Anyone know a cool "Energy" project for 4/5 graders to do?

Question

I'm trying to think of a project for Science class that my 4/5 graders could be assigned tomorrow that can be due at the end of the month for our "Energy and Forces" theme. Any ideas? Hands on or a written report... Thanks!

Answer 1

Have them monitor energy that they use in the month. Put them in groups
Example when someone take a Bath e.g. What kind of energy is used, you can also do this with their cell phones, ahd game boys e.g.
For Bath
hot water
light
cold water
used a towel that had been washed
continue on ...with it.
Have it like a diary.
At the end when they total it up, ask them if they could have saved on some energy some place and you can also compare it to before Edison and modern appliances, How would it be without it.

Answer 2

Well you could make them create a solar oven with a partner (or by themselves).
This would allow them a chance to research and learn about solar energy.
Then at the end of the whole thing they could even bring in food to cook in their solor ovens.. like smores or something along those lines.
That what I did when I was in Elementary school and everyone had a lot of fun doing it.
All they would really have to do is get a box and put foil inside and color it black or something along those lines.
You could even have a contest to see who's solar oven can get the warmest.

Answer 3

Well...many energy topics are very vast and you have to spend a lot of time on them. But i think that you could learn something about the inviroment andlearn about the energy. try studying nuclear waste or nuclear power. you could ask the students to make cahrts of the atoms and write small written reports about what happened at chernobyl and how it made power as a pposed to the US way, also have them write about What went Wrong?