Science Fair projects take a new turn in fourth grade as children go beyond simply describing observations to analyzing them and formulating scientific arguments.
Let your students discover how both humans and cars gain energy using this simple yet intriguing experiment. Additionally, this project teaches about gravity and friction principles.
Magnets and Objects
Exciting experiments that make children feel like scientists can spark lifelong curiosity about science. Make a teleidoscope and demonstrate light refraction; cultivate salt crystals in the fridge; or put Boyle’s Law (the relationship between pressure and volume of gases) to work by performing this thrilling experiment!
This experiment shows 4th graders how magnets attract and pull objects inside a clear plastic box.
Magic Markers
Kids will be intrigued to explore the chemical properties of magic markers during this hands-on science experiment! Chromatography allows them to see that red and black markers contain different compositions.
The Mentos geyser experiment demonstrates how gravity impacts various objects and presents an excellent opportunity for students to discuss scientific method. Furthermore, this hands-on science activity showcases mechanical advantage.
Sundials
Colorful, straightforward and impressive – this hands-on experiment helps children explore density. They will observe how oil floats while water sinks.
Help students create a clock using Earth’s rotation to tell time with this exciting science project! Plan this activity during a sunny day; each hour they should trace their straw’s shadow and note what time of day it was observed.
Milk Plastic
With this fascinating chemistry experiment, students can see first-hand how milk transforms into plastic. Furthermore, this experiment helps teach about the water cycle while demonstrating nucleation.
Bring home the importance of energy conservation for children with this simple science project. They’ll have fun building their own Wigglebot while learning about potential and kinetic energies.
Show how sunlight can trigger an endothermic reaction with this classic experiment and explore cellular respiration at its core.
Wigglebot
Engineering-minded kids might enjoy conducting this experiment to demonstrate center of gravity and pulley systems design. Milk plastic is another fun exploration that introduces children to this versatile material once used for buttons and decorative buckles; furthermore, its density study helps children understand its properties better.
Wiggle Bot is an engaging robot immersion experience for children, which lets them build motorized contraptions from recyclable bin materials and TeacherGeek components to form motorized contraptions with moving parts that create their very own Wiggle-Race, Dancing and Scribbling robot that’s as unique as they are!
Agar-Agar Experiment
Make an engaging science fair project that will teach children gravity and earth science while teaching about different building materials by crafting a seismometer model! This simple yet engaging science fair project makes for a fun yet educational science fair experience!
Explore density and buoyancy with this colorful experiment using everyday household ingredients! Perfect as an interactive Valentine’s Day activity!
Coastline Experiment
Students can gain hands-on knowledge about beach erosion and erosion more generally with this science experiment. Furthermore, it helps reinforce pollution concepts as students witness trash mixing with rain water in ways that cannot be seen or smelled by anyone present.
Madelyn Maniscalco used science to figure out how to make slime. She experimented with various ingredients until finding ones with optimal results – it was one of the most-visited projects at her school’s fair.
Elevator Experiment
Learn how a model elevator operates as you track changes in atmospheric pressure with this engineering experiment, which also serves to teach students about collecting data and analyzing it.
Wosmek conducted experiments with her students at several malls around Los Angeles and hopes to repeat them globally as part of an effort to demonstrate whether conformity is a strong force in society. The outcome, she asserts, will show whether this belief holds water.
Green Pennies
An engaging way to learn chemistry, this experiment utilizes household ingredients. The results demonstrate Boyle’s law and help students comprehend why things such as water, oil and sugar float or sink.
Search for some dirty pennies to use, along with a bowl or dish, fold a paper towel over them, and pour different solutions over them until each penny has become completely saturated with solutions.
Boyle’s Law
Students explore Boyle’s Law, which asserts that gas pressure and volume are in inversely proportional when mass and temperature remain unchanged. They see real-life applications of this scientific principle when they prick a tire with a syringe to witness air pressure push against it.
Engineering experiments like this one that illustrates the power of a pulley are captivating for kids, while conducting chemical reactions like this one involving dirty pennies can also prove fascinating.