Fifth grade is an ideal time to introduce kids to lab work and hands-on science, since they’re ready to begin exploring independently and implementing experiments that spark both curiosity and a passion for learning.
Watch your students light up when they “levitate” a stick figure with dry-erase marker ink, creating an unforgettable demonstration that demonstrates density! This activity offers an engaging demonstration.
Convection Currents
Convection currents are a form of heat transfer that moves particles within liquid or gas to distribute heat evenly throughout. They’re produced when there are differences between densities and temperatures in specific fluids or gases, creating convection currents.
Convective movement is a primary force in ocean currents, which in turn have an immense effect on climate across continents bordering seas. Students will observe this process using blue-dyed ice cubes and red-dyed warm water in a simple experiment to see how temperature differences impact convection current speeds.
Discover the power of sublimation by watching dry ice transform from solid to gas in an experiment that helps students appreciate surface tension and physics. This project makes an exciting learning opportunity!
Density
Density is an essential scientific concept that determines how things float in liquids and solid surfaces, such as rivers. To measure it accurately, one divides weight by volume using mathematical notation such as “r” or Latin letter D as a measurement method.
Students can demonstrate density with this hands-on experiment using everyday objects. Students layer different liquids in a glass and watch as one sinks while another floats.
Kids love this fun experiment that investigates surface tension. Additionally, it teaches them about gases. Help your students apply the scientific method by helping them conduct this simple investigation that shows how plants help stabilize soil layers, helping prevent natural disasters such as landslides while providing farmers with valuable topsoil back.
Lava Lamp
A lava lamp is a popular decorative fixture that produces mesmerizing pools of colored water and oil, creating mesmerizing patterns of light that mesmerize viewers. Combining art with science in an engaging manner, the lamp serves as an effective teaching tool about density and nonpolar liquids for children.
A lava lamp works because its two liquid components are insoluble with one another and have different densities (the number of atoms and molecules packed together). Therefore, water has greater density than oil, sinking lower than it.
Dropping an Alka Seltzer tablet into the mixture causes carbon dioxide bubbles to form that carry colored water blobs up through the oil until they burst, before falling back down again.
Volcano
This classic science experiment examines the chemical reaction behind volcanic eruptions and lava flows, teaching kids about plate tectonics and volcanoes while creating an impressive baking soda volcano for display at science fairs.
This variation on the classic volcano experiment uses Alka Seltzer tablets for added drama, making the experiment even more engaging for students who have conducted it many times before. Students may conduct several tests, such as whether playing dough type has any bearing on its consistency during lava flow formation.
Archimedes’ Screw
Archimedes Screw (commonly referred to as the water screw or screw pump) is a machine used to lift liquid by turning a rotating screw inside a tight-fitting cylinder. As it turns, its bottom end scoops up water before pushing it upward through a narrow tube into its final destination – where a spout opens for discharge.
Used extensively in sewage treatment plants, centrifuges can efficiently manage variable flow rates and suspended solids. Their principles can also be found in conveyors – for instance the auger in snowblowers or grain elevators use this principle.
Bacterial Colonies
Microbiologists define a colony as any group of bacteria or fungi that has united into an obvious mass, making an outwardly visible mass. Isolating bacteria from their natural environments for use as medical remedies or industrial/synthetic enzyme production requires plating them out and studying their size, color, opacity and surface appearance in detail.
This science experiment is simple and an ideal way to introduce kids to the scientific method. They will learn how to swab for germs, and determine whether different areas in their school contain more or fewer bacteria than expected.
Newspaper Engineering
5th graders are old enough to begin applying their engineering skills to science experiments that make an impressionful statement about biology, chemistry, and physics concepts in fun ways. These innovative projects teach biology, chemistry, and physics concepts through captivating hands-on projects that engage their senses.
Check the hypothesis that oil floats on water with this fun density experiment! Students also learn proportional relationships and Common Core math standards through data collected from multiple tanks.
Create an authentic learning experience for kids with this engaging tinkering project that simulates designing a bridge to keep people and vehicles safe – perfect for teaching about physics and engineering!