DIY science projects that elementary school boys will love: ideas you can make with everyday materials

Let’s make candy

[Independent Research] Easy and Delicious! Let's Make Candy~

Give candy-making a try—it’s fun to make and delicious to eat! Place a cup-shaped piece of aluminum foil on a frying pan, add sugar inside, and heat it slowly.

Stir with a toothpick as it warms, and soon the sugar crystals will melt into liquid.

Let it cool, and your candy is ready.

You can make a big piece, add coloring, or even mix in small pieces of fruit—highly recommended! Since you’ll be using heat, be sure to do this with a parent or guardian to avoid burns.

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Araki Jakkan

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Artificial sea glass

Summer Vacation Independent Research: Trying Artificial Sea Glass (1) – Let’s Make Sea Glass! #SummerVacationResearch #IndependentResearch #SeaGlass Elementary School Science Experiment

Sea glass—those rounded pieces of glass you often find while walking along the shore.

As broken glass is washed by the waves, its sharp edges are worn down, turning it into sea glass with that matte look and smooth feel.

In other words, if you can recreate the state of “glass being washed by waves,” you can make artificial sea glass.

You can build a device that keeps a cylindrical container rotating by using a motor, and put glass and sand inside the container.

This way, the glass and sand are constantly rubbing against each other, effectively reproducing the conditions at the water’s edge, and before long you can create artificial sea glass.

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Araki Jakkan

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The Marble That Won’t Come Out

Summer vacation science project idea: The ungrabbable marble — ready in 2 days!

A DIY science project to make a marble-in-a-wooden-frame ornament that makes people think, “How did you even get it in there?!” The materials are balsa wood, marbles, and sandpaper.

You’ll also use a pencil and a utility knife, but these are common household items, so you can make this with ease.

First, cut a square hole in the center of the balsa wood that’s just barely too small for the marble to fit through.

Work carefully, scoring with the utility knife.

Once the hole is made, fill a mug or similar container with water, submerge the balsa wood, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave at 500W for 10 minutes.

The wood will soften and the marble will go in.

After inserting the marble, heat for another 5 minutes, then let it dry for a day.

Finally, use sandpaper to clean up the appearance.

You can finish this in two days, so it’s perfect even if you forgot about your project until the last minute.

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sasashina

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Super Ball

[Independent Research] Let’s Make a Super Ball!

When we think of super balls, we tend to associate them with things you buy or get at fairs, festivals, and events, but it’s surprising that you can actually make them yourself.

The polyvinyl alcohol contained in laundry glue becomes a super ball.

All you need are laundry glue, paint, and table salt.

By changing the paint color, you can make super balls in your favorite colors.

This makes a good independent research project for upper elementary grades.

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Hirakawa Masako (Bōkarisuto: Sakata Mizumako)

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Extending Sword

Let's make a sword that extends using a calendar and a wrapping paper core!

Here’s how to make an extendable sword using a plastic wrap core and paper.

First, cut the core and use construction paper or similar to make the handle.

Next, make the blade with calendar paper.

Cut the paper so it’s as long as possible.

Roll it tightly so it fits inside the plastic wrap core.

Apply cellophane tape to the paper and adjust it so it matches the inside of the core, then stick it in place.

Once it’s the right size, you’re done! You can twist to extend and retract it for play.

Be careful not to pull it out too far.

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kepiko

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locked treasure chest

Lockable Treasure Chest [Cardboard Crafting Recipe]

Treasure chests are kind of exciting, aren’t they? And this one even comes with a lock! It’s perfect for curious first graders because they can make it while learning how a lock works.

The process is to use cardboard to create the box, lid, and key parts, then assemble them.

As long as you cut and prepare the parts correctly, you can just glue them together and the build will go smoothly.

Since you’ll be using a hot glue gun to bond the cardboard, be careful to avoid burns while working.

There’s a URL in the video description where you can download the templates, so be sure to check it and give it a try!

A flying octopus? Tako-copter

A flying octopus? A toy like a bamboo-copter made from a paper cup: the 'TacoCopter' #easyCraft #paperCup #flyingCraft

It’s a toy that combines paper cups and a round chopstick to spin like a bamboo-copter and soar into the sky.

By spreading “wings” that catch the wind and coloring it mainly red, it takes on a curious form—a flying octopus.

You’ll use two paper cups and a round chopstick: attach the chopstick and the octopus’s facial parts to a paper cup with only the bottom left to create a launcher.

Then cut slits into the other paper cup, spread it out to form propeller-like blades, and attach it to the launcher to finish.

Fine-tune the propeller angles to make your octopus fly even higher.

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kappamaki

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