Challenge students to make a list of five activities, items or ideas that they believe have nothing to do with science. Compile the lists and explain how science is a part of each and every item. For example, playing soccer involves physics and physiology. Plastic action figures couldn't be made without chemistry. Refer to the list of sciences in the References section for help in assigning scientific relevance to more difficult topics.
There are several entertaining, energetic TV programs available on videocassette or DVD that present science as a fun and highly interesting quest for information about a given topic. Full of colorful graphics and a large dose of humor, these shows cover a wide variety of scientific investigations and illustrate to children that scientists don't hide in a lab staring into microscopes all day, but rather play around with intriguing ideas and test them out with exciting experiments. Ask the school librarian to provide you with a few episodes, or visit your city library.
Fifth graders love to answer questions, and they have a strong sense of curiosity. This is a good time to introduce the concept of the scientific method and guide them through the steps. The first step is to pose a question such as, "Will a plant thrive if given only soda pop?" For the second step, ask students to do background research to find out why plants need water. The third step is to have the students develop a hypothesis: "X" will happen if a plant is given only soda pop to drink. For the fourth step, students will design an experiment to test the hypothesis. For the fifth step, ask students to examine the data from the experiment and draw a conclusion about their hypothesis. The last step is to present the findings.
Give students the opportunity to put the scientific method to use on their own by planning a 5th-grade science fair. Check out a variety of science fair project books from the school or city library and have students choose a topic for their project. Allow two to three weeks for students to conduct an experiment and create a poster board display to present their findings. Set up the display boards in the cafeteria or hallway and invite the 3rd- and 4th-grade students to browse the displays and listen to the young scientists discuss their projects and findings. An evening session can accommodate students' families; invite school officials or community figures to judge the displays.