Recommended for 4th graders! A collection of easy self-study ideas to try
For independent study in fourth grade, I recommend first finding what your child is interested in.
When they learn about what they like, they can keep going and enjoy it.
Here, we introduce simple daily study ideas that are helpful for independent learning.
When children and adults learn together, it sparks more curiosity and makes learning more enjoyable.
Learning opens up new worlds and helps build confidence.
Please use this as a reference to find areas of interest and enjoy independent study!
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- Recommended Independent Research Projects for 5th Graders [Elementary School Students]
Recommended for 4th graders! A collection of easy self-study ideas you can try (71–80)
Making alum crystals
In 5th grade science, students learn about how substances dissolve, such as how much salt or alum can dissolve in 1 liter of water, and whether the amount that dissolves changes with the water’s temperature.
As a related independent project, how about making alum crystals? If you soak a pipe cleaner in hot water in which alum has been dissolved and then leave it until it cools, crystals will form around the pipe cleaner.
Repeating this process several times will produce a large alum crystal.
Once the crystal has formed, consider and research why crystals form, and compile your findings into a report—this will make an excellent independent research project.
Observation Diary of Rice Fish
Haven’t you ever seen tanks or bowls with medaka fish set out under the eaves of houses in your neighborhood? How about keeping an observation journal of those medaka? Just watching the tiny fish is cute enough, but if possible, try recording them from the egg stage through hatching and then their growth afterward.
Keeping medaka doesn’t require a large space like a yard—you can observe them by placing a plastic container or an aquarium on a balcony.
Watching them grow is so adorable, you might just get hooked on medaka!
Investigating rheotaxis in medaka
The topic of fish reproduction is also covered in the fifth grade, right? So, in connection with that, let’s look into rheotaxis, a behavior characteristic of medaka.
Rheotaxis is the tendency to move in a specific way in response to water flow; in the case of medaka, they swim against the current.
For the experiment, gently stir the water in a circular motion in the tank where the medaka are swimming to create a flow, and observe how they swim.
Additionally, related to this, you can cover the outside of the tank with striped paper and rotate it to observe how the medaka swim.
Combining these observations should make for an interesting report.
rock candy
This is a study where you make rock candy with a rugged, striking appearance and learn how it works.
Once it’s finished, you can enjoy it as a snack, so you can conduct the study with anticipation and a sense of fun.
The steps are simple: simmer sugar water until it thickens to a syrup, coat a stick with it, and then place that stick into colored sugar water.
Large crystals will form around the stick, and once they reach a certain size, it’s done.
As you observe, pay attention to how long it takes for the sugar crystals to form and how the amount of sugar used affects the size.
Try making artificial salmon roe
With educational candy kits and the like, you can sometimes make things that look just like salmon roe.
How about a science project where you make such “artificial salmon roe” yourself? Specifically, by using sodium alginate and calcium lactate as ingredients and mixing in something like strawberry-flavored shaved ice syrup, you can create artificial salmon roe that looks just like the real thing.
It would be fun to make them in various colors.
Comparing how salt and sugar dissolve in water
In connection with the way substances dissolve, which is studied in 5th-grade science, let’s compare how salt and sugar dissolve in water.
For the same amount of water, which dissolves more—salt or sugar? Also, as the water temperature increases, how does the amount that dissolves change for salt and for sugar? Summarize the results you obtain through experiments in a report.
In addition to salt and sugar, look for other substances that dissolve well in water, substances that dissolve better when the water temperature is raised, and substances whose solubility does not change much even when the water temperature is increased.
Ice experiment using saltwater
For independent research projects, it seems many people make crafts.
So why not stand out by doing a chemistry experiment instead? Many of you probably know that adding saltwater to ice lowers the temperature.
But does the degree of cooling depend on the amount of salt? How about this experiment, which allows for solid research with simple preparation—just ice, saltwater, and a thermometer?