After introducing the concept of habitats with the 4th graders, send them on a habit picture scavenger hunt. To begin, divide them up into groups of 4-5 students. Give each group a digital camera and have them go around a designated area, such as a play ground, and snap pictures of various habitats they see. Encourage them to look high and low for habitats. After 30 minutes, bring the group back into the classroom and download the pictures of the habitats on the computer. Discuss the pictures as well as what animals they think live in the habitats.
Give each student a notebook and pencil. Have the students go on a word scavenger hunt around the classroom. Give them specific criteria for words they are looking for such as they have to be at least six letters long or nouns. Tell the students to write down the words that they find, in the notebook, that meet the specified criteria. Set a timer for 20 minutes and after the timer goes off, have the students sit in their seats and let them tell the class what words they found and what the meaning of that word is.
Write down a different word of a sentence onto an index card. When choosing a sentence you can pick one that is related to a story you read or one that says a fun sentence such as "You will have no homework tonight". Hide the cards around the classroom. Inform the students that you have hidden the words of a sentence around the classroom and tell them they need to find all the words and put the sentence together. Let them know how many words there are and that they are on index cards. Have the students find the words and put the sentence together. Once the students have put the sentence together have them read it out loud and tell you what it means.
Briefly discuss science projects with your 4th graders and how you can make a science project out of just about anything. Split the students into groups of 2 to 3 students and give them 10 minutes to go around the classroom to hunt for objects they can use to make a science project. Have then sit at a table with their group and formulate a plan of what their experiment is. After they have all finished, have each group come up to the front of the classroom and share their science experiment with everyone else.