Project Ideas for Grades K-5

• Snowflake detective. Do snowflakes look different on warmer and colder days? Catch flakes on chilled dark cloth, take close-up photos, and sort the shapes by temperature.
• Who walked here?. What animals pass through your yard or schoolyard? Photograph tracks in fresh snow, draw them, and match them to a track guide.
• Snow in a jar. How much water is in a jar of snow? Predict first, then let fluffy snow and packed snow melt, and compare the water lines.
• Which color melts snow first?. Lay squares of different colored cloth on snow in the sun, and compare how far each one sinks.
• Snowshoe engineer. Which shoe shape sinks least? Press cardboard "shoes" into deep snow with the same weight on top, and measure the holes.
• The mitten test. Which mitten keeps cold in best? Put an ice cube inside different mittens, and check which one lasts longest.
• Snow ruler. Is the snow the same depth everywhere? Measure the same spots every week, and make a picture graph.
• Icicle watch. Which side of a building grows the longest icicles? Photograph and measure them from the ground, and never stand underneath.
• Snowball keeper. What keeps a snowball from melting indoors? Wrap snowballs in foil, cloth, paper and plastic, and see which lasts longest.

Learn more: Our Winter World · SnowCrystals.com · UAF Geophysical Institute lessons

• Shadow tracker. How does a shadow change through the day? Mark the shadow of the same stick each hour, then try again a month later.
• Daylight calendar. How fast do Alaska's days change? Record sunrise and sunset for a month, and color a bar for each day.
• Moon journal. Does the moon change shape on a pattern? Draw it each clear night for a month, and predict what comes next.
• Cloud diary. Can clouds tell you tomorrow's weather? Photograph the sky each day, and record what happens next.
• Which color gets warmest?. Predict first, then set a thermometer under each color of paper in the sun, and compare.
• Wind hunters. Where is the windiest place at your school? Make a simple wind sock, and compare the spots at the same time of day.
• What fools a compass?. Which everyday things pull the needle away from north? Slowly move objects closer, and measure when the needle moves.

Learn more: NASA Space Place · NOAA JetStream weather school

• Winter road test. Which surface slows a toy car most? Roll it down the same ramp onto carpet, ice and packed snow, and measure how far it goes.
• Bounce test. Does a cold ball bounce differently? Compare a ball from the freezer with one at room temperature, dropped from the same height.
• Paper spinners. What makes a paper spinner fall slowest? Change the wing length, drop it from the same height, and time it.
• Marble coaster. How high must a marble start to make it around the track? Build a track from paper tubes, and test different heights.
• Keep Teddy dry. Which roof keeps a stuffed animal dry? Build shelters from different materials, then sprinkle water over them.
• Shhh box. What stops sound best? Put a ticking timer in a box lined with different materials, and see how far away you can still hear it.
• Make a drum. What changes a drum's sound? Stretch different materials over different sized containers, and compare the sounds.

Learn more: Exploratorium Science Snacks · PBS LearningMedia · TryEngineering lesson plans

• Pill bug choices. Do pill bugs like dark or light, wet or dry? Make a two-sided box, count where they go, then gently return them outside.
• Rock scratch test. Which rocks are hardest? Find rocks near home, see which ones scratch the others, and line them up from softest to hardest.
• Bird counter. When do the most birds visit? Watch a feeder from a window at set times, and count them. Watching only: no touching or catching.
• Cone forecaster. Do spruce cones open and close with the weather? Check fallen cones on dry and damp days, and take photos.

Learn more: Alaska's Wild Wonders · Project FeederWatch · iNaturalist (with an adult)

• Is snow a blanket?. How much warmer is it under the snow? Measure the temperature in the air and under 2, 6 and 12 inches of snow, on several days.
• The quiet after a snowfall. Does fresh snow really muffle sound? Use a sound meter app to measure the same sound over fresh snow, packed snow and bare ground.
• Heavy snow, light snow. How much water is in different snow? Melt equal jars of fresh, wind-packed and old snow, and calculate the difference.
• Ice grip test. Which sole pattern grips ice best? Wrap a block in different materials, and pull it across ice with a spring scale.
• Road crew. Do salt, sand or gravel make ice safest? Treat ice blocks, then measure the pulling force and the melting.
• Fastest sled runner. What makes a sled glide farthest? Change the runner material or width, and release from the same spot on a hill.
• How strong is ice?. How much weight can different thicknesses hold? Freeze sheets in trays at home, and add weight until they crack. Never test ice on a lake or river.
• Why doesn't the ocean freeze like a lake?. Freeze cups of water with different amounts of salt, and record the time and temperature when ice forms.
• Save the permafrost. What keeps frozen ground from melting under a building? Set a small weighted "house" on ice over different insulating pads, and time how fast it sinks.
• Frost heave. Why do Alaska roads crack and bump? Freeze wet soil and wet sand in plastic cups with a block on top, and measure how far each lifts it.
• Build a glacier. Does a steeper valley make a glacier move faster? Let slime flow down a ramp at different angles, and time it.
• Snow roof engineer. Which roof shape sheds snow best? Build model roofs at different angles, add the same snow, and weigh what stays on.
• Snow fence. Where do snow drifts form? Use a shielded fan and a fine powder around model fences with different gaps, and map the piles.
• Snow goggles. Do narrow slits really cut glare? Measure brightness through cardboard slit goggles of different widths with a light meter app, and learn how Arctic peoples used them.

Learn more: UAF Geophysical Institute lessons · Our Winter World · Community Snow Observations · CoCoRaHS rain and snow network

• Shake table. Which building shape survives an earthquake best? Build towers on a shaking board, and count the shakes until each falls.
• Shaky ground. Why did some Anchorage ground fail in 1964? Shake a model building on dry sand and wet sand, and measure how far it sinks.
• Make a seismograph. Can you measure a shake you can barely feel? Build a hanging-pen recorder, and compare a door closing, a jump and a dropped book.
• Stop the wave. Which sea wall best protects a coastal town? Make waves in a long tray, and measure how far water reaches past each design.
• Save the shoreline. How can a village slow coastal erosion? Test rocks, barriers and different beach shapes against the same waves in a tray.
• Landslide lab. When does a slope let go? Tilt trays of sand with different amounts of water, and record the angle where it slides.
• Which filter works best?. Which layers clear muddy water most? Compare sand, gravel and cloth, and rate the clarity. For testing only: never drink it.
• Rust race. Does salt water rust metal faster? Compare the same nails in salt water, fresh water and damp air, and photograph them weekly.

Learn more: Alaska Earthquake Center · U.S. Tsunami Warning Centers · UAF Geophysical Institute lessons

• Best angle for the sun. What angle collects the most sunlight in Alaska? Tilt a small solar panel, and record the meter reading. Keep wiring insulated.
• Beat the forecast. How accurate is the forecast? Compare predicted and actual temperatures every day for a month, and graph the misses.
• Count the stars. How much do city lights hide? Count the stars in one constellation from different places, and share your results with Globe at Night.
• Make a sundial. How accurate is a sundial in Alaska? Build one, compare it with a clock over several weeks, and explain the differences.
• Crater maker. What makes the biggest crater? Drop balls of different sizes from different heights into a tray of flour, and measure the craters.
• Rainbow lights. Do all lights have the same colors inside? Build a spectroscope from a CD, and compare bulbs and screens. Never look at the sun.
• Lichen compass. Does lichen really grow on one side of a tree? Survey 30 trees with a compass, and map what you find without collecting any.

Learn more: NASA Space Place · UAF Aurora Forecast · Globe at Night · NOAA JetStream weather school · The GLOBE Program

• Do batteries hate the cold?. How long does a flashlight last when cold? Compare sealed batteries at room temperature and outdoors, with adult help. Never open a battery.
• Balloon in the cold. Does air shrink in the cold? Measure a balloon around the middle indoors and outdoors at different temperatures, and graph it.
• Cold magnets. Does cold change a magnet? Count how many paperclips a magnet lifts at room temperature and after time in the freezer.
• Electromagnet power. Do more coils make a stronger magnet? Wrap insulated wire around a nail, count the coils, and count the paperclips. Use adult help.
• Parka challenge. What keeps heat in best? Wrap jars of warm water in different fabrics and fills, and record the temperature every 10 minutes.
• Wind power. How many blades make the best turbine? Build a pinwheel turbine in front of a shielded fan, and time how fast it lifts a small weight.
• Bush plane wings. What wing shape flies farthest? Build paper gliders with different wings, launch them the same way, and measure.
• Rubber band racer. How does wind-up change distance? Build a car, change the number of turns, and graph how far it travels.
• Sound through solids. Does sound travel better through ice, wood or air? Tap at one end, and compare what you hear at the other.

Learn more: TryEngineering lesson plans · NASA JPL Education · Exploratorium Science Snacks

• Worm weather. Do earthworms prefer wet or dry, dark or light? Make a choice tray, count where they go, then return them outside.
• Maze robot. Which rule solves a maze fastest? Program a sprite in Scratch with different rules, and compare the steps on many mazes.
• Is the game fair?. Which totals come up most with two dice? Predict, roll 200 times, graph the results, and explain the pattern.
• Design a fair game. Can you make a spinner game where everyone has the same chance? Build it, test it 100 times, and fix it.
• Secret codes. Which code is hardest to crack? Invent codes, have a program or a parent try to solve them, and time the results.

Learn more: Scratch · Code.org · Khan Academy · iNaturalist (with an adult)