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

Working Vehicles on a Milk Carton

[Wakuwaku-san’s Craft Workshop] Let’s make working vehicles out of milk cartons!

Here’s an idea for making working vehicles using milk cartons.

In this example, we’re making a dump truck and a wheel loader—both are vehicles that boys especially love! Basically, you cut the milk carton with scissors, then glue the pieces together to form the body.

For the moving mechanisms, attach straws so that pulling the straw makes the parts move.

Decorate the body with construction paper and add the tires, and you’ve got a playable toy vehicle! It’s an easy craft to make, so give it a try!

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sasashina

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lottery drum

[Cardboard Craft] What color will come out? How to make a Garapon (Bingo) machine ★How to make a Bingo machine★

How about making a garapon, the familiar lottery machine where a ball pops out when you spin it? As long as you have the materials, it should be finished in about two days.

The key to making a garapon is carefully measuring and cutting each part to the correct length; if you do it haphazardly, it won’t spin smoothly.

Since the work is fairly detailed, it may be best suited for upper elementary school students.

You may be able to get cardboard for free at supermarkets, so try asking them first.

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Araki Jakkan

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Fishing game with a realistic reel

[Easy Kids' Craft] A Realistic Fishing Game with a Reel Using 100-Yen Store Items! (For Independent Research/Home Play)

Here’s a craft idea for a fishing rod with a reel that I’d recommend for boys who love fishing.

Materials: three paper cups, a chopstick, a straw, string, and a magnet.

First, connect the chopstick and the straw to make the rod, and glue one paper cup to the chopstick to serve as the reel.

Cut one of the remaining paper cups about 2 cm down from the rim, then insert the cut piece into the last paper cup.

Stack this onto the paper cup that’s glued to the chopstick.

Thread the string through the straw, tape one end of the string to the paper cup, and attach a magnet and a paper bait to the other end.

You’re done! Coloring it or decorating it with stickers will make it even nicer.

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sasashina

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Cute lantern made with disposable chopsticks

Let me introduce a cute lantern you can make with disposable chopsticks—fun to display and enjoy.

Prepare chopsticks, glue, and washi paper.

Cut the chopsticks and build the lantern’s frame.

The key is to keep an eye on the balance so the frame doesn’t shift out of place.

Attach washi paper from the back to create the lantern’s window sections.

Finally, glue the frames together to finish.

It’s also recommended to use your favorite colors for the window sections.

The light that leaks through the gaps between the chopsticks looks absolutely beautiful.

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mayumi

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Colorful Koropika Mud Dumpling

We had fun making colorful mud dumplings (dorodango) :)

If they’re boys, don’t you think many kids like making mud balls? This science project is a “Colorful Shiny Mud Ball” you can create using a special kit! When you make a mud ball, you usually harden it to some extent and then sprinkle fine powder on it to polish it, right? With this kit, you also apply colored powder at the end, so you can make a very colorful mud ball.

It’s suitable from first grade in elementary school, and a few hours are plenty for the work! Since it feels like play, it’s recommended even for kids who think, “Ugh, independent research is such a hassle!” You could also try varying the number of times you dust with powder or the length of the resting time and summarize the results!

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sasashina

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Automatic sorting piggy bank

I tried making a coin-sorting piggy bank! Summer project: how to make it

Making a piggy bank is a classic summer vacation craft, but an idea that takes it a step further is an automatic coin-sorting bank.

When you put money in, it automatically separates coins like 50-yen, 100-yen, and 500-yen pieces by type.

It uses the fact that coins differ in size.

Before you look up how to make one online, though, I recommend first thinking on your own about how to sort them well.

Trying out different ideas—“What about this? Maybe that?”—will be a valuable learning experience.

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Araki Jakkan

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PET bottle filtration device

How to Make a Plastic Bottle Water Filter! Step-by-step explanation from how it works to the build process!

This is an experiment to try building a device that turns dirty water into clean water.

It helps us understand how the water we use in daily life is treated, and it’s also useful for disaster preparedness.

We’ll create layers of activated charcoal, small stones, and cloth inside a plastic bottle, then pour in cloudy water and filter it to make it cleaner.

It could also be interesting to research other materials that remove different kinds of contaminants and compare how they perform.

Note that to use the water for drinking, you need additional steps such as filtering multiple times and boiling to remove bacteria, so please take care.

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kappamaki

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