Amazing discoveries with everyday materials! Fun summer vacation independent research ideas

String art using 100-yen-shop materials

Easy with nails and thread! String art using 100-yen store materials

Try your hand at string art using materials you can get entirely from 100-yen shops! String art is artwork created with nails and thread.

You outline your chosen motif with nails, then wrap yarn or other thread around them to complete the piece.

Let’s create a one-of-a-kind work of art!

Let’s make a 10-yen coin shiny

[Summer Vacation Independent Study] Let’s Make 10-Yen Coins Sparkle!

10-yen coins tend to turn black over time, don’t they? That happens because they oxidize in the oxygen in the air, forming copper oxide on the surface.

Let’s try soaking 10-yen coins in various liquids to see which one cleans them the best and makes them shiny! Soak them for about a day, then rinse thoroughly with water, and check which one looks the cleanest.

Don’t forget to observe the process along the way!

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

utatane

Report a problem

Let’s compare three types of eggplant.

Summer vacation homework! This is my independent research project! ★ Observe and eat! Comparing three kinds of eggplant ★ Nya-Nya Channel

Eggplant is a classic summer vegetable.

Do you know how many varieties of eggplant exist worldwide? Astonishingly, there are said to be over 1,000 types.

These days, even at regular supermarkets, you can sometimes find not only the common purple eggplant but also green and white ones.

Let’s gather a few varieties, cook with them, and compare their flavors! There’s even a kit that can double as a summer research project, containing three types of eggplant.

Study them, enjoy eating them—what a perfect research project!

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

utatane

Report a problem

Let’s extract DNA

[Independent Study] Let's extract DNA from orange juice!

“DNA,” something you often hear about in crime dramas, is the genetic information of living organisms.

Let’s try extracting DNA from orange juice! The procedure is simple: just pour anhydrous ethanol over the orange juice and let it sit.

Over time, the DNA will gradually precipitate into the ethanol.

Try it not only with orange juice, but with various foods as well!

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

utatane

Report a problem

UFO catcher

Summer Vacation Independent Research: “UFO Catcher”

The claw machines you see in arcades.

Many of you have probably had to give up after failing to get the prize you wanted! If that’s you, why not try building your own claw machine? It’s a lot of work to make, but once you’ve built it, you can play as much as you like without any limits, until you’re satisfied!

Let’s try putting ice in various liquids

[Independent Project] Let's put ice in various liquids!

Prepare a variety of liquids and observe how ice melts in each of them! Gather clear plastic cups and fill them with liquids you have at home—such as water, oil, alcohol, milk, vinegar, and a mixture of water and oil.

Then put an ice cube into each one and observe how it melts and what it looks like afterward.

You can see different results depending on the properties of water and oil.

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

utatane

Report a problem

Let’s investigate delicious/tasty water

Independent Research Helper Kit: Let's Investigate Delicious/Good-Tasting Water – Gakken

You can find lots of bottled water sold at supermarkets, right? How about buying a few kinds and checking their taste with numbers? There are kits that let you test three things—water hardness, residual chlorine, and pH—sold with reagents and test strips included.

You taste them, and then you can see whether the ones you think are delicious also look good by the numbers; it makes you curious, doesn’t it?

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

utatane

Report a problem