Elementary School Projects, Lessons, Activities (Page 84)

Stop Slumping: What Makes Foams Stand Up Straight

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Here's a riddle for you: What would a latté be without a froth of bubbly milk on top? Answer: Black coffee! And how about a pumpkin pie without the whipped cream? Answer: Sad. Delicious, edible foams are everywhere, from sodas, meringues, and soufflés to mousses and whipped creams. They provide a delicious, spongy contrast to the foods they accompany, and their airiness releases aromas that enhance the eating experience. So, what makes a good foam? One with high volume and lots of… Read more

Storytelling Alice: Once Upon a Time in a Computer-generated Land...

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

The Incredibles, Ratatouille, Up. What do these Pixar films have in common? They are all computer-animated films. While the writers and directors came up with the compelling stories and the kinds of scenes that would best tell the stories, the computer animation experts brought the films to life. In this computer science project, you will easily be able to create your own animated story using a simple computer programming environment called Storytelling Alice. To create your animation, you will… Read more

Strength in Numbers?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Ever try to tear a telephone book in half? Even though you can easily rip one or a few pages to shreds, the entire phone book has strength in numbers and holds together. This project is an introduction to measuring and comparing the strength of materials. Does spaghetti get extra strength if you bundle it together, or does strength simply increase proportionally with the number of strands? If you are interested in materials testing, get cracking! Read more

Strength of Glues

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Try gluing wood together with different types of glue, e.g.: regular white glue, yellow wood glue, cyanoacrylate (super glue), and Liquid Nails. Glue a short piece (5-8 cm) to the center of a longer piece (15-30 cm). After the glue has dried for the recommended time, drill a small hole through the center of the joint, big enough to pass through a piece of coat-hanger wire. Cut a length of coat hanger wire, pass it through the hole, and twist the ends together to form a loop. Place the ends… Read more

Sustainable Construction: Building with Mushroom Roots

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Does growing your own house sound futuristic? If so, this project might surprise you! An overlap of biology, material science, and environmental science has resulted in some intriguing self-assembling materials. In this project, you will grow one of these materials: mycelium composite. It is made of agricultural waste and mushroom roots. You will explore two ways to grow your own construction material. Try it out and see which method proves to be the strongest! Read more

Take a Hike: Train Your Robot Dog to Walk with a Virtual Leash

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Have you ever walked a dog on a leash? Depending on how well-behaved the dog is, it can be very easy or very difficult. It would be great if you could tell your dog exactly how to behave, right? With that in mind, in this project you will build a robotic dog using a LEGO® Mindstorms® kit that you can teach to "walk" using the beam from a flashlight as a virtual leash. But your robot dog will not know how to walk on a leash on its own — you will have to "train" it, just as you… Read more

Testing Material Properties

Lesson Plan Grade: 1st-2nd

1

2

3

4

5

7 reviews

Plastic, metal, wood, and stone. We encounter many different materials every day. Each object around us is made of a specific material. Why are they not all made from the same material? The answer is that every material has different properties; some are hard and others are soft, some are transparent and others are opaque. For each product that is produced, the material from which it is made determines many of its properties. This is why material testing is so important. These tests allow… Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

2-PS1-1. Plan and conduct an investigation to describe and classify different kinds of materials by their observable properties.

Testing the Strength of Martian Bricks

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

For a colony of humans to survive and thrive on Mars, they will need to make the most of what is available on Mars. We know from prior space missions what the Martian ground cover looks like. In this project, you will see if this ground cover can be transformed into strong construction material. The first requirement for construction material is that it is strong so it does not collapse under its own weight. Because the mass of Mars is about 10 times less than the mass of Earth, its… Read more

That's a Pretty Tough Baby! A Study of Gender Stereotypes in Children

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Have you ever seen a baby in the park and wondered if it was a boy or a girl? Maybe once you found out the gender, you thought how sweet, mischievous, or cute the baby was. But wait…do you think that the words you used to describe the baby might be based on your own gender stereotypes? A gender stereotype is when you expect someone to act a certain way simply because he or she is a boy or a girl. In this human behavior science project, you will investigate whether young children use gender… Read more

The Art & Science of Making Yummy Yogurt

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Yogurt is a very versatile dairy product. It's yummy eaten straight from the container, it is good for your digestive system, and it can be used in several ways for cooking. There is historical evidence that yogurt-making developed 4,500 years ago! Humans depended on yogurt-making as a way to preserve milk. Yogurt is the result of bacterial fermentation of milk. In fermentation, the bacteria consume the milk sugar, lactose, and produce lactic acid. The end-product is a thick, creamy, and tangy… Read more

Elementary School Projects, Lessons, Activities (1,086 results)

Explore Our Science Videos