Recommended for elementary school students' independent research! Experiment and observation ideas using everyday materials
Recommended for elementary school students who haven’t decided on a summer vacation independent research project yet! Choosing a topic can be tough, but in this article we introduce exciting ideas that will make you feel thrilled just reading them—from factory tours at candy makers to gemstone polishing, and even a DIY telescope you can build with materials you have at home! You’ll also find plenty of ideas you’ll want to tell someone about, like a curious experiment to check your ear age and a project to make water that’s both hard and soft.
You’re sure to find tips for independent research that use familiar items and are fun to try!
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Recommended for elementary school students' independent research! Experiment and observation ideas using familiar materials (91–100)
Water that won’t spill even when turned upside down
In this experiment, you attach a sieve to a plastic bottle filled with water and turn it upside down.
Since a sieve has holes, you’d think the water would spill out—but it surprisingly doesn’t.
The reason it doesn’t spill involves surface tension and atmospheric pressure, making this a great independent research project for upper elementary school students and older who want to explore these concepts.
All you need are a plastic bottle and a sieve, so it’s easy to prepare and you can start the experiment right away.
optical illusion
This is a video that researches optical illusions.
Let’s try creating works that produce illusions like these! In particular, the Penrose triangle is a globally famous piece.
It isn’t actually a triangle, but depending on the viewing angle, it appears to be one.
The materials—thick paper, tape, scissors, and so on—are all basic items used for crafts.
Your classmates are sure to be amazed!
Blacklight Experiment
A blacklight experiment, which lets you enjoy a treasure-hunt-like atmosphere, is also perfect for an independent research project.
In a blacklight experiment, you find substances that glow under a blacklight and investigate them.
Common glow-in-the-dark items include Pine Ame candies, tonic water, and spinach.
Once prepared, put them into test tubes and shine the blacklight on them again.
You should be able to clearly see the colors change.
This is also a great opportunity to learn about ultraviolet light and fluorescent substances.
An experiment to hatch store-bought eggs
Eggs we casually buy at the supermarket—have you ever wondered if chicks could hatch from them? In this video, we introduce the process of hatching quail eggs purchased from a supermarket.
Building a small enclosure to keep the eggs warm and carefully controlling humidity and temperature make it quite challenging.
Try it with the help of a nearby adult! Also, since it takes at least three weeks of observation until they hatch, be ready to start as soon as summer vacation begins.
Research the differences between makeup removers
Anyone who wears makeup probably knows there are many types of makeup removers.
There are oil cleansers, cream cleansers, gel cleansers, and more, and within each type there are even more products—so there are really a lot of makeup removers out there.
So how about investigating the differences between makeup removers as an independent study? Prepare a few and compare which one removes makeup the best and which is the gentlest on the skin.
