The Electricity Fair: Science That is Shocking!

I believe that the best kind of learning is project based.  If you scroll down this page you will find a lot of great online science learning opportunities.  Students can creat one of the 4th grade science experiments and, in the process, they will be learning science.  You could think of this page as your own online school!

Our class electricity science fair is coming.  Here you will find updates and suggestions for science projects.  In this post, I will throw out some book recommendations.  The Sneaky Uses books do not have traditional "science projects"  but they are fun.  These are great books for ideas, but they do not have all electricity science projects, so check them out of the library.  They are great for creating your own really cool 4th grade science projects!



I highly recommend the book below for 4th graders.  It is one of the best books for building your own electricity projects from things you can build yourself.  I use some of the projects in class.  If a student tried just one or two of the projects, they would learn enough to invent their own electricity project.  If you are trying to learn online, it essential that you read the science behind your experiment.  Many students like to perform experiments, but, when they are working alone, they do not often learn the science.  Read to make your education more powerful.

Try this game to learn some basics about electricity.  It will help you think about electricity and how it works.  Electricity Game for Kids

Here are a list of online learning projects that work well for 4th graders.  I have found that these work really well to help 4th graders learn more when they are using online school resources.  

Really Cool Science Project Idea #1!
Here is a quick 4th grade science experiment.  We will do this experiment in class, but it is good science to understand.  Students could use this idea to make a electricity science game or device that could be very interesting.  

Science Projects for Kids #2
This is a site with some good links for basic electricity science for kids.  It is a good place to start looking around to get an idea of the cool 4th grade science projects that can be done using electricity.  Really Cool 

Really Cool Science Projects #3 Here is an article about trolleys.  
Science projects for kids that help them think about solving some of the world's problems always work well.  I might build a small scale city and try to create an electric bus system for the city.  There is an electric trolley in Boston.  How many people would love to know the science behind how it works?

Really Cool Science Projects Idea #4 Electricity 
I found this really cool article.  I want to build one in my classroom.  A student might be able to try this on a smaller scale model.  Click here to see this!  If you are a parent and remember Silver Spoons, you'll like this project!

Really Cool Science Project Idea #5:  Build a Polygraph!  That's a lie detector.  It would involve electricity and students visiting your project would love it.  Lots of wow factor!  I found a lot of things on the web, but nothing I can recommend to kids.  So, ask your parents to search for this cool topic.

Really Cool Science Project Idea #6 for Electricity  
This is a cool site for kids about some of the basics of electricity.  Researching these scientist might create ideas for electricity fair projects!

Really Cool Science Project Idea #7 for Electricity 
This is a link to an idea for building your own metal detector.  You could set up some play sand and students could bury metal for you to find.  I am sure that there is also a better way to do this experiment, but this is a good starting spot!  I'll post any others that I find.

Really Cool Science Project Idea # 8
This is just plan AWESOME!  You turn it into a science project and the world is your oyster!  Don't read this unless you are AWESOME!  Go find a boring science project!

Really Cool Science Project Idea #9  Electricity and Magnetism go hand in hand.  I can't help but think someone in class can use electricity to turn this stuff into the best science project of all time!  It is called Crazy Aarons Thinking Putty.  I have never actually used it, but it looks cool.  I think I know how to make my own.

                                                                   

Really Cool Science Project Idea #10
This is a cool idea for an electricity science fair project.  Could it be done on a smaller scale?  Magnets and electricity are fun!  There is a link to an easy version of this below!

Really Cool Science Project # 11  Electrical Levitating Car  I'm not sure if this is a real car or not, but it is a cool idea.  I am going to try a small scale version of this with some electromagnets.  Here is a link to electromagnetic trains.  Really cool science project #11b

Really Cool Science Project #12 Copperplating a key is an awesome electricity science project.  It wouldn't work as a good science project unless the presenter had a lot of things to copperplate.  It may not be great for an all day science fair, but, nonetheless, it is some awesome science involving electricity.  Really Cool Science Project #13   Click here for another link to electroplating.

Really Cool Science Project #13  What do sports drinks have to do with electricity?  Find out.  Really Cool Science Project #14 

Really Cool Science Project #15 What is better than electricity and food?  Electric Jello?  Sort-of?  Click here to find out about it!  Really Cool Science Project #15

Electric Pickle.  I don't need to say anything else, electric pickle.  A pickle that's electric!  Yes!  Really Cool Science Project # 16

Really Cool Science Project Idea #17  This is a great video for the creative and artistic type who also wants to have a great science project.  This could connect to twenty different science concepts.  I just love this video.  

Really Cool Science Electricity Project Idea #18  Okay!  If you like magic and puzzles this is a great electricity fair science idea.  It blends some simple circuitry with a cool trick.  This will confuse the visitors to your science booth.  I like this one a lot.  This is an easy science project that can be done quickly once you have collected all the supplies

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Really Cool Science Electricity Project #19-29  This is a link to Make magazine.  This is an interesting resource for science projects.  This has ten interesting ideas for projects.  The Make website also has a lot of interesting ideas for 4th grade science projects.  Really Cool Science Projects from Make Magazine

Really Cool Science Electricity Project #30  Make a Circuit Board This is a really basic electricity science project that is great for kids.  I recommend trying the project and then inventing a way to make it your own.  Make go bigger.  Or try using a box.  Can you turn it into a puzzle? 

There is an electricity pioneer right here in Albany, NY.  His name is Joseph Henry and very few people the part he had to play in the development of electrical equipment.  It is a pretty cool story about an inventor.  I also love the project that he created which kids can make for a science fair project.  Really Cool Science Electricity Project #31

4th Grade Science Projects: Switches

This is a very simple video resource that gives information about switches. 

4th Grade Measuring Science/Math: How to Read a Ruler

One of the neat things about 4th grade is that students are starting to understand math that can be used to take measurements for experiments.  I had to post a link to this really amazing pdf that will help 4th graders practice using a ruler and have fun doing it.  This is a great activity that will help 4th graders learn how to read a ruler so that they can collect interesting data.  This is also a great math/science center activity for students after they have had an introduction to reading a ruler and fractions.  There is so much math practice for fractions in these simple activities that I can not recommend them enough.  They also help students with reading and following directions.  Before, trying this activity with kids, I like to prepare them for the challenge of reading when you are confused.  We review how to reread and how mistakes help us to learn.  Make plenty of copies of these because students will want to redo them.  I also like this as a partner activity.  Each student is responsible for their own work, but I make a partner responsible for checking measurements.  Teachers can easily check to see if students are reading a ruler correctly by making a master sheet and then holding it up to the light with the student copy in front.  If the student has measured correctly, the teacher copy will correspond to the student copy.

Link to the coolest measuring and reading directions activity ever!  Great science measuring center activity for 4th graders.

Also, if you cut off the directions to one sheet and make copies without any directions.  Students can create their own measurement sheet with directions.  What a great way to bring ELA into the math classroom.

Aquaponics: How to Raise Fish and Grow Vegetables in the Classroom

In our 4th grade classroom, we raise trout.  We also have a garden.  Aquaponics is when you do both together?  Why would you want to raise fish and plants together?  Simple, the plants need the fish waste to grow and the fish need the plants to clean their water for them.  The amount of science you can learn is unlimited.  Read everything in this post and follow where it takes you to complete the mission of growing vegetables in our classroom.

Before you start, here is why I think this is a great science project for 4th graders:  It can be be made cheaply, you can learn a lot of science, it is fun, and you can create your own healthy food!  It could lead to an amazing business someday!



You won't only learn science, but you will learn math and if you read the article links in this blog post, you will also improve your nonfiction reading skills.

First, you might need to understand something about hydroponics before you can do aquaponics.  Hydroponics is the plant part of this experiment.  If you are working in groups or with a partner, someone has to be an expert about what the plants need to thrive (that means to do great!)  So, read the following article, take notes using a CC chart, and start learning.  Try to figure out the meaning of these words:
hydro
ponics
Common core questions:
Compare and contrast how plants are grown in an ordinary garden with how they are grow using hydroponics.
Why might some people need to use hydroponics to grow their food?  Use details from the article to explain your answer.

Click here to read about classroom hydroponics

Here is a great article you can read and take notes about.  As you read take some notes writing down what ideas you thought were important.  As I was reading this, I was thinking about where I could get one of these big cases and I talk to someone I know who has one and I am one step closer to make an aquaponics system.  You might also use this article to write a persuasive essay to your teacher about why she should let you do aquaponics in your classroom.
 


The first part of the project involves fish?  Here are some questions that you need to ask about fish?
What kind of fish can survive in the classroom?
Do the fish require warm water or cold water?
What do fish need to survive in a tank?
What do fish eat?
Where are you going to get the food to feed your fish?
Are you going to raise fish from eggs?  If so where will you get them?




What is aquaponics?  This is an amazing question for 4th grade scientists to answer.  It involves all kinds of amazing science topics.

Here are just a few of the science topics students can learn by exploring aquaponics

This is an amazing video about aquaponics.

This is a research article about aquaponics.

This is a good video about all aspects of aquaponics.

This is a great video about an ordinary guy who does aquaponics in his backyard.

The video below is about doing hydroponics in a bucket.  If you know of a science fair event at the end of the year, a student could get this started and actually show how to grow vegetables.  There are also all kinds of interesting science connections from electricity to physics.  

Aquaponics

4th Grade Science Project Ideas: Build a Terrarium

Terrariums make great science projects for 4th grade.  The only catch is that they needed to be started well before any project is due.  If you are looking for a project, that kids can check on daily this simple project may be just what you are looking for.  I show some more advanced terrarium ideas in a later post.  This is a great way to learn about life sciences.  I will also be posting lessons to go with the terrariums.

4th grade science: TERRARIUMS.

Science Projects for 4th Grade

Here is another good link for 4th grade science projects.

http://www.sciencebob.com/index.php

Combine Reading Practice with 4th Grade Science Experiments

Here are some highly recommended experiments that are simple and perfect for 4th grade.  If you want to test your child's reading ability, give him/her a copy of the science project directions and all the supplies he/she needs and just watch.  Don't help!  If your child can't figure out how to do the experiment or he/she gives up.  You know you need to work on some easy nonfiction reading strategies with your child.

Here are some great 4th grade science projects:

Bubblebomb
Balloon Blow Up
Bubbularium
Outrageous Ooze
Go With the Flow
Black Magic 
Reflecting Rainbows
Geodesic Gumdrops 
File Card Bridges 
Crystal Creations
Mold Terrarium
Copper Caper

Common Core Science Experiments

4TH GRADE SCIENCE PROJECTS

One of the things I love about the new Common Core is its emphasis on reading nonfiction!  This is great for 4th graders who love science experiments.  Reading about science experiments require 4th graders to use all of their key reading strategies and performing the experiment automatically checks their understanding.  Not only that, there are a lot of great 4th grade reading and writing activities that can be connected to just about any science experiment.

Here is one great example of a science experiment with a common core reading activity.

Have the 4th grader print out this experiment!  Perform it!  Don't help them?  Discuss what went wrong and what went right.

Next, read this article about Louis Pasteur and answers the questions.  Try to make connections between the two readings.