We did our first science experiment this year.  It was messy and took forever to do, but my oldest really enjoyed it.  We learned about sand dunes and how they can affect rural areas.  We measured the distance of the city (modeling clay) from the sand dune and the made barriers (a fence) with toothpicks and other materials.  Pipe cleaners acted as our vegetation and a hair dryer acted as our wind source. 

We also used spray cooking oil and other remedies to help serve as a "helper" in protecting the town from total disaster (toothpicks, wood blocks, plastic straws...etc). Of course, we know that people don't build houses or towns this close to sand dunes in real life, but it served as a good experiment for measuring  cause/effect. 

After we finished all our mock sand storms, we documented our findings.  My son was able to analyze the different techniques he used - which ones were more successful than the other - and put together a graph to show his conclusion.  All in all, it was a good experiment.  I'm having fun trying new things this year.