[For 4th Graders] Fun Independent Research Ideas You Can Do With Everyday Materials

Experimenting with resin?!

[Complete in one day] Summer research project: Experimenting with resin!? #resin #summerproject #howtosummarize

If you want to try your hand at making things with resin, why not purchase a resin craft kit? It comes with all the basic materials and tools, so you can start creating right away.

Deciding what shape to make and which parts to decorate with—and bringing your ideas to life—is a lot of fun.

While resin is often used for crafts, you can also do experiments, such as comparing how quickly different resin liquids cure! If it’s your first time, please work together with a parent or guardian.

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sasashina

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Let’s try making musical instruments from around the world

[Latin America & Education] Try it at Home: Let’s Make Musical Instruments from Around the World! [Rainstick]

Let’s make a rainstick, a musical instrument from around the world that sounds like falling rain.

Prepare toothpicks, an empty plastic wrap tube, rubber bands, beads, fabric scraps, nail clippers, a hole punch or awl, and glue.

Start by making spiral-shaped holes along the tube.

It can be slippery, so be careful while punching the holes.

Insert toothpicks into the holes.

Use the nail clippers to trim any parts of the toothpicks that stick out, then apply glue over them to secure.

Cover one end of the tube with fabric and fasten it with a rubber band.

Pour beads in from the other end, then cover that end with fabric and fasten it with a rubber band in the same way.

Decorate the tube, and you’re done.

It’s a rainstick that produces the sound of rain or waves—give it a try!

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mayumi

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Aquarium snow globe

[Kids’ Easy Craft] Everything from the 100-yen shop! Aquarium Snow Globe DIY — Perfect for Christmas or a Summer Vacation Project!

Let me introduce a refreshing aquarium-style snow globe.

Prepare liquid laundry starch (or glue), a sponge, a jar, miniature figures, ribbon, adhesive, glitter, and a chopstick.

Cut the sponge to the shape of the jar lid to make a base, then glue it in place.

Attach the figures onto the base using adhesive.

Put glitter into the jar, then add water and liquid laundry starch in a 1:1 ratio and mix well.

Close the jar with the lid that has the figures attached, making sure no air gets in, and you’re done.

Decorate it and create your own original snow globe!

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mayumi

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Let’s try making ice cream that doesn’t melt

[Independent Research] Let’s Make Ice Cream That Doesn’t Melt! — With a Summary — [Science Sweets]

Ice cream you could eat every day on a hot day.

This experiment might change the idea that ice cream always melts quickly.

Let’s start by making ice cream! The ingredients are mostly the same, but for one batch we add agar or kanten powder.

When you place the agar-added ice cream next to the regular one… amazingly, the one with agar doesn’t melt.

Regular ice cream starts to melt when the temperature is above 20°C, but the agar-added version won’t melt unless it’s heated to over 70°C.

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utatane

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Challenge in video production

Summer vacation independent research: video production—creators give elementary schoolers hands-on lessons

It’s a great idea to incorporate video production into an independent research project, especially for today’s kids who are used to watching videos on YouTube and other platforms.

By switching roles—from watching to actually filming and creating their own videos—they can gain a deeper understanding of how videos are made.

It could be interesting to decide on a theme, such as who the video is for, what kind of video it should be, and how long it should be, and make that the focus of the project.

To keep it fun and engaging, it’s best to choose a topic they’re genuinely interested in.

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mayumi

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Musical instruments made from empty cans

[WakuWaku-san’s Craft Class] Make “can instruments” out of empty cans—build them and play them! (We’re introducing two can instruments!)

Let’s have fun making can instruments from empty cans.

Here, we introduce two instruments: an ocarina and another instrument that produces a scale alongside it.

Use an aluminum can for the ocarina and a steel can for the other instrument.

First, here’s how to make the ocarina.

Remove the pull-tab from the can, and tape a slightly thick straw to the mouth opening.

On the side of the can near the mouth opening, use a punch to make five holes spaced 2 centimeters apart.

Make one more hole at the top on the opposite side, and it’s done! For the other instrument, remove the can’s pull-tab and rub the bottom with something hard like a chopstick.

The pitch will change, so adjust it to the notes you want and line them up.

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sasashina

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3 simple coasters

[For Summer Vacation Crafts 🍉] 3 Easy Coasters ✨❣️ #easy #summerVacationCrafts #summerHomework

How about making coasters as a summer vacation craft? Here, we’ll introduce three methods.

The first is a coaster made by arranging tiles on top of paper clay.

The second is a coaster made by lining up beads and melting them in the microwave.

The third is a summery coaster that expresses a seasonal scene by placing shells, sequins, and stickers in resin.

They’re all easy to make, so give them a try.

You can buy most of the materials at 100-yen shops.

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sasashina

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