Earth and space
Earth and space projects for class 1 to 5: 24 ideas.
Each project below opens to its own page with what it shows, the science behind it, the materials, safety, step-by-step instructions, what you should see and viva questions. Many can be made from things at home; where a kit helps, the page links one.
Other subjects for class 1 to 5: Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Maths, Electronics and robotics, Environment, Computing and coding.
Solar system model
The eight planets in order from the Sun, and how much bigger the giant planets are than Earth. Real distances are far too large to show to scale, so say so on your label.
Water cycle in a bowl
Warm water evaporates, the vapour condenses into drops on the cold cover, and the drops fall back like rain: the water cycle in miniature.
Phases of the moon model
Half of the Moon is always lit by the Sun. As the Moon travels round the Earth we see different amounts of that lit half, which gives the phases. They are not caused by the Earth’s shadow.
Rain gauge
Rainfall is measured as the depth of water that would collect on flat ground, in millimetres. A straight-sided container gives a fair reading.
Layers of the Earth model
The Earth has a thin rocky crust, a thick hot mantle, a liquid outer core and a solid inner core.
Balloon-and-bottle barometer with a two-week weather log
Air pressure changes from day to day. When the outside pressure rises it presses the balloon skin inwards and the straw pointer tips up; when pressure falls before rain, the pointer tips down.
Bottle wind vane on a compass rose that logs wind direction
A wind vane turns until its large tail is pushed downwind, so the small arrow head points into the wind. Winds are named by the direction they come from, and the direction often changes before the weather does.
Water cycle in a zip bag taped to a sunny window
Sunlight warms the water, some of it evaporates into vapour, the vapour cools on the plastic and condenses into droplets, and the droplets run down as "rain". The same four stages drive the real water cycle.
Cut-away model of a composite volcano with magma chamber and vents
A composite volcano is built from alternating layers of hardened lava and ash. Magma rises from a chamber deep below through a central pipe and sometimes side vents, and the cut-away shows how the inside connects to the crater at the top.
Spinning globe and torch that shows day, night and sunrise times
The Earth spins on its axis once a day, so one half faces the Sun and has day while the other half has night. Places further east on the globe turn into the light first, which is why the sun rises earlier in Kolkata than in Mumbai.
Paper-cup constellation projector for seven Indian sky patterns
Stars seem to form patterns called constellations. Cups with pinholes in the right pattern throw those patterns onto a dark wall, so a child learns to recognise Orion, the Great Bear, Cassiopeia and others before finding them in the real sky.
Planet sizes compared with fruit and seeds from the kitchen
The eight planets differ hugely in size. With the Earth as a peppercorn, Jupiter is a large orange and the Sun would be a ball taller than a child, so everyday objects show the true sizes far better than equal-sized clay balls.
Shadow stick that finds true north and the real local noon
A vertical stick's shadow is longest at sunrise, shrinks until the Sun is highest, then grows again. The shortest shadow points true north from anywhere in India, and the time it happens is local solar noon, which is usually not 12 o'clock by the clock.
Moon crater tray that tests how drop height changes crater size
Craters on the Moon were made by rocks hitting its surface. Dropping marbles into flour from different heights shows that faster impacts make wider craters with longer rays, and that the Moon keeps its craters because it has no air, water or weather to wear them away.
Cloth windsock that shows wind direction and strength
A windsock points away from the wind and lifts higher as the wind gets stronger. It is used at airports and can be compared with a Beaufort chart.
Moon diary: sketching the Moon’s shape and rise time for 30 nights
The Moon’s lit shape changes in a steady cycle of about 29.5 days, and it rises roughly 50 minutes later each night. Your own sketches show this pattern better than any picture in a book.
Pebble collection: sort by colour, feel and weight
Rocks and pebbles come from bigger rocks that wear down. They differ in colour, smoothness and weight, and we can sort them by these properties.
My weather diary with sun, cloud and rain symbols
Weather changes from day to day. Writing it daily lets us see patterns, such as how many sunny days there were in a week.
Cloud watching sketch book with cloud shapes
Clouds come in different shapes and heights, and each kind tells us something about the weather coming.
Paper windsock that shows wind strength and direction
A windsock blows out like a flag in the wind. It points away from the wind direction and rises higher when the wind is stronger.
Map of my room drawn on squared paper
A map is a picture of a place seen from above, drawn smaller than real. Using squares to stand for steps shows what scale means.
Picture map from home to school with landmarks
A map can show the way with landmarks and symbols. Children learn directions such as left, right, near and far.
Garden treasure hunt using north, south, east and west
Directions are named by the Sun and the compass. We find east where the Sun rises, then work out north, south and west.
Evaporation race: wet cloth in sun, shade and wind
Water dries by evaporation, turning into invisible vapour. Heat and wind make this happen faster.