Independent study that impresses your teacher! Science self-study ideas recommended for third graders
Independent study in science can be a fun adventure for children!
Here, we introduce science self-study topics recommended for third graders that are likely to earn praise from teachers.
When you explore freely, learning becomes much more enjoyable.
Observe the nature around you, try simple experiments, and enjoy the excitement of discovering all sorts of things.
As their interest in nature and science grows, it’s also fun for kids to share what they’ve learned with friends and family.
Please use this as a reference and let’s dive into the fun world of science together!
- Recommended for 3rd graders! A collection of easy self-study ideas you can try
- Self-directed study that impresses your teacher! Recommended independent science study ideas for 6th graders
- Self-study that impresses your teacher! Recommended science self-study ideas for 5th graders
- Self-study that teachers will praise! Recommended independent science study ideas for 4th graders
- Third graders will be hooked! A collection of science project ideas using everyday materials
- Recommended for elementary students! A collection of fun craft ideas for 3rd graders
- Recommended for 6th graders! A collection of easy self-study ideas you can enjoy while learning
- Recommended for 5th graders! A collection of easy self-study ideas you can enjoy while learning
- Recommended for elementary school students' independent research! Experiment and observation ideas using everyday materials
- Recommended for 4th graders! A collection of easy self-study ideas to try
- [For 4th Graders] Fun Independent Research Ideas You Can Do With Everyday Materials
- [For 2nd Graders] Make it with everyday materials! Irresistibly engaging ideas for independent research projects
- Recommended for elementary school students! Science fair topics & craft ideas
Self-directed study that impresses your teacher! Recommended science self-study ideas for 3rd graders (1–10)
Research and summarize about typhoons
You learn about weather changes and typhoons in fifth-grade science, right? In that case, how about researching typhoons more deeply and putting together a report? Specifically, you could look into how typhoons form and where they come from, where they move to and what happens to them in the end.
There’s still a lot we don’t know about typhoons.
You could also investigate the strength of typhoons and the damage they cause, and use that information for disaster preparedness.
That would make your independent research even more meaningful.
plant dyeing
Kusaki-zome is a traditional technique for dyeing fabric using natural plants.
By using familiar leaves, roots, flowers, and more, you can create your own original colors, letting you enjoy learning both science and home economics at the same time.
Once you’ve prepared the fabric you want to dye and the plants to use as dye, wash the fabric thoroughly in lukewarm water.
Add protein to the fabric to perform a deep-dye (mordant) treatment, then soak the washed and dried fabric.
After carrying out a mordanting process that induces color changes through chemical reactions with metals, place the dye material in nonwoven fabric and submerge it in water.
Put the prepared fabric into the liquid, wait about 15 minutes, then rinse it well with water to finish.
Try making a train with copper wire and a battery
Let’s try making a train that runs using magnetism by applying the properties of electromagnets.
Wind copper wire into a long coil and place a battery with magnets attached to it inside the coil.
Then the magnetic force generated in the coil and the magnets’ magnetic force repel each other, causing the battery to start running through the coil like a train.
By changing conditions—such as why the battery starts moving, when the moving battery will stop, and whether changing the way you wind the coil affects how the battery runs—and summarizing the results in a report, you can create an excellent independent research project.
Self-study that impresses your teacher! Recommended independent science study ideas for 3rd graders (11–20)
Making Colorful Flowers
Make Colorful Flowers: a fun experiment to learn what happens when you place flowers in inks of different colors.
Through experiments that make use of flowers’ natural features, you can deepen your knowledge while having fun.
Fill test tubes or plastic cups with printer ink or water mixed with food coloring.
Then simply place white flowers—such as roses, gerberas, or baby’s breath—into the solutions and leave them for 1 to 24 hours.
You can also split a stem in two to create a two-tone flower.
This experiment shows that plants draw water up through vessels called xylem, which carry the pigments.
Making biomass plastic
We’ll introduce how to make biomass plastic using renewable resources such as plants.
Warm some milk in the microwave, then add lemon juice and stir until white curds appear.
Pour the mixture through a strainer lined with parchment paper to separate the liquid from the solids.
Once the liquid has drained and only the solids remain, transfer them to a paper towel to remove excess moisture.
Cut out shapes with a cookie cutter and let them dry to complete your biomass plastic.
Making eco-friendly plastic can also serve as a great opportunity for children to learn about environmental issues.
Making salt crystals
A science project that amazes you with “I can’t believe something this beautiful can come from something you eat,” thanks to its jewel-like appearance, is making salt crystals.
You add a large amount of salt to hot water, and as you keep adding it, the salt eventually stops dissolving.
Let that saturated solution cool, filter it, and leave it for a while—salt crystals will form.
By the way, if you make saltwater the same way and place the formed crystals back into it, you can grow them larger.
Why not try and see how big you can make them?
Let’s explore the mysteries of color
This is a science project where you closely observe the colors you usually see.
If it’s just observation, even lower-grade elementary students can do it, and upper-grade students can add analysis, so it’s a recommended project for a wide range of grades.
By using the three primary colors of light and layering sheets to create a color photograph, and so on, it becomes an experiment that produces interesting phenomena.
