Recommended for elementary school students! A fun collection of craft ideas for first graders

Making a marble run with an ice box

Summer is the season that makes you crave ice cream, and as you eat it, you might find the boxes piling up.

This idea uses those leftover ice cream boxes to make a marble run.

Use a large box, like a milk carton, as the base, and attach slopes made by cutting the ice cream boxes around it.

Adjust the angles and heights carefully, keeping in mind the strength needed so it won’t break when the marbles hit.

Using ice cream sticks to reinforce it is also recommended—they’ll make the whole thing sturdier and give it a cohesive look.

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kappamaki

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Well-spinning paper cup top

[Playable Craft] How to Make a Simple, Well-Spinning Top (Paper Cup & Plastic Bottle Cap) [Easy Crafting with Recycled Materials] Fun at Home

This is a spinning top made with a paper cup that spins well and is fun to watch because of its colorful look.

All you need are a paper cup and two plastic bottle caps.

First, cut slits into the paper cup and spread them out like propeller blades, then attach an axle made by combining the two caps.

That’s enough to complete the basic shape, but it’s recommended to decorate the “propellers” with an eye toward how it will look while spinning.

The impression changes depending on whether you spread the propellers before decorating or decorate first and then cut the slits, so try out various patterns.

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Aquabeads

http://www.lemon8-app.com

Aquabeads are easy and fun: just place the small beads on a tray and stick them together with water.

Kids can focus on their own, creating all kinds of shapes and colors at their own pace.

Using their fingertips improves fine motor skills, and thinking about what design to make really expands their imagination.

Plus, there’s no glue or ironing, so cleanup is quick and easy! It’s also great because kids can feel a sense of accomplishment by completing projects on their own.

Once they get used to it, they can even make 3D creations—give it a try!

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kepiko

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Making a Metal Slime

Summer Vacation Independent Research Idea, No. 3: Finish in One Day! How to Make a Metal Slime

Many elementary school students love the Dragon Quest series, which is hugely popular in video and smartphone games.

We also recommend making the series’ popular monster, the Metal Slime, as a craft project.

In this craft, you’ll use a metal called gallium, which melts at low temperatures.

By the way, gallium can make other metals brittle, so be careful not to spill it.

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Saitō Ayumu

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How to make strawberry jam

One charm of strawberry jam is its vivid red color and distinctive translucence; it even seems like its appearance enhances its deliciousness.

This project focuses on that colorful aspect of strawberry jam and aims to cutely recreate the look of jam in a small jar.

Use a tiny jar—like the kind that once held craft parts—and pack it with pieces of clear plastic sheet painted red to resemble strawberry jam.

By decorating the inside of the jar, you can convincingly replicate that unique translucence and shine.

It’s also a great idea to plan jar decorations that highlight the contents inside.

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kappamaki

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