Spooky Static Science
Static electricity is an invisible force. We often can’t see static electricity, but we can see and sometimes feel its effects on objects around us. This makes static electricity the perfect spooky science activity!
In this seasonal science challenge, students will devise a way to make objects move using only the materials provided. This activity engages engineering skills as well as provides an opportunity for children to learn using productive failure. In the absence of direct instructions, children have the opportunity to flex their developing critical thinking and complex reasoning skills. This activity provides an opportunity for children to recognize areas of gaps in their own knowledge and provides a motivation to learn the material to help them solve the problem.
Learning Objectives/Opportunities
Build basic knowledge about static electricity
Science process skills: hypothesis testing, observation, and experimentation
Executive Function skills: gross motor, creative thinking
Materials:
Tissues
Marker
Inflated Balloon
Activity Instructions
Provide materials for all students or for each group of students.
Allow children to design their own ghost using the markers and tissues.
Instruct students that their challenge is to devise a way to make their tissue ghost move without touching it or blowing on it and they can only use the marker and the balloon.
Give students time to generate ideas and test them
After the designated time, re-group and demonstrate how to use static electricity to move the tissue
Allow children to try this method for themselves to confirm the demonstration.
Breaking down the Science
When two objects rub against each other, electrons from one object move to the other creating a negative charge. Objects cannot hold a charge for long. When static electricity builds up, it fixes itself by causing a zap or by clinging to a new object.
To solve this challenge, rub the balloon on an article of clothing, or along the ground to build up static electricity. Hover the balloon over the tissue ghost to observe the way this invisible force influences objects around it.
Science Extension: Material Exploration
This activity uses two materials: (1) the conductor of electricity (the balloon) and (2) the recipient of the electrical forces (the tissue paper).
These materials can be swapped out to explore the way different materials may make this challenge easier or harder to complete. Instead of tissue paper, try using printer paper, card stock, paper towels, or toilet paper to make ghosts and swap out the balloon for a fabric that can generate a lot of static electricity such as carpet, wool, and microfiber.
Which materials make the most static electricity? Which paper is the most resistant to moving when static electricity is applied?
STEMSpark Stumper
Using what you learned in the material exploration above, devise a way for a tissue ghost to hover off the table for at least 5 seconds.