Finding a fun science project isn’t impossible. Whether you’re looking for an experiment or a demonstration, there are some great ideas that don’t cost a lot, are easy to do, and will teach your child basic scientific practices. We have four sons, and over the years we’ve done more projects than we can count. Here are some of our boys’ favorites:

• Find out which citrus fruit has the most Vitamin C? Make a solution with iodine and starch (it’s EASY to do!), and test different kinds of citrus juices to see which contains the most vitamin C.

• Take the shell of an egg – without boiling it. This wildly fun project is so cool you’ll do it over again for the sheer fascination of it! Soak a raw egg in vinegar, and the shell will come off. The egg membrane is so tough that the shell-less egg will bounce!

• Show how yeast gives of gas. Place a yeast and sugar solution into a bottle, put a balloon on top, and watch the yeast have so much gas that the balloon blows up!

• Watch static electricity work. Grab your wool socks, make a little piece of aluminum foil bounce between your finger and a pie plate.

• Use toy cars to find out about friction! Set up a hot wheels track, and find out how far they will roll across different floor surfaces.

• Are two ears better than one? Hide a ticking clock in a room, and send your friends in to find it – half using both ears, and half with one ear blocked with a cotton ball. (Birthday party idea?!)

These science projects are part of all the fun science projects in the 24 Hour Science Project package. They are easy to design on your own, visit 24 Hour Science Projects to find out how to purchase step by step instructions for each.

2. How does the type of soil affect water flow? This experiment involves doing a soil analysis – which is fascinating – and then seeing how water flows – or drips – through.

3. What makes yeast grow best? This yeast project finds out what that little fungus likes to eat best. Balloons are involved – and gas.

4. What’s the best model for a solar heater? You can scavenge through the trash to find the elements to build this solar heater that really works!

2. Does the amount of Vitamin C in Orange juice change over time? This is a slightly more advanced version of the popular Vitamin ‘C’itrus’ project.

Check all these projects out today at the Middle School Science Projects site!

PS You don’t have to wait for the new package. Get a free science project guide here.

To prepare for this article, I walked through my house and made a list of the supplies we keep on hand. This list can be a springboard for getting supplies ready for your children. Let this list help you as you help your children to help themselves.

I’m quite aware that this is a LOT of stuff. But you’re going to buy it anyway. Cut down on the stress and buy it in advance. Science project time will be here before you know it!

And while you’re getting supplies, add our free science project guide at http://www.www.middle-school-science-projects.com.

1. Find out what type of project your science teacher requires. There are many types of projects, and most elementary schools give a range of choices. Does your teacher want an experiment, a demonstration, a collection, a report, or a model? Knowing what kind of project you need will narrow down your choices considerably.

2. Make a list of things that interest your child. What subjects catch your child’s eye on television or in books – space, animals, buildings, computers, explosions? Does your child need instant gratification? Consider a chemistry experiment with dramatic results, such as “Which Fruit has the Most Vitamin C?” Is your child concerned about the environment? Find out which toilet tissue is most biodegradable, or which type of insulation works best.

3. Set your budget for money – and time. If you don’t have a lot of money to invest, and if your time is limited, there is no need to look at anything that requires special metals to be imported from the Far East. Decide on how much cash you’re willing to spend, and create a generous time line for getting supplies. Keep in mind that you have to actually do the project after the supplies arrive.

4. Keep in mind that this is a science project for elementary school. Don’t choose a project with complicated instructions. You want your child to do the project with your help – and not the other way around.

5. Provide four or five science project choices. Ever notice how it takes longer to decide on an ice cream flavor when there are 31 flavors? Give your elementary school child a limited list of science project choices, and you’ll both be happier.

Parents, get a free guide to science projects- including how to find experiments with step by step instructions – at Elementary Science Projects.

Our project guides are easy and fast, and will help you submit an outstanding – and maybe winning – science project for elementary school.

Are two ears better than one?

Human Behavior Science Projects explore the fascinating ways that human beings behave. Behavioral projects are a popular choice for kids headed to the science fair. While gathering enough test subjects can be tricky, these projects can be a great way for students to learn about testing, meet interesting people, and have fun. There are so many things to discover, that the hardest part may be simply choosing a topic. Here’s a list of ideas to get you started.

1. Determine the soothing effect of music by taking the pulse before and after a five minute session of classical piano.

2. See if more people are visual learners or auditory learners by having humans memorize a telephone number that they only see, then a different one that they only hear.

3. Discover if wearing glasses helps or hurts a salesperson’s profit. Have a salesperson wear glasses for a series of days, then go to work without the glasses. Compare their total sales for the two periods.

4. Find out if yawning is contagious behavior by watching a group of children before and after the group leader yawns. Note that because it is such a primitive reflex, yawning is a very popular human behavior science project subject.

5. Are younger children more inclined to like their teachers than older students? Rate the popularity of teachers that teach different ages of kids.

6. Measure the time it takes for children to learn a poem set to music or not set to music.

7. Find out if the scent of lemon helps attention by calculating test scores of people who have or have not sniffed a lemon. This is a great science project that might help ADHD students!

8. Find out if two ears or one are better at localizing a sound by hiding an object, and timing how long individuals take to find it. (Get a complete project guide for this project at Online Science Projects.)

Of course, you don’t need a study of human behavior to know that students like to come up with new and unique ideas. So put on your thinking cap and come up with your own human behavior science project!

Need more ideas?! Get your FREE parents guide to science projects at http://www.24hourscienceprojects.com. We also have a list of many types of science experiments and projects.

1. Find out if salt affects the boiling point of water. Using distilled water, measure the temperature at which water boils with different amounts of salt added. This easy experiment can be done fast – in under an hour! Got more info here: “Does Salt Affect the Boiling Point of Water?

2. Test types of insulation to see which works best. Freeze bottles of water, insulate them with various building materials, and see which one stays frozen the longest. This is science project is great for students concerned about our environment. Instructions can be found at 24 Hour Science Projects.

3. Make a tornado. Simply half fill a clear 2 liter soda bottle with water, and swirl it until it makes a tornado. This is an easy elementary demonstration, that probably won’t win the science fair, but will fascinate younger students while allowing them to observe swirling currents. (We bet you’ll get a kick out of it, too!)

4. Measure the amount of oxygen that is in air. Put duct tape on a hand warmer, activate it, and quickly tape it to the bottom of a tall jar. Invert the jar and put the mouth into a pan of water. As the hand warmer heats up, it will use up the oxygen in the glass, causing the water level to rise. If you’re traveling to and from the mountains and compare the amounts of oxygen, this is a great experiment. Otherwise, it’s a cool demonstration.

5. Compare brands of toilet tissue to see which is most biodegradable. Collect samples of different brands of tissue, weigh them, soak them in water so they break down. After 24 hours, rinse the samples through a funnel, then weigh the rest. Get the instructions for this earth science project called “A Straight Flush“.

Get information on how to find detailed instructions for earth science projects when you get your free parent’s guide to science projects – are at http://www.24hourscienceprojects.com.

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Blue Ribbon at the Science Fair

“My son has a science project due next week and we need help. He’s in the third grade. Are the 24 Hour Projects 3rd grade level? If not, do you offer any at that level? Thanks.”

We often get this question about our projects. The answer is almost always, “Yes, you can use our project guides for your child’s grade.” With few exceptions, our guides can be adapted for use for any grade in elementary through middle school. The references we provide are on several levels – from very elementary to more complicated. The science experiments themselves are all very easy to do; the explanations that go on your display board must be grade appropriate.

Once you find out what kind of science project your fourth grader needs, it’s time to find out what project he or she wants to do. As you search, keep the following questions in mind:

1. Can I find the materials needed for the science experiment? Once my son needed powdered laundry starch for a project. Since nobody irons much anymore, it’s not easy to find!

2. Are the supplies expensive? One science project we considered called for SIX reusable hand warmers. They are almost $6 each, plus shipping. We found something else to do.

3. Can the science project supplies be located in time? If you have to order something, will it arrive in time for you to do the project thoroughly?

4. Is this project within my child’s ability level? Is it safe? Science projects are for your CHILD to do – with your assistance. Not the other way around.

5. Will this project really work? My mom tried for years to make a battery out of a lemon, and never succeeded.

A 4th grade science project is a huge undertaking. Take it from us – we have four sons, each of whom was required to enter the science fair in fourth grade. We’ve had failures and successes, tears and smiles. And always, after the 4th grade project, we had the 5th grade project right around the corner!

Now, get a free guide to fourth grade science projects – including how to find experiments with step by step instructions – at http://www.24hourscienceprojects.com. Easy and fast, they’ll help you submit an outstanding – and maybe winning – fourth grade science project.