Name: ___________________________________
Date: _____________________
Electricity Day
Lab Sheet
Bending Water
Materials: Balloon, water from faucet
What to do.
Turn on faucet to make a slow, smooth even flow of water about as thick as a drinking straw.
Hold a pencil about an inch away from the stream of water. Do not get it wet.
What happens to the stream of water?
Blow up the balloon.
Rub the balloon on your head.
This will transfer electrons from you to the balloon. The balloon will then have a negative
charge.
Hold the balloon about an inch from the water. Do not get the balloon wet.
What happens to the stream of water?
Why do you think this happens?
______________________________________________________________________________
Name: ___________________________________
Date: _____________________
Static Pick Up Game
Materials: Balloon, paper hole punch circles, tissue paper, plastic wrap, foil, salt,
pepper, unflavored jello (dry), ruler or toothbrush
What to do:
1. Cut the tissue paper, plastic wrap and foil into small pieces. Keep the pieces
in small separate piles. Make a small pile of salt and pepper and jello
powder.
2. Charge the balloon by rubbing it on your head.
3. Move the balloon close to the pile of tissue paper. Record what happens.
4. Rub the balloon on your head again.
5. Repeat with the rest of the materials one at a time.
6. Which materials could be picked up with the charged balloon?
7. Repeat the activity using a wooden ruler instead of the balloon.
Materials
Tissue Paper
Paper Dots
Plastic Wrap
Foil
Salt
Pepper
Jello Powder
Balloon
Which materials could be picked up with the balloon?
Which materials could be picked up with ruler?
Were there any differences?
Wooden Ruler
Name: ___________________________________
Date: _____________________
Complete a Circuit
Materials: 3 Wires, lamp, light bulb, batteries and battery holders.
Can you put the materials together so the light works?
Draw what that looks like.
After reading the How do Electric Charges Flow article, practice creating series
and parallel circuits. Draw what your circuits look like. Be sure to label which is
parallel and which is a series circuit. Label all parts of your diagram.
Name: ___________________________________
Date: _____________________
Conductors and Insulators
Materials: Everything from above and paper clip, coated paper clip, wooden stick,
plastic, paper, penny, nickel, rubber band and glass bead.
What to do:
Set up the following open circuit using a battery, lamp and bulb, and three wires.
Predict what materials will conduct electricity when placed in the open space with
the wires connected. Use your chart to show your predictions and results.
Material
Wooden Stick
Plain paper clip
Coated paper clip
Penny
Nickel
Paper
Plastic
Glass
Rubber band
Predict: will it conduct
electricity?
Results: Did it conduct
electricity?
Name: ___________________________________
Date: _____________________
What types of materials let electricity through them?
___________________________________________________________________
What types of materials did not let electricity through them?
___________________________________________________________________
What are the materials that allow electricity through them called?
_________________________________________________________________
What are the materials that do not allow electricity through them called?
_________________________________________________________________
Make an Electromagnet
Materials: Large battery, copper wire, nail, paper clips, tape, magnet.
What to do:
1. Use an ordinary magnet to pick up paper clips. How many can you lift?
___________________________________________________________________
2. Wrap the wire tightly around the nail. DO not let the ends touch each
other.
3. Wrap one end of the wire onto the positive (+) post of the battery.
4. Touch the nail to the paper clips. How many does it pick up?
_____________________________________________________________
5. . Wrap the other end of the wire onto the negative ( –) end of the battery.
How many paper clips can you lift?
__________________________________________________________
6. Which magnet picks up more paper clips the regular magnet or the electro
magnet? ________________________________________________
7. Undo some of the wire from the nail. Retest to see how many paper clips it
can pick up. Was there any change?
____________________________________________________________
Name: ___________________________________
Date: _____________________
Environ Battery
Make a prediction:
Circle the things you think will work as a battery.
Lemon
water
Gatorade
sweet potato
For each of these experiments write down what you observed:
Lemon
Potato
Gatorade
Water
Was your prediction right?
How do you think the natural batteries work?
If you could test something else what would it be?