Science Buddies'
fourth grade science projects are the perfect way for
fourth grade students to have fun exploring science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Our
fourth grade projects are written and tested by scientists and are specifically created for use by students in the
fourth grade. Students can choose to follow the science experiment as written or put their own spin on the project.
For a personalized list of science projects,
fourth graders can use the Science Buddies Topic Selection Wizard.
The wizard asks students to respond to a series of simple statements and then uses their answers to recommend
age-appropriate projects that fit their interests.
Naval fighter pilots seem to defy physics each time they fly their jets off of an aircraft carrier. Normal runways are thousands of feet long so that airplanes can develop enough lift to fly. But a runway on an aircraft is much shorter. How can naval pilots get their fighter jets into the air without falling off the carrier into the ocean? Well, because they get a boost from a catapult! Sounds unbelievable? It's not, and you can find out more about catapult-assisted takeoff in this aerodynamics…
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Like humans, plants can be negatively affected by overcrowding. Unlike humans, plants cannot get up and move to a new environment or explore how to utilize new resources. This experiment will explore the effects of crowding (population density) on the growth and health of plants.
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PlantBio_p011
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- Less Details
Time Required
Very Long (1+ months)
Prerequisites
Background research on biomes, ecosystems, population density, and the basic needs of plants.
Mike Powell of the United States currently holds the world record for the long jump at 8.95 meters, which is almost 30 feet! How did he jump so far? In this experiment, learn how a long jumper uses momentum from running to jump farther than the competition.
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"Hey kids, step right up! Toss this ball and win a prize!" shouts the carny barker. Sounds easy enough—until you try it. Why are those "simple" games at the fairs, carnivals, and boardwalks so hard? Is it really lack of skill or coordination or do those concessionaires use some basic laws of science to help them set up the games in their favor? This science fair project can help you find out for yourself.
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Ladybugs are common insects in North American gardens that prey upon aphids, making them all the rage in biological pest control. Ladybugs can be bred in captivity making them a good insect to study. Just chop off an aphid infested plant stem for food, make a water soaked cotton ball for water, and add to a small plastic container with a lid to make a breeding box. You can use ladybugs collected from the wild, or buy ladybugs from your local nursery. The most common species is the 12-spotted…
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Zoo_p036
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- Less Details
Time Required
Very Long (1+ months)
Prerequisites
Material Availability
Ladybugs can be collected from the wild, or purchased from a local nursery or an online vendor such as .
Sometimes science can be really messy or use pretty disgusting ingredients. That is what it takes to understand how the world works, even if the experiment isn't pretty. Do you like chemical reactions that stink and ooze foamy bubbles? Do you think it sounds fun to make a super gross liver smoothie? Then this is the experiment for you!
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BioChem_p030
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- Less Details
Time Required
Very Short (≤ 1 day)
Prerequisites
none
Material Availability
Readily available
Cost
Very Low (under $20)
Safety
Use caution when handling the sharp knife and the blender. An adult may need to assist with these steps. Also completely disinfect any surface that the raw liver touches.
Ok, well you will not be making real monkeys fly, so what is this science project all about? You might think that flying, screaming monkeys and science project do not belong in the same sentence, but you will be working with toy monkeys, and toys can sometimes be great tools for exploring science. In this science project, you will launch flying, screaming toy monkeys and determine how far they fly with the stretch of a rubber band. The distance they will go can be graphed to see how distance…
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Aero_p045
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- Less Details
Time Required
Average (6-10 days)
Prerequisites
A large open space to launch the monkey is required.
Material Availability
You will need to purchase the Flying Screaming Monkey toy. See the Materials and Equipment list for details.
Do you ever wonder how markers are made? Where do all of those colors come from? Many of the colorful dyes we use come from plants. Could you create vibrant colored natural dyes? Could you turn these dyes into art supplies? You can! In this science project, become a scientist and engineer and make your own marker using homemade plant dye!
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Chem_p014
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- Less Details
Time Required
Average (6-10 days)
Prerequisites
None
Material Availability
Filter paper can be purchased from our partner .
Time required includes time for shipping the filter paper.
Have your parents ever found you munching on candy and asked you, "How much candy did you eat?" Instead of saying, "I do not know?" and getting in trouble, maybe you would rather say, "I ate precisely 10.7 cubic centimeters of candy, Mom." Make your parents proud of their candy-eating genius child (you) with this simple science project.
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It has been said that, "Life is like a box of chocolates—you never know what you're going to get" (Forrest Gump in Forrest Gump, 1994). In this science project you can test the "Forrest Gump Chaos Theory" by using M&M's®, which are much cheaper than a box of chocolates. What if life is more like a bag of M&M's? Find out in this science project if some things in life are predictable by using the awesome power of statistics.
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