Recommended for elementary school students! Science fair topics & craft ideas
Speaking of summer vacation, choosing a topic for the independent research project can often be tough.
Science experiments and crafts are both fun! If your child is good at crafts, we recommend crafts because they can enjoy the process as they go.
When they get absorbed in it, they might even finish in just a few days.
Here, we’ll introduce a variety of ideas for independent research and crafts! If you’re struggling to pick a theme, please use these as a reference.
To create fun summer memories, make a one-of-a-kind project of your own!
- For summer vacation homework! Simple and amazing crafts for elementary school students that you’ll want to make after seeing them
- Simple yet amazing crafts: craft ideas that elementary school students will want to make
- Elementary School Students: Simple One-Day Science Project and Craft Ideas
- DIY science projects that elementary school boys will love: ideas you can make with everyday materials
- [For Upper Elementary Students] Simple but Awesome! A Collection of Summer Vacation Craft Ideas
- For upper-grade boys! Simple yet awesome craft project [Don’t call it lazy]
- Fun crafts using straws
- Recommended for lower elementary school students! A collection of plastic bottle craft ideas made with everyday materials.
- Simple and cute summer project crafts! A collection of ideas for girls that will make you want to create
- [Middle School Students] Easy One-Day Science Projects and Crafts Ideas
- Toys you can make from cardboard crafts! Authentic ideas you can build and play with
- Simple but awesome! Craft ideas for upper-grade girls
- Crafts parents and kids can enjoy together. Recommended craft ideas to keep children entertained.
For lower grades (1–10)
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!
AED Map
An AED is a device that can save a person’s life by restoring the heartbeat.
Have you seen them at train stations, airports, or theaters? AEDs can save the lives of people whose heart and breathing have suddenly stopped.
How about choosing an “AED map” as a topic for your independent research? You might be surprised by how many AEDs you can find around town.
If your child enjoys investigating things, they can turn it into a game-like activity—walking around the city while working on their project! It’s important not only to mark the installation locations on the map, but also to make clear records by combining photos and other details.
This is a theme that will be educational not just for children, but for their parents as well.
Rainbow Warabi Mochi
How about making colorful, jiggly rainbow warabi mochi and observing how their colors and flavors change? First, pour seven colors of shaved ice syrup into seven clear cups.
Then add three pieces of warabi mochi to each cup.
Decide on times to take them out—after 5 minutes, 1 hour, and 1 day—and place the dyed mochi on plates by time to compare them.
We’re using shaved ice syrup here, but it’s also fun to create your own colors with food coloring.
The steps are very simple and the changes are easy to see, so even younger elementary school kids can enjoy this activity.
It’s fun to look at, delicious to eat, and perfect for a summer science project that will become a great memory.
For lower grades (11–20)
Let’s try making a guitar
Does it look a bit hard to make? Don’t worry—elementary school students should be able to make it just fine! You can also study pitch differences by how you tighten the strings, and this will help you understand how a guitar works.
Designing it yourself sounds really fun, too! It may not be a classic choice for a summer project, but because it doesn’t feel too much like studying, I think you’ll be able to enjoy working on it.
A balloon explodes with baking soda and vinegar!
How about trying a fun experiment playtime with baking soda and vinegar? First, spread a layer of baking soda on a flat dish or tray.
Mix vinegar with paint to make colored vinegar in your favorite shades, then use a dropper to drip it onto the baking soda you spread out.
You can enjoy drawing with fizzing, crackling powder.
Next, pour vinegar to one-third of a plastic bottle, and put baking soda to about halfway into a balloon.
Attach the balloon’s opening to the mouth of the bottle, then let the baking soda in the balloon fall into the vinegar.
A neutralization reaction will produce carbon dioxide, and the balloon will inflate more and more.
Both activities let you safely experience chemical reactions, so give them a try!
Magic Crayon
This is an experiment with a magic crayon that looks white but draws red lines.
In fact, the crayon isn’t the cause of the mysterious effect—the fabric is.
The secret lies in the properties of curry powder that dyed the fabric yellow.
By using soap containing a component that reacts with turmeric in curry powder, a red color appears on the fabric.
Moreover, using lemon juice makes this red color disappear, allowing you to create two curious reactions.
Even if you don’t fully understand each ingredient, why not start by embracing the mystery and letting your curiosity lead the way?
Tin-can telephone: Let’s investigate how the sound changes with different strings
This is an experiment using a string telephone that can be easily made with paper cups and string.
The method of making it is the same as the common one, but if you try changing the string to various materials such as cotton thread, silk thread, yarn, or enameled wire and compare how each one sounds, you may notice a variety of differences.