[Middle School Students] Easy One-Day Science Projects and Crafts Ideas
Have you already decided on your summer vacation independent research project? It’s easy to panic when you feel you have to do it but don’t have much time.
For junior high school students like that, here are some simple research and craft ideas you can complete in a day.
Once you gather the necessary materials, you can start right away! For example, there are experiments using everyday items and fun crafts you can make.
If you enjoy it, you’ll finish in no time.
After the experiment, write up your summary and reflections in a report.
That’s the most important part of the project.
Start thinking about it early so you can enjoy your summer vacation!
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[Middle School] Easy One-Day Independent Research and Craft Ideas (21–30)
[Handmade Camera] Let’s Take Photos with Sunlight
![[Handmade Camera] Let's Take Photos with Sunlight](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/VtJKmHM1dBc/sddefault.jpg)
Why not try taking photos with a handmade camera? The camera is made by combining three parts: an outer tube with a lens, an inner tube with a screen, and a mounting board.
Basically, you cut black cardstock to form the tubes and simply attach the lens and tracing paper at the designated spots, so a high school student could probably make it in about an hour.
After that, just load photosensitive paper into the camera, focus, and wait! On a sunny day, wait about 20 minutes and then take out the photosensitive paper.
If you apply heat with something like an iron, an image should appear on the paper!
Plant dyeing with vegetable peels
An experiment dyeing fabric with vegetable peels—making good use of things that would otherwise be thrown away—is the key point here.
Onion skins are the classic choice: simmer them to make a dye bath and then fix the color to achieve a solid dye.
Rather than dyeing something new, using this for remaking items you already own will further emphasize reuse and an eco-friendly feel.
It’s also recommended to focus on whether other vegetable peels can dye fabric and experiment with how the results differ.
Galileo thermometer
A Galileo thermometer is a thermometer that can also be used as interior decor, with glass bulbs that float or sink depending on the water temperature.
How about making one yourself using a glass container and beads? The method is to float a glass container filled with beads in water kept at a constant temperature, then adjust the number of beads so that it’s just on the verge of floating.
Place several glass containers calibrated to float at different temperatures into a vessel, and it’s complete.
paper airplane
As its name suggests, it’s an airplane made of paper—something almost everyone has made and flown.
This experiment explores the deceptively simple yet profound world of paper airplanes.
By tweaking how you fold them, you can change how they fly and extend their airtime—one sheet of paper holds infinite possibilities.
There are published instructions for planes that fly well, so researching and reproducing those is a good approach, and it’s also fun to experiment with your own new folding methods and throwing techniques.
Torokira Keychain
Do you know those cute accessories with a little doll floating in a tiny plastic bag? You often see them as prizes at festival raffles, but actually, you can make them yourself.
You only need items mostly from a 100-yen shop—like a soft card holder, beads and glitter, liquid laundry starch, and masking tape—so it’s a budget-friendly craft project.
Add cutouts of your favorite character or idol to the decorations, and it instantly becomes merch for your fave! You’ll want to make them for everyone!
Liquefaction phenomenon experiment
Precisely because Japan experiences many disasters such as earthquakes, why not investigate in a free research project what happens during an earthquake? Liquefaction refers to the phenomenon where vibrations from an earthquake cause the ground to behave like a liquid.
When the ground becomes liquid-like, houses that once stood normally can sink into the soil, and water pipes buried underground can rise to the surface.
Using a model, try applying vibrations to see how liquefaction occurs!
supercooled water
How about trying a supercooled water experiment? Fill a 500-milliliter plastic bottle about three-quarters full with water, close the cap, and chill it for about 4 to 5 hours.
During this time, chill a plate as well.
Then carefully take out the bottle without jostling it, remove the cap, and pour the water from a height onto the pre-chilled plate.
The water will instantly freeze and turn into a sherbet-like mass of ice.
You can also make it freeze instantly by shaking the bottle vigorously or by adding an ice chip.
Try various methods and think about why this happens.
