Elementary School Science Projects That are Related to Static Electricity
Kids love to play with static electricity by sliding their feet across the floor and touching each other. Teach them about static electricity with hands-on experiments. The experiments can be as simple as balloons and wool or as complex as static generators. The experiments provide a fun way to help students connect with the information.
-
Balloons
-
Rub balloons on the heads of the children and stick them on the wall. Then, tie two balloons on to individual pieces of string. Hang them close together but do not let them touch. Rub one balloon with a piece of wool and watch the attraction between the two balloons. Make the experiment fun by drawing faces with lips on each balloon and let the students make the balloons "kiss." Rub both balloons with the piece of wool and watch them repel each other.
Lightbulbs
-
Turn off the lights and darken the classroom. Run a comb through your hair or rub it with a piece of wool cloth at least 20 times. The friction between the comb and hair or cloth pulls electrons from your hair onto the comb and causes it to be negatively charged. Put the comb next to the metal of the light bulb. The charges from the comb will become discharged into the bulb and make it light up.
-
Making Static Sparks
-
Cut a handle, shaped like an "L," from a Styrofoam tray and tape it to the center of an aluminum pie pan. Rub the rest of the Styrofoam tray on the top of your hair and lay it upside down on the floor. Touch the edge of the aluminum pie pan with your finger, avoiding the Styrofoam tray. Lift the pan by the handle and touch the pan and it should spark again. Set it down and touch it again. The cycle will continue.
Static Generator
-
Place a small static generator on a table. Provide the students with different objects and have them place them on the static generator. Use items like wool, packing peanuts, scraps of paper, nylon and fur. Watch the different reactions to the static electricity as each item is placed on the generator. Let a child place his hands on the static generator until his hair stands up.
-
References
- Photo Credit Polka Dot Images/Polka Dot/Getty Images
