Facts to KnowSuggested group size: six to eight children per adult volunteer

Time frame: group meeting 30 to 60 minutesRecommended ages: 5- to 7-year-olds (kindergarten through second grade)

Materials:

Background KnowledgeElectricity is mysterious. It is invisible, yet it

gives us light, heat and power in many forms.

The electricity used in your home travels

through wires. These wires connect the power

plants with your community. Some power

plants may be hundreds of miles away. This

electricity is produced by magnetism in a

generator and carries a strong current.

We have other forms of electricity, too. Perhaps

you have been shocked after walking across a

rug and then touching someone or something.

The rubbing of our feet on a rug often gives us

a charge (positive or negative). This charge is

released when we touch something or another

person. This electricity, produced by friction, is

called static electricity.

In this lesson, members will explore the

effects of static electricity on everyday

objects and materials.

Science, Engineering and Technology (SET)Exploring With Electricity

PurposeYouth explore the effects

of static electricity on

everyday objects and

materials.

August 2013

FD004

n Paper hole punch dots n Plastic boxes

(take-out box, deli box, bakery box, etc.)

n Plastic produce or store bags (grocery, box store, etc.)

n Wool or cotton fabric scraps n Wint-O-Green Lifesavers

n Balloonsn String or yarnn Scissorsn Permanent markersn Giftwrap tapen White papern Puffed rice cerealn Ground pepper

Learning ActivitiesDo: Looking WithinElectro Flea Circus (20 minutes)

Do: Getting StartedYour Admirer is a Balloon (10 minutes)

In this activity, members create an admirer

whose attraction is positively electric!

Use the following directions:

1. Inflate a balloon and draw a face on it

with a permanent marker.

2. Tie off the balloon and suspend it from

a doorway or ceiling using tape and

string. The balloon should hang at face

level when you stand on the floor.

3. Rub the face of the balloon with a wool cloth. The balloon will face you

and move toward you whenever you

approach it. You now have an admirer!

4. Try to determine how far away the attractive force is able to act. Is the

balloon still attracted toward you if you

position a piece of cardboard between

the balloon and your face? Can you

wind up the string without touching it by

making the balloon follow you around

and around in a circle?

(Your Admirer is a Balloon, 2012)

Members are now familiar with some of the effects of static electricity: static electricity makes hair stand up on a cold day and it makes balloons stick to the wall at a birthday party. In this activity, static electricity makes electric “fleas” jump up and down.Use the following directions:1. Place a white sheet on paper of a flat surface in front of you.

2. Sprinkle a small pile of ground pepper in the center of the piece of paper. These are your Electro Fleas.3. Place the top of a clear plastic take-out container centered over your Electro Fleas.4. Rub the top of the plastic vigorously with the wool or cotton cloth. Continue rubbing for two to three minutes and observe what happens. 5. What do you predict will happen if you stop rubbing the plastic and wait for 10 or 15 minutes? What do you think will happen if you then rub the plastic again?

(Electrical Fleas, 2012)

Do: Digging DeeperWonder Fly Balloons (20 minutes)

In this activity, member experience the power of

electrical charges, attraction and repulsion.

Use the following directions:

1. Blow up a balloon and rub it with a piece of wool or cotton.

2. Place your hand near the balloon. What happens?

3. Make a small pile of paper hole punch dots or puffed rice cereal. Rub the

balloon with a piece of wool or cotton. Hold the balloon near the pile of dots

or cereal. What happens?

4. Cut a 2-inch ring from a plastic produce or grocery

bag. Rub the flattened plastic ring on a flat surface

with a piece of wool or cotton; rub both sides.

Recharge the balloon by rubbing it with a piece of

wool or cotton. Pick up the flattened plastic ring by

an edge. Holding the plastic ring in one hand and

the balloon in the other, gently drop and float the

plastic ring above the balloon. Can you make the

ring dance?

5. Cut a 4-inch square from a plastic produce or

grocery bag. Fold the square in half and place a

small piece of tape on the open edge nearest

the fold. Do this on only one side. Rub the

flattened glider on a flat surface with a piece

of wool or cotton. Recharge the balloon by

rubbing it with a piece of wool or cotton. Pick

up the glider in one hand and the balloon in

the other and gently drop and float the glider

above the balloon. Can you make the glider fly?

Reflect/Apply

ResourcesElectrical Fleas. (2012). Retrieved October 2, 2012, from The Exploratorium: www.exploratorium.edu/ snacks/electrical_fleas/index.html

Your Admirer is a Balloon! (2012). Retrieved October 2, 2012, from The Museum of

Science, Boston: www.mos.org/sln/toe/ admirer.html

Lightning in Your Mouth. (2012). Retrieved October 15, 2012, from the Exploratorium: www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/

candy/activity-lightning.html

For more information, see www.ndsu.edu/4hCounty commissions, North Dakota State University and U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperating. North Dakota State University does not discriminate on the basis of age, color, disability, gender expression/identity, genetic information, marital status, national origin, public assistance status, sex, sexual orientation, status as a U.S. veteran, race or religion. Direct inquiries to the Vice President for Equity, Diversity and Global Outreach, 205 Old Main, (701) 231-7708. This publication will be made available in alternative formats for people with disabilities upon request, (701) 231-7881.

Reflect: Bringing Closure (10 minutes)

Make mouth lightning by crunching down on

Wint-O-Green Lifesavers. Members sit facing a

partner, each with a Wint-O-Green Lifesaver.

1. Turn out the lights to darken the room.

2. Use the following directions:

a. Facing your partner, pop the Lifesaver in

your mouth.

b. Chew fast and hard on your back teeth.

c. Keep your mouth open while you chew.

3. Crunching on the candy makes light with

friction, or “triboluminescense.” The crushed

sugar crystals create electric fields. When the

molecules recombine, they emit ultraviolet

light, which we can’t see. The wintergreen oil

changes ultraviolet light to visible light.

(Lightning in Your Mouth, 2012)

Apply: Going Beyond1. Make a circle of energy. This activity

requires a hand-held peeping chick toy or an Energy Ball from Steve Spangler Science. Have the members hold hands. One person touches one of the electrodes while another person, at the other end of the circle, touches the other electrode. Two people can touch the electrodes and make the Energy Ball buzz or the peeping chick peep as long as everyone around the circle is holding hands.

2. Make a snack using electricity. Make microwave popcorn and talk about what types of other things use electricity.

AcknowledgementsProject Coordinator and Editor: Monique Snelgrove, Extension Agent, Center for 4-H Youth Development

Curriculum Consultant and Editor: Linda Hauge, 4-H Youth Development Specialist, Center for 4-H Youth Development

Author: Monique Snelgrove

Contributing Author: Nicki Pedeliski, Youth Development Assistant, Center for 4-H Youth Development