It's Electric! - NC 4-H Curriculum

It’s Electric! Conducting Electricity

Electricity is…

Electricity is used to energize our computers, turn on our lights, keep our refrigerators operating so our food stays cold, keep us warm in winter and cool in the summer, keeps us connected with some of our most favorite things like iPods, game boys, cell phones, and the list could go on. Without energy, our homes, businesses, schools, and factories would be hard to operate. We are dependent on the availability of energy. Have you ever touched a friend’s arm and received a shock? This is called static electricity. Static Electric is an electric charge that builds up on one object (like socks gliding on a rug). This is a positive charge. It is released to another object (an unexpected friend). This is a negative charge. Shocker…

Lesson PDF

The Experiment

Use a balloon to create your own static electricity and see what you can do!

Materials

Balloon

Piece of cotton clothing

Confetti

Plastic bag

Directions

STEP 1

Blow up a balloon and rub it with a piece of cotton. Place your hand near the balloon. What happens?

STEP 2

Make a small pile of the confetti. Rub the balloon with the piece of cotton again. Hold the balloon near the pile of confetti. What happens?

STEP 3

Cut out a piece of the bag that is about 2 inches long. Rub it on the cotton. Make sure to rub both sides. Pick up the flattened plastic piece by an edge. Holding the plastic piece in one hand and the balloon in the other, gently drop and float the plastic ring above the balloon.

Think about it….Look at the charge of the electrons on the balloon and on the cotton shirt. What do you think this means? How does this affect the balloon once it is rubbed on the cotton shirt?

negative electrons move are attracted to the positive electrons on the shirt

Dinner Talk

What was your favorite part of the experiment? Why?
What is the purpose of the piece of cotton?
What could you do to make the ring dance?
Use your balloon to try to pick up or push away other objects in your home. What happened?

Extra Enrichment

Make water bend to your will. Try to rub the balloon on your piece of cotton and place it near a running water stream (like from your sink).

This Grab and Go is brought to you by

This work is supported by the CYFAR grant no. 2017-46100-27224, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and should not be construed to represent any official USDA or U.S. Government determination or policy.