Third Grade, Physics Projects, Lessons, Activities (Page 7)

Making A Candy Waterfall: Can Solids Flow Like Liquids?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

What do sand, Skittles, and cereal have in common? They are all granular materials, which means they are made up of solid particles, but they can actually flow like liquid! Imagine pouring the sand out of a bucket or pouring the cereal out of a box— a lot like pouring water, right? In this physics science project, you will investigate how the size of granular materials affect how they flow. Read more

Motion Mania: Applying Physics to Hula-Hooping

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Practice makes you better at most things, and knowledge makes practice so much easier! Can you swirl a circular toy called a hula hoop around your waist or arm? Is it hard? What knowledge can you apply to find ways that make hula-hooping easier? Physics! Yes, physics will help you determine what makes one hula hoop a winner and another a flop. In this project, you will create your own hula hoops, spin them, and draw conclusions. The road will then be open to your becoming a hula hoop expert. If… Read more

MrBeast "Protect the Prize" Challenge

Science Fair Project Idea

Engineering Design Process

MrBeast, the world's most famous YouTuber, has a series of challenge videos where he asks a contestant to protect some valuable prize - like a pile of money or an expensive car - from a series of attacks like explosions, giant fireballs launched from catapults, or even getting hit by a train! Contestants often have only 24 hours to build something to protect their prize, which presents a very interesting engineering challenge. Given limited time and access to materials, how can you best protect… Read more

Phone Book Friction

STEM Activity

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24 reviews

A popular science demonstration shows that when you overlap the pages of two phone books, they are nearly impossible to pull apart. Since most people do not have two phone books sitting around, we will show you how you can do the same experiment with sticky notes. Sticky notes are much smaller than phone books, so they should be easy to pull apart, right? Try this activity to find out! Read more

Physics Secrets for Hula Hooping

STEM Activity

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Have you ever spent time spinning a hula hoop around your waist or arm? Could you easily do it, or was it difficult? Have you ever wondered how hula hoops work, or, in other words, what makes them be able to spin around a person's waist or arm? It comes down to the physics that is involved. Physics can help you determine what makes one hula hoop a winner and another a flop. In this activity you will get to create your own hula hoops and investigate how their masses affect how they spin. … Read more

Pop Goes the Metal: How Temperature Affects Snap Time of a Jumping Disc

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Jumping discs can be a fun toy to play with, and with their sudden POP!, they can even be a good way to startle people who have never heard them before. Jumping discs use a neat trick to jump. They are made of two different types of metal, and these metals expand when they heat up (or shrink when they cool down), but not by exactly the same amount. In this science project you will explore how temperature affects the reactions of your jumping discs— and how to get the timing right if you… Read more

Rocket Catcher Challenge for Grades K-5

Lesson Plan Grade: Kindergarten-5th

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In this fun engineering lesson plan, your students will build a rocket-catching device to help a falling rocket land vertically without crashing, using simple and readily-available materials. Middle school and high school versions of this lesson plan are also available. This lesson was part of the 2025 Science Buddies Engineering Challenge. Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

3-5-ETS1-2. Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.

Rubber Band Car Challenge for Grades 3-5

Lesson Plan Grade: 3rd-5th

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In this fun engineering lesson plan, your students will build rubber band-powered cars using readily available craft supplies. The challenge is to build a car that goes as far as possible while making careful use of materials. Middle school and high school versions of this lesson plan are also available. This lesson was part of the 2024 Science Buddies Engineering Challenge. Note for K-2 teachers: you can do this challenge with younger students too! Contest entry is open to all K-12… Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

3-5-ETS1-2. Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.

Shaping Hard-boiled Eggs

STEM Activity

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Have you ever played with your food, creating funny faces or colorful edible artworks? In this activity, you can do just that, but with results you might not expect! You will learn a fascinating way to cook and shape boiled eggs, and explore some interesting chemistry about cooking an egg along the way. While exploring the flexibility of hard-boiled eggs, you will create a delicious, odd-shaped reward! Read more

Slip Sliding Away: Experimenting with Friction

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

As you headed up the mountain to enjoy your last ski trip, you may have noticed a sign reading: Hazard! Icy Roads Ahead—Put On Your Chains. Putting chains on car tires increases the resistance between the tires and the road allowing the car to "grip" the road. This resistance to sliding is called friction. In this experiment, you will be investigating how to increase and decrease the friction between two surfaces. Read more

Third Grade, Physics Projects, Lessons, Activities (86 results)

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