Elementary School Projects, Lessons, Activities (Page 105)

Use Sewable Circuits to Make Cool Costumes and Accessories

Science Fair Project Idea

Engineering Design Process

Do you want to add color-changing lights to your own clothing, costume, or fashion accessory? What about making the lights flash, or adding sensors to make them automatically react to things like temperature or motion? You can do it all with sewable circuits, also called wearable electronics, that let you sew circuit parts directly into fabric. You can make anything from a basic circuit with a few LEDs up to a programmable, Arduino-compatible circuit with multiple sensor inputs and multiple… Read more

Veggie Snap! Modifying Bending Stresses in a Flexible Rod

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Have you ever broken a fishing rod? Or seen a treetop bend over and touch the ground (or even snap off) during an ice storm? These are examples of the effect of bending stresses on flexible rods. There are scientists who actually study this phenomenon and discover ways to prevent breakage, which leads to stronger fishing rods, building materials, car parts, and more. In this science project, you'll explore the bending stresses in flexible rods by testing asparagus stalks. Read more

Volleyball Machine Challenge for Grades 3-5

Lesson Plan Grade: 3rd-5th

Teach your students about the engineering design process with this fun lesson plan. They will design and build two "volleyball machines" that launch a ping pong ball back and forth over a net. While the 2019 Engineering Challenge is over, your students can still try this project and compare their scores to top scores from around the world! Teachers, note that middle school and high school versions of this lesson plan are also available. Looking for this year's challenge? Check out our… Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

3-5-ETS1-3. Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved.

Water Striders: Survival Adaptations

Lesson Plan Grade: 3rd

How do water striders skip across the surface of the water? What advantage does this give them over other insects that helps them survive in their environment? Your students will find out in this lesson as they build their own insects from pieces of wire, and see which ones sink and which ones float. Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

3-LS4-3. Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all.

Wave Blockers

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

What do the radio, TV, radio controlled cars, and cell phones all have in common? They all use invisible waves to transmit information. Find out which materials block radio waves, and which materials allow radio waves to pass through by doing this experiment. Read more

Wearable Air Quality Sensor

STEM Activity

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Wearables are found all over the biomedical world: heart rate monitors, EKG patches, braces, etc. In this project, you will make your own wearable air quality sensor that notifies you of high-risk air. You can attach the sensor patch on any existing clothing or even make a standalone patch that you can wear as a necklace or a bracelet. Read more

Weathering: Where Does Sand Come From?

Video Lesson Grade: 4th

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In this lesson, students explore weathering—the wearing away of rock by exposure to the elements. They learn how it creates smooth boulders, rounded pebbles, sinkholes to swim in, and caves to explore. In the activity, they explore the connection between weathering and sand using sugar cubes. Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

MS-ESS2-1. Develop a model to describe the cycling of Earth's materials and the flow of energy that drives this process.

Weaving a Wearable Touch Sensor

STEM Activity

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Sensors are everywhere—on your phone, in your car, and even at the grocery store. Learn how to craft your own wearable sensor that you can put on your clothing. Using a simple and easy crafting method, you will be able to weave your own capacitive touch sensor patch that will detect when someone touches the fabric. You can use the sensor to turn on an LED, buzzer, or motor when it detects touch! Read more

What Are You Blubbering About?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Baby Beluga may swim in the deep blue sea, but the song does not mention how cold it is out there! Find out in this science project how a bit of blubber can be a useful adaptation when the water is ice cold. Brrrr! Read more

What Do You See?

Lesson Plan Grade: 1st

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Human vision is dependent on light. We can only see if the light-sensitive cells on our retina at the back of our eyes get triggered by light entering the eye. As a result, we can only see objects that either are illuminated and reflect light back into our eyes, or objects that emit light. Any object that is in complete darkness is not visible to the human eye. In this lesson plan, students will place different objects inside a box and view them under different light conditions. By doing so,… Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

1-PS4-2. Make observations to construct an evidence-based account that objects in darkness can be seen only when illuminated.

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