Self-directed study that impresses your teacher! Recommended independent science study ideas for 6th graders
Independent science study can be a fun adventure for kids! Here, we introduce recommended independent science study themes for sixth graders that might even earn praise from teachers.
When you explore freely, learning becomes much more enjoyable.
Observe the nature around you, try simple experiments, and experience the joy of discovering all kinds of things.
As your interest in nature and science grows, it’s also fun to share what you’ve learned with friends and family.
Please use this as a reference and let’s jump together into the exciting world of science!
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Self-directed learning that teachers will praise! Recommended self-study science ideas for 6th graders (61–70)
Programming
How about making “programming,” which has been a required subject in elementary schools since 2020, the theme of a free research project? When you hear programming, you might think of memorizing special command code and feel it’s difficult, but there are free tools that even children can learn with easily.
For example, Scratch, which is also popular as teaching material.
It’s free to use, and since you don’t have to type code, it’s fine even if you’re not good at typing.
You can program simply by selecting and stacking blocks that replace code from categories like “Events” and “Motion”! For junior high school students, after creating a program in Scratch, it might be a good idea to research and summarize what actual code would look like.
plastic bottle rocket
Another classic for independent research projects is the plastic bottle rocket, which I highly recommend.
Not only is the building process fun, but launching it is thrilling, too.
By the way, there are craft kits for plastic bottle rockets available for purchase, so you can make one easily.
After you finish, try thinking creatively about how to make it fly farther.
One of the appeals of plastic bottle rockets is that you can experiment freely.
Try various methods, like using carbonated water instead of regular water.
Pendulum Wave
In fifth-grade science, students learn about the motion of pendulums, so let’s apply those properties and try making a pendulum wave.
A pendulum wave is a phenomenon in which multiple pendulums with different periods come into phase after a certain amount of time.
The period is the time it takes for a pendulum to complete one full swing.
If you set pendulums with different periods in motion at the same time, they initially move out of sync, but with careful adjustment, their periods will align after a certain interval.
It would be a good idea to build a pendulum wave while thinking about how to adjust a pendulum’s period, and then summarize the conditions in a report.
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.
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.
Lemon battery
Finish your independent research project in one day and enjoy the rest of your summer vacation! This time, let’s try an experiment using lemons.
We’ll generate electricity with lemons.
You’ll need lemons; zinc nails and copper or brass nails; wire; and lead wires.
By inserting the nails into the lemons and connecting each with wire, you can produce electricity.
Mysterious Ramen
Let’s make a magical ramen! First, simmer some red cabbage as a topping.
The color from the cabbage will leach out, turning the broth purple.
Now add the ramen noodles.
This time, the broth changes to blue.
Then, mix in some vinegar, and the broth returns to purple.
It’s a fun experiment to watch!