarten]
How to make a croaking frog

This is a cute craft where a frog hidden inside a paper cup peeks out while croaking.

You make a hole in the bottom of the cup and insert a bendy straw; by using this straw, you can move the frog up and down.

The key is the bendable part of the straw—when it rubs against the hole in the paper cup, it makes a sound like a frog’s croak.

You can add originality by choosing the frog’s expression and decorating the paper cup however you like.

A turtle that runs on rubber power!

[Paper Cup Craft] A Turtle that Runs on Rubber Power! Perfect for practicing cutting skills too #HandmadeToys #Crafts
A turtle that runs on rubber power!

Moving toys are appealing no matter how old you are, and they’re especially popular with lower-grade elementary school kids.

This is a paper cup turtle craft that zooms forward using rubber-band power hidden in its shell.

First, cut slits halfway down a paper cup and fold them in to make the legs.

The remaining part becomes the body.

For the face, stick round stickers on as eyes to make it cute.

Take a used AA battery, wrap a rubber band around it, attach kite string with cellophane tape, and set the mechanism inside the turtle’s shell.

Even though it’s a turtle, it moves surprisingly fast and with big motions—so much fun!

A beanbag-toss game using ping-pong balls

A ping-pong ball tossing game! A craft you can make in 3 minutes that kids will love! #craft #handmadetoys #games #elementaryschool
A beanbag-toss game using ping-pong balls

Here’s a fun and engaging game using ping-pong balls: a ball-toss challenge.

Gather chopsticks, clothespins, tape, and paper cups to make it.

When building the launcher, be mindful of the angle as you fix the chopsticks in place with tape.

Secure them firmly with tape and test to make sure it works properly as you build.

Attach a pair of plastic bottle caps to the back end of the chopsticks, and it’s complete.

You can decorate it however you like.

Stick paper cups on the wall to create goals, then try shooting from the launcher and have fun playing!