Kids can explore science concepts through engaging experiments. When guided by knowledgeable mentors, fifth graders are able to craft testable questions and execute projects using the scientific method.
Students can experiment with growing plants under various lighting conditions to observe how this impacts plant height and leaf counts, while learning chromatography by isolating various hues among leaves.
1. Wind Turbines
Wind turbines are modern marvels, harnessing the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy without polluting or depleting earth’s natural resources. Model wind turbines enable students to see first-hand how the shape and curvature of a rotor affect energy output.
Investigating the effects of different lighting conditions on plant growth is another great choice for fifth grade science fair projects, and an excellent way to teach students about scientific method, data collection and analysis.
Students can construct a simple pinwheel to observe how changing its blade size affects power output, or they could construct more sophisticated 12 volt wind generators and use them to power an LED or other light bulb.
2. Bridges
Students become engineers for a day by applying engineering, physics and mathematics skills to create a bridge from common household materials – the challenge being whether or not it can support specific weight loads.
Begin by discussing different kinds of bridges. Outline how some are truss bridges – triangular in design – while others are beam bridges (square) side-by-side; emphasize that truss bridges will likely be stronger than square bridges.
Start by having each team select a design for their bridge to construct. With similar craft materials, have them construct three different bridges and test them, taking notes in their science notebooks along the way, noting any challenges they encounter or hypotheses about which will be stronger.
3. Ice Cubes
With this classic science experiment, kids can quickly determine the center of gravity for almost anything using materials found around the home. This fascinating STEM challenge provides valuable lessons in physics and the scientific method while having loads of fun!
Kids get to experiment with both chemistry and physics in this fun experiment that illustrates how chemical energy can transform into mechanical energy. They’ll build their own battery to power a toy car, while learning potential and kinetic energy concepts along the way!
This straightforward science fair project introduces students to three ways heat can transfer – conduction (objects touching), convection (hot air rising), and radiation. Students predict which ice cube shape will melt the fastest before measuring its time to melt and learning surface area and volume measurement along the way.
4. Osmosis
Osmosis is a physical process which describes the movement of solvent molecules across a selectively permeable membrane that only allows water molecules through. Osmosis plays an integral part of our body’s water-energy balance equation and must therefore be considered an important process.
Employ this interactive take on the classic naked egg experiment to help children explore osmosis directly. Students will label 3 eggs before placing each in its own beaker filled with either distilled or salt water and measuring and weighing each before and after 24 hours has passed.
Children will love this amazing osmosis experiment that uses gummy bears and waterproofing spray to teach surface area and density. Download a free lab printable and journal pages to go along with this experiment!
5. Paper Airplanes
Students in fifth grade begin taking more responsibility for designing and conducting their science fair projects with guidance from teachers and parents. When selecting experiments to complete, choose ones which help your child experience key aspects of scientific inquiry such as iterative testing and data analysis.
Paper airplanes have long been associated with childhood fun. But they also present an excellent opportunity for students to explore aerodynamics principles.
Try playing around with experimenting with the shape of wings to see how it affects distance and stability, or try adding paper clips to increase drag on your plane and track how that affects its flight path. Always record results accurately in a lab notebook – even experiments that “fail” can still provide valuable learning experiences if students can reflect upon and analyze results carefully, offering ways to improve future experiments.