What do you when you have two kids’ science projects – at the same time? Science Projects for families with more than one child can be an daunting task for parents. Science fairs are generally held at about the same time, so even if kids are in different schools, their projects probably have due dates that are near each other. Here are four ideas to simplify the process.

What do you when more than one of your kids has a science project?! Science Projects for families with more than one child can be an daunting task for parents. Science fairs are generally held at about the same time, so even if kids are in different schools, their projects probably have due dates that are near each other. Here are four ideas to simplify the process.

1. Let kids work together on the same project. They can each do the experiment, and will each have to do a science board or report, but you’ll only have to help find one idea and gather the materials from one list. This is the way to go if your kids are in different schools – like one in middle school and one in elementary school.

2. Use different variables for the same experiment. If you’re comparing amounts of Vitamin C in substances, for example, let one child test various canned fruit juices, and another child test different juices from fresh fruit. The research and procedure is the same, but the experiments are different. Our Middle School Science Projects package has this experiment, making this an easy choice.

3. Recycle projects. Our family has always done projects together, then saved them in the attic. One year one of our boys used the same experiment his brother had done the year before. We redid the experiment, but reused the science board, simply adding the fresh data and photographs.

4. Submit different types of the same project. If your school science fair allows it, one child can submit and experiment based project, and the other submit a demonstration. For example, one child can demonstrate how to take the shell off an egg without boiling, and another can experiment to see if water goes through the membrane.

Science projects are supposed to be wonderful learning experiences for kids – and they can be. Don’t let your family get bogged down in the process. Look for ways to streamline and coordinate, and make science fair time a fun educational time for your kids.

PS When both (or ALL!) of your kids science projects are due at the same time, pick up one of our guides. Our middle school science projects are perfect for all the ideas above. Get your middle school science projects here!

Behavioral science projects are often chosen by students preparing for the science fair. These projects explore the behavior of a quirky and strange creature – the human being! Behavioral projects are a lot of fun, allowing kids to learn a lot about science and psychology while meeting people and developing their social skills. Before you or your child chooses to do a project on human behavior, check with your teacher. Some will not allow behavioral science projects because of the difficulty of getting a large enough sample size.

Once a project is approved, however, the next step is to actually recruit subjects (humans!) for the study. Here are some ideas on places to recruit people to help:

~Get permission from a local mall to set up a table/area. The smaller the mall, the better your chances of them allowing this.

~Put a free ad in the ’services>lessons’ section of Craig’s List asking for volunteers for a behavioral science project.

~Enlist test subjects from your school. Your teacher can help.

~Throw a ‘Behavioral Science Project‘ party, and invite your friends and their parents. Make it a pot luck affair to cut down on costs.

~Reserve a room at your library, and put a sign on the door announcing your experiment.

~Get a local restaurant to loan you their ‘party room’ during lunchtime. They might even offer a coupon to participants to help you advertise your study – and their restaurant.

~Ask the human resources department at a parent’s place of business if you can set up a test in the employee break room.

~Go to church. One of our boys did an experiment called Hear, Hear! It explored whether two ears hear better than one. We were required to get a group of twenty-four adults. We went to a local church before a service, and asked individuals if they would help us out. Our test was set up in a classroom.

Of course the list goes on, and you probably can think of a lot more places for your science project tests. If you’ve got some good ideas, leave a comment below! We’d love to hear where you set up for your Behavioral scienc

PS Hear, Hear is a great human behavior science project that experiments to see if two ears hear better than one. Get step by step instructions for this project in the Bonus Package of Middle School Science Projects.

Earlier this week I talked about our new science project about hair. I suppose, since we are scientists, that I need to call it a Cosmetology Science Project. Anyhow – getting this project just right has been about as difficult as getting the right hair cut for my boys. But it’s been fun! And we’ve learned all sorts of things along the way.

For example, we had a heck of a time getting the hair the exact length we needed it. I mean, hair is little, tiny, and hard to grasp. We figured out a way – quite by accident – to get each strand the perfect length. Our other discovery is finding out what sort of stuff is in cosmetology products. We have boys, and they don’t exactly use anything on their hair other than shampoo – and sometimes I have to remind them to use that! Anyhow, I didn’t know about peroxide and lemon juice and the difference between highlighting and stripping color. Thanks to some interviews with real cosmetologists, I’m much better informed.

Of course, we have more fun middle school projects up our sleeve. Right now my kitchen has a slight smell of sour milk and our cabinets are splattered with purple cabbage juice. I’ve got orange pulp in my fingernails, and the taste of club soda in my mouth. (I know, you’re not supposed to taste any of the experiments!)

But we’re sailing toward getting this package of products done! I can’t wait.

PS If you need a science project now, get our free Parent’s Guide to a Science Project at 24 Hour Science Projects.com!

It it just me who thinks that science projects were easier in grade school? Back then, you could turn in a replica of a volcano, a coke bottle that spews, or just a science report on plants. In middle school, everthing changes. Middle School science teachers want creative ideas, specific project elements, in depth research, and detailed logs of the whole science fair process. They talk about stuff like independent variables and control groups.

Finding a middle school science project that lives up to our teachers expectations has always been a challenge for our family. We were required to do an experiment based, investigative project for the science fair. There are five types of science projects, but most internet sites and books had projects that were actually demonstrations or models. It’s very important that you read the directions from your teacher and/or the science fair, and make sure that the project your child chooses fits into the right category – especially in middle school.

Here are the five types of projects.

1. Investigative projects – Most science fairs require students to submit an investigative science project. This type of project has an experiment that tests an hypothesis. The experiment will follow the scientific method, and may require a control group. (If you’re unfamiliar with this vocabulary, check out the free resource below!)

An example of an investigative project would be “How does salt affect the boiling point of water?” This can easily be tested by our experiment which adds different amounts of salt to water and recording the temperature at which it boils.

If you see the words experiment, scientific method, control and/or variable on the project instructions, you’ll probably need an investigative project. As mentioned before, they’re not easy to find. (Hint: We’ve got a whole pack of investigative projects at 24 Hour Science Projects…)

2. Demonstration projects – In this type of project a student demonstrate a scientific principle, and lots of time the teacher wants it presented in front of the class as an oral report. There is no true experiment performed, because there won’t be a control or different variables. (Another hint: We’ve got five demonstration project guides in our “Watch This!” Science Project guides.

3. Research project – Basically this is a science report. Students research a topic, and write what they discovered. Any type of science topic can be used for a research project.

4. Models – For a model project, models are built to explain a scientific principle or structure.

5. Collections - In this type of project a collection of objects is displayed to give an overview of a topic. An example would be a rock collection or a display showing pictures of various animals in a specific family.

Every middle school science fair will have slightly different criteria for projects. As you search for a project, make sure it’s the type of project your school requires. If you need help, check out “The Non-Scientist Parent’s Guide to Science Fair Projects“, which has guides for all the different types of science projects – including the experiment based ones! There is a vocabulary list that gives simple definitions to those vocabulary words you learned in middle school, but promptly forgot.

Believe it or not, science projects are designed to help students learn about science. Figure out which type of project your school requires, and you’ll be one step closer to showing your child how much fun science can be!

Find all sorts of science projects with our excellent guides, including middle school science projects.

It’s Friday night, and you’ve been putting it off for a month. But on Monday, your elementary student’s science project is due. And you haven’t even started. You need an easy science project that can be done quickly, but it has to be good…

It’s not an easy thing to find! Science projects that are easy often don’t meet the requirements of the teacher or the science fair. And projects that are fast often aren’t enough to teach your child anything. We know. With four boys, our family has waited until the last minute to do a science project more than once. But the good news is that there really are good – and even fun – middle school science experiments that can be done quickly and easily.

1. Find out exactly what type of project your child needs. Some elementary school teachers want a demonstration science project that the child can present to the class. Some teachers want a science report. Occasionally, scientific models or nature collections will be allowed. Most teachers, however, want an experiment based science project that follows the scientific method.

2. Ask your child for several ideas. He or she will be the scientist, after all!

3. Do an internet or library search for “science projects on…” You may find exactly what you need this way. Make a list of possible projects. Go ahead and discard projects that are on advanced chemistry.

4. Take a look at the ingredients and equipment. If there are items not readily available or are wickedly expensive, you’ll know that project isn’t for you. There are plenty of experiments that can be done with things in the home, or at the supermarket.

5. Find out how long the project takes. If it takes more than two or three days, you probably want to reconsider. The ideal easy science project will not take more than a few hours, in case something goes wrong and you have to repeat. And unfortunately, this does happen.

Although an easy science project isn’t always easy to find, you and your child can work together to find a project that is easy to do, but also educational and fun! If you need more help in finding your easy project, visit 24 Hour Science Projects.

To heck with science. Every middle school kid wants to do a science project that is fun. Surprisingly, most teachers share this view. A student learns more from a science project when he or she is interested in the topic, and is having fun doing it.

Of course, a fun science project isn’t the final goal. The real purpose of a science project – not just in middle school – is to teach the child about the wonderful world of science. To do that, teachers and science fair administrators usually have strict guidelines about what a project or experiment must include. Experiments follow the scientific method. Demonstrations must explain a scientific principle. All projects must include research and references.

But a science project is also supposed to whet a child’s appetite for science. A fun and interesting project will make a student want to learn even more about our fascinating world and the scientific laws that govern it. And a fun science project is a great way to do just that.

Here are some ideas for science projects that are fun – but will also expand a child’s science knowledge and experience:

1. Explain the concept of density. Pour water, Karo syrup, rubbing alcohol, and vegetable oil into a tall container. Watch how they layer. Then drop in different items, like a penny, a cork, a Lego or a candle, and see where they float – or sink. The concept of density is advanced enough for middle schoolers, but can still be understood by kindergartners.

2. Demonstrate how yeast gives off gas. Put yeast in a bottle of warm water, top it a balloon, and watch the balloon fill up with gas. This project can be done as a demonstration in front of the class, or as an fun science experiment.

3. Show how a chemical reaction can be hurried. Plop Alka Seltzer into a cup of water and time it. Then crush the Alka Seltzer, and watch it fizz even faster after you put it into a cup of water. Still another time, reduce the amount of water, add Alka Selter, and see how fast it dissolves. This is a demonstration science project, and is terrific to wow even the most bored middle schoolers.

4. Find out how a chicken egg is a cell with a selectively permeable membrane. Soak a raw egg in vinegar for a weekend. The shell will come off. Then put the egg into dark syrup and watch what happens! This is another fun science project that can be done as an investigation or a demonstration.

5. Experiment with static cling. Rub a sheet of plexiglass with a wool sock, then show how balloons and hair stick to it. Or, try make a ball of aluminum foil dance, as shown in this You-Tube video.

Step by step instructions for these projects are available at 24 Hour Science Projects. You’ll also find all sorts of reference materials to help with the science involved – not to mention creating that all important science project board. We’ll definitely be able to steer you in the right direction as you search for fun science projects.