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Middle school science projects almost always have to be done in the form of an experiment. The trouble for most students is that most of the time, projects that are on the internet or in books are either demonstrations or models. Since they don’t follow the scientific method, neither of these meet the qualifications of the middle school science fair.

The good news is that many times, a model can be used in an experiment, and variables can be added to a demonstration, so that it can be one, too. Here are five examples of projects that are modified to become an experiment.

- How can you make a potato canon? – This is a fun activity, and it demonstrates how cool science can be, but it doesn’t test anything. How can you turn it into an experiment? Vary the trajectory, and ask, “At which angle will a potato canon launch a potato the farthest?”

- What happens when seeds germinate? – This is a great lesson, but what are kids comparing? Turn it into an experiment by testing “At which temperature do seeds germinate the best?” Use different watt bulbs to vary the temperature.

- How do bones change when soaked in vinegar? – This is close to an experiment, but the project I saw didn’t have a way to measure the change. The results of a true experiment must be measurable. Come up with a weigh to measure the amount of weight the bones can support before breaking, and you may just win your middle school science fair.

- How hot can a solar heater get? – First of all, finding the answer to this question may result in a fire! Make it an experiment by testing two different solar heater models. Construct two identical heaters, one with a glass front, and the other with a plexiglass front. Measure the temperature over several days, and see which one got the hottest.

- What happens when you mix chalk and lemon juice? – Studying acids and bases is fascinating, but there are no variables – so it’s not an experiment. Change it up. Soak pieces of chalk in water, a basic solution, and an acid, and note the variance in the weight.

Fleas are parasites looking for a warm-blooded host. Their mouth parts are made for piercing skin and sucking blood. They are mobile in any direction: they can jump up to 7 inches vertically and 13 inches horizontally. That’s comparable to a human jumping 250 feet vertically and 450 feet horizontally. After emerging from the cocoon and being initially fed, an adult flea can survive from 2 months to 1 year between feedings. For a period of 2 weeks up to 8 months, a female flea can lay 15 to 20 eggs per day. That’s potentially 280 to 4,800 fleas in a relatively short time.

1. Birds. Bird fleas are usually found in nests or nesting boxes, but they can also migrate to the nearest cat or dog or human.

2. Cats. Cat fleas are the the most common variety of fleas – but they don’t limit themselves to cats. These fleas can be found on dogs and humans too. One way to confirm fleas are on your cat is to look for “flea dirt.” Initially, you’ll see what looks like pepper. If you can drop water on the “dots,” smear with a white paper towel and see red, your cat has fleas.

3. Dogs. If your dog excessively scratches or bites at his rear, tail or thigh area, he may have fleas. This means that probably your dog isn’t the only place with fleas. The grass in your back yard or anywhere your pet likes to sleep is a likely flea park. Fleas enjoy a warm, moist environment. Frequent vacuuming in your house and frequent mowing of your yard are good preventive steps.

4. Humans. Fleas can easily find their way into carpets and upholstered items, looking for a warm blooded mammal to occupy. Lower parts of the body (ankles, for instance) are more commonly targeted. Affected skin reveals small raised reddened areas that itch. Flea bites look similar to mosquito bites with a pierced point in the center of a small welt. Some individuals suffer from allergies to the fleas’ saliva and exhibit a rash.

5. Rats and mice. Fleas are more than just an itchy nuisance. They can transmit viruses and diseases like bubonic plague. Even a tapeworm can be passed on when a mammal consumes an infected flea.

So both your kids have to do 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.

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.

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.

Middle School science projects are assigned each year to thousands of sixth, seventh and eighth grade students hoping to get a great grade and be a winner in their school science fair. And each year, many of those students will be disappointed, simply because they made these easily avoided mistakes:

1. Choosing a project that isn’t an experiment. Teachers and science fair judges usually want true experiments. That means they are looking for a question, hypothesis, procedure, results that are measurable (with numbers), and a conclusion. No matter how hard you work, models, demonstrations, collections, and reports are not experiments.

If your project title is “Can you make a Trebuchet that works?”, “How an egg can go into a bottle”, or “The five types of butterflies indigenous to Elgin, South Carolina”, you do not have a project that can be classified as an experiment. When you’re looking for your project guide, look for the word “hypothesis”, and you’ll probably be on the right track.

2. Trying to do a project that you don’t understand. There are many great experiments available that are too advanced for middle schoolers. Although the procedure may go well, and the result may look great on a display board, your lack of basic understanding will show in your report, in your ability to explain your project in a classroom, or in your answers to questions posed by a judge. You may be tempted to do a project on the permeability of phospholipid bilayers, but remember, it’s more impressive to do a more basic project that you understand fully.

3. Copying a project. Unfortunately, many students (and parents) try to take the easy way out and copy a project that someone else has done. There are three reasons to avoid copying. First, it’s dishonest. It’s cheating, stealing, and lazy. (And that’s mincing words.) Second, the purpose of a science project is to learn. If you copy, you’re not learning. Third, your teacher will find out.