Fifth graders are ready to assume more responsibility when it comes to designing and conducting science experiments, creating hands-on projects which will ignite curiosity and foster passion for learning.
Explore how age affects how far someone can hit a baseball, bowl a pins down in bowling games or use chemical reactions and graphing skills with these fun projects!
Make It Move
Crafting an outstanding science fair project is an integral part of elementary school life. Students enjoy creating their projects while engaging in exciting scientific investigations that can be completed within two weeks.
From rubber egg drops to making kaliedoscopes, these 5th grade science fair projects provide children with engaging lessons about force and motion. Plus, many can be completed using materials already found around your home – saving both you and your budget money on purchasing special supplies!
Explore density with a soda can experiment that determines whether different kinds of soda sink or float in water, making for an engaging density experiment that takes only minutes once setup is complete. The Uncovering Fall Colors project offers another great way to use chromatography – commonly used in chemistry – while giving participants an excuse to go outside and collect leaves!
Balloon Races
Students will enjoy creating and racing their very own balloon-powered car by using straws, tape and decorations as they explore Newton’s 3rd Law of Motion: Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.” This simple STEM activity provides children with an engaging way of understanding “Every action has an equal and opposite reaction”.
Once each car is decorated, have students thread a string through a straw (be sure to pinch its end so no air escapes) and anchor one end to something sturdy like a chair. They should then blow up a balloon and tape it to the top of their straw before testing how far their balloon rocket moves when released.
Try different variations of this project, like awarding points based on weight carried and distance traveled, or use this idea as the inspiration to construct a mousetrap car or hovercraft – each project will give your 5th grader a glimpse of engineering, physics and other science concepts.
Rainbow Rain Clouds
Rainbows in the sky are known scientifically as circumhorizontal arcs and they’re caused by light shining through raindrops that act like prisms and split white sunlight into its individual hues. Kids can explore this natural phenomenon using this engaging weather experiment that also shows why and how rainfall falls from clouds.
With this straightforward jar-based experiment, children can observe the physical changes associated with cloud formation as it takes shape. They’ll also gain an understanding of density’s effect on what floats or sinks.
This STEM science project for kids can be customized for patriotic holidays such as 4th of July or other patriotic festivals by using only blue coloring; or for a full rainbow effect by adding red. Not only can children use an eyedropper or pipette to practice fine motor skills but they’ll enjoy watching their shaving cream clouds slowly fill with rain of various colors before finally breaking free and falling into the water below!
The Scientific Method
The scientific method is an invaluable learning tool that can be utilized across many subjects. This interactive lesson helps students master the steps of this method so they can apply it in their experiments.
Implement these engaging 5th grade science fair projects to help your students grasp the scientific method. Balloon Powered Car: Construct and test a balloon-powered car before measuring its speed. Egg Drop Challenge: Design containers capable of protecting an egg when dropped from various heights (bubble wrap, newspaper, or styrofoam packing peanuts are ideal options).
Uncovering Fall Colors: Chromatography can be used to separate the colors of leaves. Acid-Base Testing: Checking pH can identify whether household substances are acids or bases.