5th Grade Life Science Activities

This science fair project idea experiments with spinning color wheels and optical illusions.

Make sourdough bread...and learn some colonial history and modern science in the process!

Sink or swim? Calculate the density of various fruits and vegetables using water and a kitchen scale.

Roasting pumpkin seeds makes for a great Halloween activity, and a healthy snack!

Make some easy homemade yogurt with your young scientist, and see what a few 'live' bacteria can do in the right conditions!

Experiment about connection of senses of taste and smell. Using blindfold and noseplugs, administer blind taste test. Analyze results and organize data.

Brine shrimp usually live in saltwater. Investigate how salt concentration (salinity) affects the rate at which brine shrimp eggs hatch.

For a fun family activity to introduce your child to genetics, have your child go on a search for dominant and recessive family genes!

This basketball project explores the best way to make the perfect shot every time.

Create a soda bottle garden that defies gravity! This hanging terrarium is housed in a soda bottle and perfect for crafty kids with a growing green thumb.

Use simple items to create a kindergarten "grow box" that lets a kid see just how salad plants send down their roots and grow underground.

With this hands-on activity, you'll show how fall colors are hidden in the leaf all year long!

This activity will introduce your child to the four different components of blood and give him a fun way to visualize its properties.

In this outdoor science activity you'll find tips on how to create a nature journal by choosing a native plant or animal and tracking that species.

In this game, players will learn interesting facts about animal adaption and practice them using a fun matching card game!

Want to help make studying the nervous system a little more fun? This thinking cap is a great way to learn external human brain anatomy.

Perk up your front porch with this hanging vase craft, perfect for spring and for getting kids outdoors!

Study the life cycle of the common blowfly as it relates to forensic investigation. Record the first time you see flies, maggots, and eggs.

Which do you prefer: real or artificial? Try this sweet little taste experiment to help your kids develop a better awareness of the food they consume.

In this science experiment, your child will test the strength of hollow structures in order to understand how strong bird bones really are.

Science fair project that compares the biodiversity of fungi in different ecosystems by identifying species of fungi.

The next time you and your fifth grader go on a hike, take along this key to figure out which common North American animal left a track along the river bank.

In this science fair projects, students will grow out the bacteria that collect on air conditioner filters.

Boys might wrinkle their noses at the thought of gardening, but we guarantee they'll like this activity! Make a recycled terrarium full of bug-eating plants.

Here's a fun activity that will have your child researching, collecting, and charting plant specimens from the neighborhood.

Does your middle school teenager have good reflexes? Gauge his reaction time in this science and math activity that requires only a yardstick and a friend.

In this activity your child will make a coiling snake out of simple household materials, and also find out why they coil.

In this plant habitats activity, children play the role of an ecologist and take surveys of different areas to discover the best habitat for dandelions.

Kids conduct a simple birdseed experiment to figure out what kinds of birds live nearby in this fun science activity.