Recommended for 5th graders! A collection of easy self-study ideas you can enjoy while learning

Haiku to remember

Haiku Elementary School Students Should Remember

Let’s learn through animation! Here are some haiku ideas you’ll want to remember.

Haiku has a rich history, and it’s well known that in the Edo period the three great masters of haikai—Kobayashi Issa, Matsuo Bashō, and Yosa Buson—composed remarkable verses.

This time, let’s learn seasonal words (kigo) from famous haiku.

Memorizing well-known haiku will help you discover the types of kigo and how to use them.

In recent years, haiku karuta (card sets) have also been available, so they’re great for anyone who wants to memorize while having fun!

The relationship between bread and sugar

Summer Vacation Independent Research: The Relationship Between Bread and Sugar — Elementary to Middle School, Science/Home Economics

Let’s explore how different amounts of sugar change bread by conducting a free research project on the relationship between bread and sugar.

Prepare several bowls, each containing the same amounts of cake flour, dry yeast, salt, butter, and water.

Vary only the amount of sugar in each bowl, then knead the doughs.

Carefully observe how the dough feels while kneading: what texture appears in doughs with more sugar, and what texture appears in doughs with less sugar? It might be helpful to record each stage—first proof, second proof, and baking—with photos to see how the dough responds at each point.

Enjoy this hands-on research project using everyday bread!

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Let’s compose music!

[Let’s Compose!! vol.3] Easy for elementary school kids!! Compose with “C Major Diatonic Chords”!! Let’s nurture human qualities and creativity through music!!

A must-see for kids who love music! How about trying to compose your own song? This time, we’ll create music using diatonic chords in the key of C major.

By using simple chords like C and G, you can have fun learning how music works.

Expressing familiar sounds and feelings through music can really boost your creativity.

And if you present your finished piece in front of everyone, you’re sure to get a big round of applause.

It’s a fresh and exciting independent project that lets you discover the new joy of not just “listening” to music, but “making” it—be sure to give it a try!

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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Surprisingly addictive study of shapes

[Math for a summer project!?] Surprisingly addictive! 3 free-research ideas using shapes

Here’s a great recommendation for anyone looking for an independent research project that blends learning with fun! How about studying shapes? Shapes are everywhere in daily life—origami, buildings, even sweets—so they feel familiar, and engaging with them in a playful way can help overcome anxiety about math and build confidence.

In your research, it’s important to narrow down your theme and explore it in depth, and to actually see, touch, and experience things firsthand.

Use the videos as a reference, find a topic that interests you, and give it a try!

Water and Oil Experiment

[Elementary School Science Project] A Lively Little Sister and a Laid-Back Older Sister: A Water-and-Oil Experiment

Here’s an experiment with water and oil that transforms into mysterious water.

Gather a bottle, small figurines, salt, oil, and food coloring.

After putting salt and oil into the bottle, add a small figurine and begin the experiment.

See how the figurine floats in salt water, and compare it with plain water to observe what state the figurine is in—these comparisons can lead to new discoveries that elementary school students will enjoy.

It’s also interesting to see what happens when you mix water and oil.

Try coloring the water and get creative as you enjoy your independent science project!

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Survey on vehicle stopping rates

[Research Project Theme: Rate of Cars Stopping] A 6th-grade elementary school student investigates the “rate of cars stopping” for their independent research project—what is the total amount of fines for the vehicles surveyed?!

This independent research project is perfect for when you want to boost awareness of everyday traffic rules and safety.

The activity involves standing by a crosswalk and recording whether cars stop for you.

By checking with your own eyes, you can directly experience and better understand social and traffic rules as they are in real life.

Collecting data and summarizing it in graphs also helps develop analytical and communication skills.

It could be interesting to examine various perspectives, such as the type of car or the driver’s gender and age.

Please be careful to avoid heatstroke while conducting the survey.