Fifth grade science fair projects provide invaluable experiences that engage students in core scientific concepts. From creating hypotheses, testing variables, collecting data and drawing conclusions – these projects give 5th graders an invaluable experience!
Encourage students to record qualitative observations using drawings and pictures, as well as precise quantitative measurements using various tools (metric rulers, scales, timers etc). Furthermore, stress the importance of carefully examining recorded data against background information for further interpretation.
Archimedes’ Screw
5th grade students use hands-on science projects to gain hands-on knowledge of biology, physics, chemistry, and other scientific topics. By devising research questions and conducting experiments using household materials such as newspapers or cereal boxes to test theories developed during class sessions and writing up their results later, these students gain hands-on experience that will prove essential in future academic endeavors.
Archimedes Screw Pumps are positive displacement pumps which capture and move water away from a source to a discharge location. Consisting of a helical screw within a hollow tube, it can be operated manually, by cattle, windmills, or more modern means such as motor.
Have you seen an Archimedes screw at work on snow blowers or chocolate fountains? But did you know it was also used in 2001 to correct the lean of Pisa Tower?
Newspaper Engineering
Students can develop engineering design skills with newspaper challenges. Students are challenged to erect a freestanding tower using limited supplies – similar to architects and engineers facing real-life engineering issues when creating structures to withstand both lateral and vertical loads on projects.
Help your student select a project that allows them to demonstrate their research abilities and scientific process. Encourage them to focus on testable questions with realistic timelines for experimentation, data collection and analysis.
Instead of giving your child “the answer” to their science fair question, allow them to design their own hypothesis and experimentation process so they truly own their project. This way, their project becomes truly their own!
Bridge Design
Students build and test a bridge with craft sticks and other materials before testing its strength. Students must consider which loads a bridge needs to withstand, including trains, cars and people crossing its structure; calculate where compression and tensile forces exist and calculate their effects;
Another exciting and engaging 5th grade science fair project idea involves exploring the impact of various forms of music on plant growth, measuring natural dye efficiency on fabric, or exploring the relationship between exercise and heart rate. Encourage students to thoughtfully discuss their findings while considering ways their experimental methods could be improved for future trials.
Volcano
5th grade science fair projects provide students with hands-on experiences in biology, chemistry and physics. Furthermore, designing and conducting an experiment teaches them about hypothesis testing, measuring data and drawing conclusions.
An extinct volcano that aroses through an eruption and saw the accumulation of lava, tephra, and other deposits at one or multiple vents during an outburst of activity.
Test how different liquids affect an egg’s buoyancy by using ingredients commonly found in your kitchen. Or investigate acidity’s effect on plant growth by watering them with liquids with different pH levels. Kids love this engaging and engaging project that shows how gases interact through soda and Mentos candies!
Eggshell Arch
By fifth grade, students are ready to assume more responsibility in designing and conducting their own science experiments, becoming more independent while still cultivating curiosity and love of learning.
This eggshell experiment teaches children about arches by testing how much weight four eggshells can support when formed into arches. Furthermore, this demonstration also illustrates how their curving structure distributes pressure evenly versus flat surfaces which concentrate it all at one spot.
Try this more advanced experiment which utilizes chromatography to separate colors from leaves, using this common lab technique as an introduction for children. It’s sure to keep their attention!
Airplane
Fifth grade science fair projects provide meaningful opportunities for students to engage in all aspects of scientific inquiry. With thoughtful guidance, teachers can provide their pupils with opportunities for designing testable experiments, gathering materials for experiments, gathering data on observations and making conclusions and creating engaging presentations.
This project helps students explore aerodynamics and the principles of flight. Different wing designs produce lift to keep a plane aloft while drag slows it down. After each plane takes flight from its starting line, students can use tape measures to track its journey back home.
Encourage students to repeat this experiment multiple times to ensure accuracy and then calculate averages and display their results on a bar graph.