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] Simple One-Day Science Projects and Crafts (31–40)
Let’s remake it!
This is a free-study project where an ordinary, very colorful chair is unexpectedly remade with a vintage look.
It’s a serious guide that introduces various paints, tools, and techniques, but what’s wonderful is that you can buy the materials at a home improvement store and refresh items you’ve grown tired of.
It might also be fun to freely and boldly play around with remaking things together with your child.
Floating Vegetables, Sinking Vegetables
Wagyan, a character nostalgic for the Famicom generation, introduces an experiment on “vegetables that float in water and vegetables that sink.” Strangely, some vegetables feel heavy in your hand but float in water, while others feel light yet sink.
There’s a rule that explains these two patterns of vegetables, so try thinking about it together as a family.
There are exceptions, but experiment with many kinds of vegetables while making predictions.
What happens if you microwave soap?
A simple experiment you can try right away if you have bar soap lying around at home or in your stock: what happens when you microwave soap? Put a bar of soap in the microwave and turn it on—you’ll be amazed by the fun sight! You can still use the soap afterward, so report on how it feels to use.
You might also capture the changing shape in a video or photos as it heats in the microwave.
It’s an experiment recommended from an ecology and SDGs perspective as well.
masking tape art
Drawing pictures is a classic choice for independent study projects and crafts.
Simply drawing is fine, but let’s add a little twist to make your artwork more eye-catching.
Masking tape is highly recommended for that.
There are many kinds of masking tape, so you can create a wide variety of pictures.
Start by making a rough sketch, then gather masking tapes that match your design.
Even grade-schoolers can make it! Triple-shot chopstick rubber band gun
You might think it’s just a simple chopstick rubber band gun, but it actually has a feature that lets you fire three rubber bands.
The building process is straightforward: attach a handle to a bundle of chopsticks that serves as the base, then install a movable trigger so that it’s sandwiched in place.
What’s crucial here are the trigger shape and the positions where the rubber bands are hooked.
By attaching three rubber bands at different positions, they will fire in sequence.
The hooking method for each band is also intricate, so doing that accurately is a key point.
[Elementary School] Easy One-Day Independent Research & Craft Ideas (41–50)
Powerful! Chopstick Gun
Prepare seven pairs of disposable chopsticks and plenty of rubber bands as materials.
First, use five pairs of chopsticks to make the main body.
Stack the chopsticks for the body alternately left and right so that about two-thirds overlap.
Secure them firmly at two points with rubber bands, then cut a notch at the front end to hook a rubber band.
Attach a short, cut chopstick to the rear of the body as the trigger, and glue another chopstick fixed in a V-shape behind that as the grip.
Your powerful chopstick gun is complete!
galaxy jar
It’s a craft that compresses outer space into a tight little bottle—full of romance and wonder! It’s perfect for time at home, and not only kids but their caregivers will likely find themselves totally absorbed.
Since children will be handling it, use a plastic bottle instead of a glass one for safety.
Pack as much craft cotton as you can into the bottle, then pour in water.
Next, load the tip of a brush with your favorite watercolor paint and, as if poking into the gaps in the cotton, move the brush side to side to add color.
If you mix too many colors it can get muddy, so we recommend blending about two colors.
Adding glitter or star-shaped sequins makes it look even more magical!
