Using Just Science Projects Experiments

Just Science Projects elementary school level experiments are geared toward students between grades 3 and 5. Many can also be adapted for higher grades with a bit of thought.

Just Science Projects experiments for middle school students are designed for students between grades 6 and 8. These also make excellent choices for advanced elementary students in grade 5.

Each Just Science Projects experiment is assessed for difficulty level. You’ll find a difficulty rating of one to three stars at the beginning of each experiment. Choose experiments with one star for lower grade levels, and experiments with two to three stars for higher grade levels.

Helping Your Child Choose a Project

Helping their child find the right science project is something most parents dread. Don’t worry! Talk to your child about the project. What area of science is your child most interested in? If a project is a close match, you can always help your child “tweak it” so it suits him or her a bit better. Be creative. You’ll be amazed at what you and your child will come up with together!

When helping a child pick a project, make sure you are picking one that is within the scope of his or her abilities. If a child picks a project that is too difficult, halfway through he or she may want to give up. On the other hand, a project that is too easy will quickly leave your child bored. The Just Science Projects star rating system can help you assess the correct difficulty level for your child.

Dealing With Tough Time Constraints

Along with a difficulty rating, there is a time estimate at the beginning of each Just Science Projects experiment that lets you know ahead of time approximately how long an experiment will take. Many Just Science Projects experiments can be completed in one day or less (some in less than an hour), which is helpful if you have a last minute project to complete. If you have a tight deadline, you will want to choose one of these projects.

Bear in mind that many life science projects involve growing plants and take longer to complete. While each Just Science Projects life science booklet provides some life science experiments that can be completed in a day or less, the choice is more limited than in the case of the Earth and physical sciences. Most Earth science experiments and all the physical science experiments take less than a day to complete. For the greatest number of experiments that take less than a day, choose our 30-experiment booklet.