Elementary School Students: Simple One-Day Science Project and Craft Ideas
For elementary school summer break projects and crafts, we recommend starting with something your child is already interested in.
When it’s something they like, they can enjoy working on it.
Here, we introduce simple ideas for elementary school students! These are experiments and crafts you can do in a single day.
The materials are things you already have at home or can get quickly, so even if you’re short on time, no worries.
Perfect for those who are “stuck on a theme” or “looking for an easy and fun project”! Find your favorite and give it a try.
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[Elementary School] Easy One-Day Free Research / Craft Ideas (231–240)
Let’s make chalk
Chalk, always paired with the blackboard at school.
Did you know that this familiar item, used in class almost every day, can actually be made by hand? The materials are eggshells, flour, water, and food coloring for tinting.
First, finely pulverize the eggshells.
Put them in a mortar and start by crushing them coarsely, then grind them down into a powder.
Once it’s fine, add flour and water and knead it together thoroughly.
When it comes together, divide it into portions, add color, and let it harden.
You can roll it in paper to make thin sticks, or use cute silicone molds.
Bath bomb making
As a science project recommended for people who love stylish things, making bath bombs is a great choice.
You can make bath bombs with items from home improvement stores or 100-yen shops, so it’s quite easy.
However, simply making them isn’t enough for a middle school research project, so it’s recommended to test how they dissolve using various materials or explain in detail how bath bombs work.
[Elementary School] Easy One-Day Science Projects and Crafts Ideas (241–250)
Felt Humidifier
In winter, the air gets dry and it’s easy to strain your throat.
To get ready for the cold season, why not make your own personal humidifier that you can keep in your room as a summer vacation project? By simply changing the felt piece on top, you can enjoy different styles of humidifiers.
The basic structure is a felt craft placed on top of a ceramic vessel filled with water.
Felt absorbs water well, providing a gentle humidifying effect.
You can crochet the felt into flower shapes or make cute animals—both are great! It’s also fun to do felt crafts with friends.
If you add a few drops of essential oil to the water, everyone might feel a bit more luxurious.
Be sure to change the water frequently to prevent mold!
Paper chromatography
Chromatography refers to a method for separating mixtures, and paper chromatography is a type of chromatography that uses water and filter paper.
Although chromatography might sound like a formal chemistry experiment, it’s actually easy to try as a hands-on science project.
One simple activity is to use paper chromatography to separate the inks of water-based pens.
Water-based pen ink is made by mixing various colors; for example, when you separate green ink, you can see that it’s composed of multiple colors.
The method is simple: color a coffee filter with a water-based pen, then dip it in water and leave it.
The ink will separate as if it’s bleeding, revealing which colors were mixed.
Try separating and observing different colors, or investigate whether the mixture of colors differs between brands even for the same ink color.
Botanical candle
Let’s add a creative twist to candles and make cute botanical candles.
The process is simple: pour melted wax into a candle mold and let it set.
A key feature is the double structure: a central core where the flame burns, and an outer layer sprinkled with dried flowers.
This design ensures safety by preventing the flame from catching the outer decorations.
It’s also important to place the dried flowers with small gaps so the wax can flow and solidify properly—keep balance in mind as you work.
Express your originality through your choice of dried flowers and other decorations.
Making a Metal Slime
Many elementary school students love the Dragon Quest series, which is hugely popular in video and smartphone games.
We also recommend making the series’ popular monster, the Metal Slime, as a craft project.
In this craft, you’ll use a metal called gallium, which melts at low temperatures.
By the way, gallium can make other metals brittle, so be careful not to spill it.
Color the shapes created by a single-stroke drawing
Let’s try a “one-line drawing” that can produce artwork like an artistic painting.
Draw a border with a marker slightly inside the edges of your drawing paper.
From the top of the border to the bottom, draw continuous lines in a single stroke.
As you add more lines, they will intersect and create several shapes.
Color those shapes with colored pencils in any colors you like.
Even with the same colored pencil, varying the pressure will create light and dark tones, making it more artistic.
You might end up with a picture like Picasso’s—give it a try!
