The invisible... Static Electricity

If I asked you how much voltage was in static electricity, would you know? How much? Well I will tell you... there is up to 25,000 volts in static electricity! Is that not crazy? Static electricity is something we all have experienced at some point in our lives.  How can we incoporate fun activities in our classrooms? With balloons!

Balloon Experiment

Supplies Needed:

• 2 balloons
• sweater
• assorted materials
• tissue paper {we used 2 different sizes}
• aluminum foil
• cardboard scrap
• paper scrap
• yarn/string
• pom pom
• pipe cleaner
• ribbon
• cloth
• foam
• 
  
• Procedure:
1. Gather a random assortment of materials. See the suggestions in the materials list.
2. Blow up the balloons.
3. Touch a balloon to each of different materials including the other balloon. {Notice none of the materials is attracted to the balloon.}
4. Rub one balloon onto the sweater. {This will add electrons to the balloon and cause it to become negatively charged.}
5. Now touch the balloon again to each of the materials. Observe what happens.
• This activity was found on http://kidsactivitiesblog.com/26688/static-electricity

Students will be able to see a visual and work hands on to demonstrate how static electricity works! It is always so important to also discuss the warnings with students as well.  One major warning that I remember is pumping gas.