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 Independent Study Ideas (81–90)
Make compost from kitchen waste
It’s an easy project you can do in a day, but with a change in angle it could turn into a grand investigation: “Making compost from kitchen scraps.” Basically, you just put soil in a storage bin, mix in food waste, and leave it.
You can add an extra step like pouring in rice-washing water or adding natto, but most of the time it’s just left alone.
If you want to make it a proper study, there are plenty of variables to test: swap rice-washing water for other liquids, replace natto with yogurt, and so on.
Exploring fermentation times also seems quite deep.
It’s a great science project for a passionate middle schooler who doesn’t want to settle for an ordinary summer!
Vacuum Experiment
How about trying an experiment to observe how things change in a vacuum? First, how do we create a vacuum? Let’s try using a vacuum container that’s handy for storing items like sliced bread and dried foods.
It’s a transparent case with a lid, and there’s a hole in the center of the lid where you can attach a pump.
By pressing the pump, you remove the air inside.
Let’s record how items like marshmallows, bananas, snack bags, and plastic bottles change.
Even if you think something hasn’t changed much, letting the air back in makes it quickly shrink and return to its original state, which makes this a fun experiment to watch.
Thinking about how to fly a paper airplane far
You might wonder, “Can something like this really be a free research project?”—but that’s precisely what this study of paper flight is.
There are many clubs across the country formed by paper airplane enthusiasts, and I’ve even heard that some engineering professors at universities research paper airplanes.
I think it’s quite interesting to analyze, from a scientific perspective, planes designed to fly far and planes that compete for longest airtime.
It’s well-suited for science-minded students, so if you’re a junior high schooler who likes math or science, give it a try.
By the way, it’s said that the first paper airplanes were made in China, where people used paper to make kites.
As expected from China’s 4,000 years of history!
Research how to make a paper airplane fly farther
Summer vacation is fun, but the thing that always trips us up is the independent research project or craft assignment, right? We also have to do our other homework, and we’ve got to go out and play! So here’s a project you can finish in one day.
This is a paper airplane everyone knows well… but it’s one that flies straight and far.
By getting creative with how you fold it and how you throw it, you can make a paper airplane that’s a little different.
How about explaining, with diagrams and text, how you came up with your ideas?
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.
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.
Recommended for 4th Graders! A Collection of Easy Self-Study Ideas (91–100)
leaf vein specimen
Plants have veins—like blood vessels in humans—that carry water drawn up from the ground to the tips of stems and leaves, and circulate the nutrients produced by photosynthesis.
How about turning those veins into a specimen? Heat a sodium hydroxide solution and place a leaf in it.
After about 20 minutes, take it out and gently brush the surface with a toothbrush; the leaf tissue will come off, leaving only the veins! You’ll likely think, “I can’t believe they’re spread out this much.” If you soak it with ink, it will look even more vivid!
