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 Science Projects and Crafts Ideas (241–250)
Cook home-style dishes from countries around the world
How about a tasty independent research project? In this project, you’ll explore home-cooked dishes from countries around the world.
Of course you’ll look into how they’re made and the ingredients, but it’s also important to think about what the dishes reveal about each country’s climate and culture.
Home cooking is extremely helpful for understanding a country’s people and their daily lives.
Someday, when you travel, the knowledge from your project will help bring you closer to that country.
Make ice cream with salt and ice
This is a study that lets you make ice cream—an essential summer treat—while also experiencing elements of science through a cooking-based method.
Put ice in a large bowl and sprinkle salt over it, then place a smaller bowl containing the ice cream mixture on top so the cold can transfer, and stir.
Use a thermometer to record how the temperature changes with the combination of ice and salt, and think about what you can do to lower the temperature even more.
The key is understanding the mechanism that lowers the temperature, and a fun bonus is that you can make your favorite kind of ice cream.
Making salt crystals
Let’s try making crystals large enough to see with the naked eye! You’ll need 100 grams of table salt, 200 grams of water, a spoon, and a plastic dish.
First, add the salt to the water and stir 10 times to the right and 20 times to the left with the spoon.
After stirring a total of 100 times, wait for any undissolved salt to settle completely.
The upper part of the water will become clear.
Pour the clear portion into the plastic dish.
If you leave it for several days, the water will evaporate and one day you’ll see crystals! Observe them carefully!
Ice pops that don’t melt at room temperature
Ice cream that kids love.
In summer, we get more chances to eat it, right? That’s why I recommend making ice pops that don’t melt at room temperature.
As the name suggests, this is an idea for making mysterious ice pops that won’t melt even when it’s hot.
The reason they don’t melt is that the main ingredient is agar.
Agar has a high melting point, so it won’t easily melt in typical summer heat.
It can be fun to make ice pops with different flavors and appearances.
Enjoy eating them and make wonderful memories.
Color water experiment with morning glory flowers
Experiments where the color of water changes are visually striking and really fun.
Among them, a perfect one for a summer vacation project is the colored-water experiment using morning glories.
First, fill a bowl with water and knead morning glory flowers in it.
The water should become lightly tinted.
Next, pour this colored water into separate containers and add baking soda, citric acid, or lemon juice.
You should see the color change rapidly.
You can use that to paint pictures or explore the reasons behind the changes, making it a wonderful independent research project.
[Elementary School Students] Simple One-Day Independent Research and Craft Ideas (251–260)
Tyrannosaurus made from a paper cup
With summer vacation nearing its end, many people have probably struggled to come up with a topic for their independent research projects.
In times like that, here’s a great recommendation: a budget-friendly Tyrannosaurus made from paper cups that you can finish in a short time! The only materials you need are paper cups from a 100-yen shop.
It’s super easy, yet the result is a cool, realistic-looking T.
rex.
The basic method is to cut and combine the paper cups.
Use a single color for a sleek look, or mix various colors for a pop-style T.
rex—feel free to customize it however you like!
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.