What uses electricity?
Discover the many ways we use electricity every day.
Setting: Indoors
Time: <30 minutes
Concepts: electricity, energy
Skills: observing, critical thinking
Ages:
 3-5
 5-7
Subject(s):
 Physics
 Engineering & Technology
Materials:
 Various electrical devices (e.g., overhead lights, lamps, television, microwave, toaster,
radio, hair dryer, computer, mobile phone, tablet, fan, etc.)
Safety First!
Never encourage children to plug or unplug electrical devices on their own.
What to do:
 Take a tour of different rooms in your home. Which items in each room use electricity?
How do you know they use electricity?
What’s happening?
Electricity is a form of energy that can be transformed into other forms of energy, like light and
heat. Electrical energy is generated (or made) by different means. It can be generated from the
power of the sun (solar energy), from the power of the wind (wind energy), by burning fossil
fuels (coal and natural gas) or from falling water (hydroelectricity). It can even be generated
from nuclear energy (the energy released from splitting the nucleus of atoms). Once generated,
electricity travels through wires to buildings to power your home’s heat, light and electrical
devices.
For electrical devices to work, they must be connected to a source of electrical energy. Most
often the connection is made through a plug into an electrical wall outlet. Some devices, such as
overhead lights, are wired directly to the power source coming into the building and are most
often controlled by switches.
Why does it matter?
We use electricity for many purposes every day, from cooking our food and lighting our homes
to providing us with entertainment such as television or computer games. The removal of
electricity can impact people’s lives because so many things in our world today need electricity
in order to function. The lives of people who do not or did not have electricity are very different
from ours. Electrical appliances and tools can make many tasks and types of work easier, but
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What uses electricity?
making electricity can also be costly. In addition, pollution can be created in the process of
generating electricity.
Investigate further!
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Go without using any electrical devices for a period of time (a minimum of 30 minutes).
How did it feel without these devices? Did you miss anything? What did you miss the
most?
Count the number of electrical outlets, appliances and gadgets in your home. Does your
house have enough outlets for all the electric appliances you own?
Take an outside walk around your house. Can you see where the electricity comes into
your house? Clue: Look for a wire attached to the roof that goes out to a pole on the
side of the street. In some communities, the electrical wires may be buried underground
and you will not be able to see them.
Think about what it would be like to live without electricity. What things would you have
to do without? How would your life and that of your family change? What good things
could come from not having electricity?
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