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 Independent Research & Craft Ideas (21–30)
Water freezes the instant you touch it.
This is an experiment demonstrating a curious chemical change using sodium acetate.
When you touch water in which sodium acetate has been dissolved with a fingertip coated in sodium acetate, the water suddenly begins to solidify, producing a magical-looking transformation that children are sure to enjoy.
As long as you have sodium acetate, it’s easy to get started—so give it a try and have fun!
Let’s make glowing balloon slime
An irresistibly tactile slime with a one-of-a-kind feel.
This experiment features that slime glowing in the dark.
You can get the slime ingredients at a drugstore, but using a kit makes it easier and more convenient.
Best of all, it includes phosphorescent powder—the glowing agent—so it’s fancier than ordinary slime and perfect for a science project topic.
Inflate the finished slime with a straw to make it balloon-like and watch it glow.
Even if it doesn’t inflate well, you can try again as many times as you like.
To make it glow, be sure to expose the slime to plenty of light beforehand!
Make a candy glass
This video features the hugely popular YouTuber SEIKIN introducing an amazing idea: making cups out of candy.
All you need is a silicone mold, candy, and cornstarch.
You can enjoy how different flavors of candy mix with the juice you pour in, and you can make cute, colorful cups.
Give it a try by gathering the materials and challenging yourself!
What happens if you put ice in water and oil?
Let’s try the water, oil, and ice experiment that the hugely popular YouTuber SEIKIN does in this video as a science project! You probably know that water and oil separate and don’t mix.
Also, because water is heavier than oil, the water settles at the bottom and the oil forms a layer on top.
Now, what happens if we add ice to that? Let’s actually try it.
First, pour water into a cup.
Next, add about the same amount of oil.
You should see the water at the bottom and the oil collecting on top.
When you drop in some ice, something curious happens—the ice floats right along the boundary between the water and the oil.
It looks kind of magical, doesn’t it? You can do this right away with things you have at home, so I highly recommend it!
food sample
The food samples displayed at town diners and department store restaurants can be so well made that you might mistake them for the real thing.
On the other hand, the ones that look obviously fake are also endearing.
So why not try making a shaved ice food sample? You’ll need a shaved ice bowl, paper clay, red paint, white paint, and epoxy adhesive.
The epoxy adhesive will serve as the transparent “ice” portion.
The basic process is simple: shape a base with the paper clay, then layer on the epoxy adhesive to form the ice.
It could be fun to invite some friends and make them together.
There are plenty of tutorial videos on making food samples, so be sure to check them out for reference!
Vegetable Stamp Art
Many people are likely looking for easy science projects or crafts for lower elementary school students.
For you, we recommend “vegetable stamps.” Cut various vegetables, apply ink to the cross-sections, and make stamps.
Since each vegetable has a different cross-section, you could even turn it into a quiz-style project.
Using the stamps to create pictures is also a great idea.
Optical illusions and crafts
Trick art that makes it look like someone’s height changes or space is distorted is popular with elementary school kids, isn’t it? How about researching how such trick art works and trying a hands-on craft or an independent study by making one yourself? This video shows how to create a trick art piece that makes it look like a marble is rolling uphill, and there are many other trick art tutorials on YouTube, so be sure to check them out.