Aims
Make objects move without touching them by charging them with static electricity.
ExpeRiment with different objects to see how static electricity affects them.
Learn about charged particles like electrons and how things gain or lose charge.
About this activity
In this fun, simple science activity to do at home with children, Sophie Scott and her son investigate static electricity. By rubbing a balloon or straw on a cloth or their clothes, they make balancing pencils, pens, and spoons move without touching them! In these experiments they discover how things with opposite charges attract, and those with the same charge repel. They investigate whether the phenomenon will work with a variety of objects and even a stream of running water, asking questions about the science at play as they go.