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TOP

TIPUse the same process

to lift up feathers and

polystyrene balls.

Hold the balloon above the newts.

Command, ‘Lift up! Lift up!’ and

amaze your audience as the newts

float up without you touching them!

4

YOU WILL NEED:

• TISSUE PAPER

• A PEN

• SCISSORS

• A BALLOON

• A WOOLLEN JUMPER

OR SOME FAKE FUR

• OPTIONAL: FEATHERS

AND SMALL

POLYSTYRENE BALLS

What to do:

Blow up the balloon

and rub it with the

jumper or fake fur for

at least 20 seconds.

2

This activity has been taken from the book Matilda’s How to be a Genius (pages 36–37).

FLOATING FEATWhen Miss Trunchbull wrongly accuses her of putting a newt in the water

jug, Matilda feels a strange sense of power. She uses that power to tip over a water glass without touching it, spilling it on her horrible head teacher!

Use tissue paper and

a pen to trace over the newt shown above twice, then

cut them out.

1

Hold the balloon near your hair. If you feel your hair moving towards it, then the

balloon is ready!

3

While performing this trick, you discovered static electricity – a stationary electric charge produced by friction (when two objects rub together). When you rubbed the balloon, electrons jumped from

the material onto it. These electrons produced the force that pulled

on the paper newts, lifting them up!

Matilda'sPHENOMENAL FACT

MATILDA IS A WHIZZ WITH WORDS!

Can you find all the words hidden in the word search below?

M

UG

U

XE

E

F

O I IJK CDE P QN

X D CY RH V C X R E Y

IO H NAB TA

E USTW XWQ P R

H SG H

J K NLKV

WX Y Z YZASP R U O C E

MS S A

EC

RSLKR

P

CCA

WL M NT ZA E

TH E III SOD UYRH M L H

KR TU

VALU

BI DEF BO PT

R BK CI P O

OTU H

ZZV MG W

A II

AY

L GRKOX A

OI QT Q

SC T YZ

M EN SYR

SI

I KHAT

TM H

Y BCD

E NR MM

RN

R EOV

DP

IU

AD

AP EU J P

DM F G R

TU AKM Q Y H

PC D

EUV S Z CR LWN OL

ST

S WU VG F X PF H I NN SS

Matilda’s Wonderful

WORD QUIZ

MATILDA CRUNCHEMNEWTMAGIC

MISS TRUNCHBULL MISS HONEYPIGTAILSEXTRAORDINARY