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!
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- [For Upper Elementary Students] Simple but Awesome! A Collection of Summer Vacation Craft Ideas
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- 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 upper grades (1–10)
Let’s make a cyclone vacuum cleaner using plastic bottles
This idea lets you make a handy vacuum cleaner using ordinary, everyday tools! Not only is it simply fun to build, but the best part is that you can actually use it afterward, so it won’t just sit around once you’ve made it.
It does seem a bit difficult to put together, but for kids who love crafts, the challenge itself is part of the fun.
Let’s make a pinhole camera
It’s a mysterious camera that projects a scene onto a screen even without a lens.
You can make it with easily obtainable materials, so it’s easy to try.
It’s interesting to think about why it works that way.
It’s also a great experiment for understanding that light travels in straight lines!
Let’s make a linear motor
This is a simple, fun experiment that uses the repulsion of an electromagnet.
It moves aluminum foil by taking advantage of the property of metal that becomes magnetic when an electric current flows through it.
It can also be applied to craft projects, so it’s a nice bonus that an older brother can enjoy it as an experiment while a younger brother can enjoy it as a craft!
Let’s make a fidget spinner
This is an independent research project in which you actually make a hand spinner, the toy that became a huge craze for spinning in your hand.
If you make a mold from a real hand spinner, you can easily create one that spins smoothly.
You might also try increasing the number of wings or changing the size to investigate which shape spins the best.
Let’s make clacking marbles (Newton’s cradle)
This is an experiment to try building your own device commonly known as Newton’s cradle, where balls suspended by strings repeatedly click back and forth.
You’ll need a perforated board, corrugated plastic board, knitting needles, marbles, thread, vinyl tape, and basic tools for measuring and cutting.
If you look up the device’s name, you can probably picture the finished design right away, but it’s important to adjust the lengths precisely when you build it.
By paying attention to the finer details, you can create a device whose clicking motion is more accurate.
Let’s make a plastic bottle thermometer
What’s being introduced here is a thermometer you can make with a plastic bottle and a straw.
You don’t need any special liquids like the ones you’d only find in a science prep room.
It’s easy to set up, so it might be a lifesaver for kids who’ve put off their independent research projects until the last minute.
Besides the plastic bottle and straw, the other materials you’ll need—like a cup and water—are things you typically have at home.
If your household bakes often, you might even have food coloring.
It’s quite fascinating to watch colored water move up and down in response to temperature changes, isn’t it?
Handheld fan made from scrap materials
In recent years, due to intense heat waves and extremely hot weather, you often see many people using handheld fans.
A craft project that makes such a modern item out of scrap materials seems perfect for a summer vacation independent study during the hottest season.
Unfortunately, it generates very little breeze, but like a wind chime, its cool appearance and the way it spins briskly should help distract you from the heat.
It’s a summery, recommended craft that’s fun to make and play with together with friends, especially if you give it an original design.
