Fun Electricity Activities for Kids

Rubbing a balloon with a wool cloth can create a static charge.

Electricity is one of the most important forces in our lives. Static electricity creates lightning in the atmosphere, electric current powers computers, lights and other devices and electromagnetism allows us to run transmitters, CRTs, hard disks and the generators that produce the power we use every day. Simple activities can help kids learn the principles of electricity.

Make a Lemon or Potato Battery

A lemon battery is a simple device to show students how batteries work. Take a strip of copper and a strip of zinc and pound a small hole in each by driving a small nail through the surface. Thread a length of copper wire through the hole in each strip and tape the wires in place so that they are in contact with the strips of metal. Make two slits in a lemon or potato with a knife and place one of the strips in each slit. Attach the free wires to the terminals of a 0.2 volt lamp. The lamp will light. The acidic environment will cause the zinc to oxidize, giving up some of its electrons, which power the lightbulb.

Make Electric Gelatin

There are hundreds of activities to demonstrate how static electricity works. One activity, called Electric Gelatin, comes from the PBS KIDS website. Place plain, unflavored gelatin powder on a plate. Rub an inflated balloon against a piece of wool cloth, your hair or some other static-generating material. Lower the balloon until it is about an inch above the gelatin. The static charge on the balloon will cause the gelatin to stick together and form miniature stalagmites, reaching towards the balloon.

Build an Electromagnet

Learn about magnetism by building an electromagnet. Wrap coated copper wire around an iron nail in a continuous coil from one end to the other, leaving a few inches of wire dangling free at each end. Tape the copper wire to the nail to hold it in place. Strip the coating off the ends of the wire and attach each end to a terminal of a 9-volt battery to create an electromagnet. Use the electromagnet to pick up paperclips, nails, and other small, ferromagnetic objects.

References

• The NASA Science Files: Homemade Battery
• PBS Kids: Electric Gelatin