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 Students] Simple One-Day Independent Research and Craft Ideas (251–260)
Research how to make a paper airplane fly farther
Summer vacation is fun, but the thing that always trips us up is the independent research project or craft assignment, right? We also have to do our other homework, and we’ve got to go out and play! So here’s a project you can finish in one day.
This is a paper airplane everyone knows well… but it’s one that flies straight and far.
By getting creative with how you fold it and how you throw it, you can make a paper airplane that’s a little different.
How about explaining, with diagrams and text, how you came up with your ideas?
Let’s investigate delicious/tasty water
In Japan, delicious natural spring water can be found all over the country.
There are kits available from various sources that let you test the taste and pH of such water.
How about a science project where you use these kits to check and compare the taste and pH of Japan’s natural spring water and bottled water? It might also be interesting to investigate the relationship between similar-tasting waters and the terrain where they spring up.
Making bath bombs
Because they’re colorful, smell great, and are wonderfully relaxing, bath bombs are especially popular with women.
And guess what—you can easily make them yourself! All you need are a mold case, a bowl, a spoon, food coloring for tinting, a spray bottle, citric acid, baking soda, and potato starch.
First, mix the baking soda, citric acid, and potato starch in a 2:1:1 ratio.
Add food coloring to tint the mixture.
Lightly moisten it using the spray bottle a little at a time.
Pack the mixture into the mold and shape it.
Press it in firmly, then remove it while it’s still damp and let it dry.
They’re this easy to make, and they make bath time more fun—highly recommended!
Let’s investigate the power of air suction!
You can easily experiment with the power of air suction using things you have at home! First, prepare a candle, an aluminum dish, water, and a glass cup.
To make it easier to see, it’s best to color the water with paint or food coloring.
Here’s how to do the experiment.
First, stand the candle in the center of the aluminum dish and pour in the colored water so that the bottom part of the candle is slightly submerged.
Light the candle and cover it from above with the glass cup.
As you do this, changes in air pressure inside the cup will cause the water outside the cup to be drawn rapidly up into it.
It’s a very mysterious and fun experiment!
Easy dyeing with vegetable scraps
Vegetable peels almost always end up piling up after cooking.
Even if you think it’s a waste to throw them out, it’s hard to come up with a good way to use them, which can be a bit frustrating, right? For anyone who feels that way, we recommend making natural dye using vegetable peels.
Use the pigments that come out when you simmer the peels to create stylish, tie-dye-like designs! You’ll need white fabric, vegetable peels, soy milk, alum, and rubber bands.
You can also substitute juice for the vegetable peels.
Let’s make chic, upcycled pieces using materials derived from nature!
sand candle
Here’s a science project idea that adapts sand art using colorful sand.
Make cute and romantic sand candles and become the star of your class! It’s super easy: place a candle wick in the center of a glass and add sand little by little with a spoon.
The fun of this project is trying different things—experiment with color combinations, adjust the amounts, or mix the sands.
There are also sand candle kits available, so check those out if you want an easy start.
After you’re done, light it in the dark and let it soothe you!
A boat that glides smoothly
Let’s try making a boat you can use in the bath or for water play.
The materials are a milk carton, a tray, a straw, and three rubber bands.
The tools you’ll need are scissors, cellophane tape, and a pen.
The key feature of this craft is the screw (propeller) made from the milk carton, rubber bands, and straw—this will be the boat’s power source.
Once the propeller is ready, you just attach it to the tray, which serves as the body, so even lower-grade elementary school children can make it on their own.
When it’s finished, wind the straw that’s attached to the rubber band, set it afloat on the water, and have fun playing.
