It’s time for the school’s annual science fair competition. Now that your child is older, what are some good 4th grade science fair project ideas? Magnets? Plants? Electricity? No need to worry, 4th grade science ideas are not that hard to come up with. Here is a sample project:
Materials Needed
-scissors
-spoon
-tape
-crazy glue
- nails (same length)
-medium size cardboard box
-balloons
-bowl
-bag of sugar
-two thin wooden boards (Make sure they have lengths/widths that are equal to or less than the length and width of the bottom of the cardboard box.)
Step by Step Procedure
1. Adult supervision might be required. Take one of the thin wooden boards and crazy glue/tape a nail right in the middle of the board. Put crazy glue/tape on the head of the nail and stick it on the board so the point side of the nail faces up.
2. Take the other thin wooden board. Glue and tape the nails in the same manner as the first board (pointy side up). Instead of one nail, take four nails and arrange them in a square shape in the center of a board. Make sure the nails are about the same height.
3. Take the cardboard box. Using scissors, cut off the top and one of the sides.
4. Place the one pined wooden board into the box. Make sure the nail is in the middle.
5. Blow up one balloon and put it lightly on top of the nail. Make sure to be careful. You do not want the balloon popping!
6. Take the lid of the cardboard box that you cut off with the scissors. Put it on top of the balloon.
7. Put the plastic bowl on top of the cardboard lid, right in the middle. The sole needle should be holding everything up.
8. Add one spoonful of sugar into the bowl. Watch what happens. Keep adding spoonfuls of sugar until the balloon pops. Record how many spoonfuls of sugar it took for the balloon to pop.
9. Now it is time for a different setup. Take out the wooden board with the one nail. In its place, put in the wooden board with four nails. Make sure the nails are in the middle.
10. Repeat the other steps. Blow up a balloon and put it on top of the nails. Put on the cardboard lid. Then put the bowl in the middle.
11. Add spoonful of sugar until the balloon pops. How many spoonfuls did it take this time?
By: Alan Wagner
Posts Tagged ‘Adult Supervision’
4th Grade Science Fair Project Ideas
April 29th, 2010Science Fair Project Ideas – Quick and Easy Project 2 – Rocket Science
March 15th, 2010
Building a rocket is one of the best science fair project ideas – especially for students interested in physics and flight. If this is one of the science fair project ideas that interests you, read on to learn exactly how to complete this project.
Remember: in order to complete the science fair rocket project, you will need to have safety equipment on hand, such as goggles. This is also one of those science fair project ideas that might be best performed with adult supervision. Safety first
Objective
The objective of the rocket is to determine what rocket design changes actually change the speed and projection of the rocket itself.
Introduction
Many children have played with model rockets. After all, they are loud, fast, and provide an excellent way to learn about physics. This particular science experiment will help you build your own rocket that will travel up to hundreds of feet in the air. Many real rockets can travel for thousands of feet into the air. From this experiment, you’ll also learn about aerodynamics and safety when working with rockets.
Terms and Concepts You’ll Need to Know
When you work on this model rocket, you’ll need to know about the four forces that impact flight. They are weight, thrust, drag, and lift. You’ll also need to know the equation for drag. This experiment will also help you to learn about how to stabilize a rocket by using center of gravity and center of pressure.
Materials You Will Need
You will need to buy a model rocket and related components for the rocket. You should be able to find a model rocket between $50 and $100 online or through a local toy store. Make sure the rocket you purchase is reusable!
Procedure Tips
In order to perform this procedure, you’ll be testing the rocket based on variables that you choose, such as flight duration, distance, and more. You can choose your own variables. This is one of the cool science fair project ideas because you are able to customize the project for your own needs and interest. For example, if you are interested in what will happen to the launch of your rocket if you remove a propeller or modify the tip of the rocket, you can experiment.
Here are some specific tips for you, no matter what variations you use.
Plan several launches for each variable. In order to complete this experiment, you’ll need to perform the rocket launch several times. Each rocket launch will measure a different variable. For all rocket launches, you should use the same engine (or an identical engine) to ensure that the launch is the same as the others. It may also be best to take an average of three flights per each different variable that you measure in order to ensure that your reading is as accurate as possible. Use trackers to measure altitude. Unless you are able to get on top of a very high building or latter, it can be difficult to measure the altitude of your rocket. However, by using trackers on taller items, such as trees, you may be able to get a close estimate. Look for rockets that have radio attachments on them (as long as they are within your budget). Consider wind and thermal lift conditions when measuring flight duration. If you are measuring flight duration as one of your variables, be sure that you consider environmental conditions as well as conditions directly related to your experiment. Only change one variable per flight. By changing only one variable, it will be easier to measure how those variables actually impacted the flight of your rocket.
Remember: this is one of the science fair project ideas that I like the most because it is fun to build and execute. Safety should always come first. It might also be good to have a back-up rocket in case your rocket gets lost or damaged during the experiment. Most of all – have fun!
If you’re ready to get going with your own rocket project, your next step is to download a free copy of “Easy Steps to Award-Winning Science Fair Projects” from the link below right now.”
By: Aurora L.
Elementary Science Fair Projects – Growing Crystals
March 3rd, 2010
In this elementary science fair project we are going to look at crystals and we are going to try and grow crystals. In nature we find crystals in all shapes and sizes. We get ones that are considered valuable, like diamonds, and others that are not considered so valuable. All crystals have their own quality and are beautiful. Crystals are easy to grow and are therefore a very suitable elementary science fair project.
The definition of a crystal according to the Oxford Dictionary:
A piece of a homogeneous solid substance having a natural geometrically regular form with symmetrically arranged plane faces. Chemistry: any solid consisting of a symmetrical, ordered, three-dimensional aggregation of atoms or molecules. A clear transparent mineral, especially quartz.
For our elementary science fair project we are going to grow crystals in a gelatin solution. Because heat is going to be used, this science experiment should be done under adult supervision.
What you will need for this experiment:
A 1-pint glass jar A ¼ cup of table sugar A ½ Cup of distilled water 0.25 ounce of unflavored gelatin A small saucepan Spoon
The method for this elementary science fair project:
First you have to pour the water into your saucepan. Now you sprinkle the gelatin over the water and allow it to soak for a few minutes. Place the saucepan on the stove and heat the water while you are stirring to dissolve the gelatin completely in the water. Continue stirring while you add the sugar. Continue until the sugar is completely dissolved in the water. After the solution (what is a solution?) has cooled down for about 5 minutes you have to pour it carefully into your jar. Now you have to leave the jar undisturbed for at least two weeks. Make daily observations and write them down carefully. It might even be a good idea to take photos of your elementary science fair project every day to use in your display. Remember a good display is almost as important as the experiment! Take note that more than one thing happens at a time with this experiment. What are the two things? Why is it happening?
If you did this elementary science fair project right, the gelatin in the water will cause the water to set. (Think jello!) The other thing that happens is that after a few days clear crystals form inside the gel and it appears to be suspended throughout the gel. Remember to take photos every day to show how the crystals grow bigger and bigger every day. You can also draw charts to show how the crystals are formed throughout the gel.
Now you also have to be able to explain why it happens:
As you heat the water, more of your solute (that what is dissolved in the water) will dissolve in the water (called your solvent) as would have when the water is cold. Now when the water starts to cool there is more sugar dissolved in the water than would normally have been dissolved in it. Now we get what is called a supersaturated solution.
Now, as the water evaporates your solution becomes even more supersaturated and it becomes unstable, now any disturbance will cause the microscopic molecules of the solute to stick together and form crystals. At first the crystals are too small to be seen but, as they grow they become bigger and visible as they form clumps throughout the gel. The reason for the gel in your elementary science fair project is to keep the crystals suspended and thus ensuring that many crystals form.
For an even better elementary science fair project you can do more than one experiment. Repeat the above but change some of the conditions. See what happens of the solution cools down slower by maybe placing your jar in a big thermos flask. You can also use a bottle with a narrow mouth instead of the jar and see if the slower evaporation of the water makes a difference. You can even make a solution with different kinds of sugar such as sucrose glucose and fructose and see what happens then. The possibilities are endless and this elementary science fair project can be as simple or as involved as you would like.
By: Magrietha Du Plessis
