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Static Electricity with Balloons: Using a balloon to attract paper

As we head into the colder months, it’s the best time to talk about static electricity with your little one!

Static electricity is the result of a build-up of electric charge in an object. When a balloon is rubbed on a piece of wool or your hair, it picks up electrons and becomes negatively charged. In this experiment, we make the paper move by attracting it to the charged balloon.

This is a fun experiment because kids LOVE to see how much of their hair they can stand up using the balloon!

How to make the Static Electricity with Balloons science experiment

Supplies you will need.

For this experiment, you’ll need the following:

Before you start

Since we are playing with static electricity, there is a chance that someone could get a small shock during this experiment. That shock is not harmful but could surprise you!

Also, since we are using scissors, keep a close eye on your child during this experiment so they do not cut themselves.

Instructions

Here is how to do the Static Electricity with Balloons science experiment:

Step 1: Cut your paper into small pieces

I chose to cut up the paper into small 1″ pieces, but any size will be fine for this experiment. You get a bigger reaction by having smaller pieces since those will actually stick to the balloon when you lift it. But even a corner of a whole sheet of paper will lift off of the table with enough charge!

If you are using styrofoam plates, now is the time to cut them into pieces as well.

Get your child involved : If you choose to cut up your paper, have your child do the cutting for you. We tried toddler scissors, but they didn’t work great on tissue paper. We ended up just using our hands (a good fine motor skills activity!).

Step 2: Blow up the balloon and tie it off

My child had a blast trying to blow up a balloon herself. It’s certainly not easy, especially for toddlers, to blow up a balloon, so you may need to step in and do it yourself.

Step 3: Rub the balloon on your head for at least one minute

This is where the fun really begins! Rubbing the balloon on your hair transfers electrons over to the balloon, which temporarily gives it a negative charge.

Get your child involved : My child loved having the balloon rubbed on her head, and even better, enjoyed her hair sticking straight up as a result.

Step 4: Hover the charged balloon over the paper

The negatively-charged balloon attracts the neutrally-charged paper by first repelling the negative charges away, which leaves the positive charges closer to the balloon. Since opposites attract, the paper is attracted to the balloon and is picked up.

Get your child involved : See if your child is able to charge the balloon enough to pick up some of the paper.

The science behind the Static Electricity with Balloons science experiment

This experiment teaches:

• What static electricity is
• How do we transfer electrons
• How you can build up and discharge static electricity

How it works

By rubbing a balloon on our head, we transfer electrons from our hair to the balloon.

Once we transfer enough electrons over to the balloon, the balloon has a negative charge to it. Then, when we bring the balloon closer to the neutral paper, the paper is attracted to the negatively-charged balloon.

What is static electricity?

In simple words, static electricity is the result of an imbalance between negative charges and positive charges in an object.

Those charges build up until they can be discharged, which is why you get shocked when you touch something (or someone) with a build-up of static electricity.

How we transfer electrons

The transfer of electrons can occur through conduction, polarization, and friction.

Conduction is the transfer of energy from one atom to another by direct contact. In this case, it is the movement of electrically charged particles through a medium. A van de Graaff generator is an example of transferring electrons using conduction.

Polarization happens without direct contact between two objects. If a negatively-charged object comes near a neutral object, the electrons in that neutral object move away from the charged object that is approaching it.

Friction occurs when two objects rub together and transfer electrons in the process. A great example is rubbing a balloon on your hair to make your hair stand up. Because the balloon attracts electrons more strongly than hair does, electrons are transferred from your hair to the balloon.

How you build up and discharge static electricity

We build up static electricity by building an electric charge. There are lots of variables that contribute to building static electricity.

You may notice that you get shocked a lot more often in the wintertime than in the summertime. That is because water is a great conductor, so when the air is humid, the negative charges that build up on your body can dispel in the air. In the winter, the air is less humid, so we get no help from the air to dispel those negative charges.

As electrons build up in an object, that object becomes more and more likely to attract an electric current.

Questions to ask while experimenting

• Before watching the paper react: What do you think will happen between this balloon and the paper?
• What will happen if we rub the balloon on our hands instead of our hair? Will the paper stick to the balloon?

More physics experiments to try out with your child

• Magnetic Slime: A fun twist to playing with slime to teach magnetics
• Catapults: Build a catapult to talk about energy transfer and see what you can launch
• Dancing Rice sound science: Use sound vibration to make rice dance!

FAQ about the Static Electricity with Balloons science experiment

Why do we get shocked more by static electricity in the winter.

Winter typically brings cooler, drier air, which allows electrons to travel more easily. When the air is more humid, that water vapor works to pull charge from building up on you. And when the air is drier (like in the wintertime), your body can hold onto the charge. Once you discharge that buildup on say, a door knob, it results in a shock.

Related experiments

Make a Bird Fly with Static Electricity!

Today's experiment uses a few simple supplies to teach your child all about static electricity with a fun flying bird visual. Static electricity is the result of a build-up of electric charge in...

Static Electricity Balloon and Salt and Pepper Experiment

• April 30, 2019
• 1-2 Year Olds , 10 Minute Science , 3-4 Year Olds , Household Items , Physics , Taste-safe

Static Electricity Experiment : Well, you all might have seen a balloon magically sticking to something. What could be the reason behind it? Don’t know!!  Today’s experiment is all about that. Excited ? continue reading.

What are we waiting for!! My little ones are already near the experiment table with the ingredients we need to start the experiment. Let’s get started.

Balloon, Salt and Pepper Experiment

What do we need .

We can do this activity with four everyday materials that we find in our home.

• Balloons (any light coloured balloons are preferred so that the kids will be able to observe the experiment clearly)
• Ground Pepper
• Dry Woollen Cloth

Steps to get your balloon to attract pepper

My kids are very much excited to grow a stubbly beard to their favourite coloured balloon. Let us know the steps to get such hairy beard to the balloon using our simple science experiment.

Step-1: Inflate the balloon Tisha (my younger one) was very happy to blow the balloon to the size on which we are able to draw a face (that resembles features of a dad figure). Tie the balloon after blowing to hold the air inside the balloon.

Step-2: Draw a face As we already discussed in the first step, draw a cartoon face using a permanent marker pen. Do not use sharpened pens as it pops out the balloon. I can see a glimpse on my younger daughter’s (3yrs old) face after drawing a cartoon face on the balloon. After the experiment she blew few more balloons and enjoyed drawing faces and also tried some different shapes on it.

Step-3: Sprinkle salt on the plate Ask your kid to measure a spoonful of salt and sprinkle it on to the plate.

Step-4: Add Pepper into the salt Measure the same quantity of ground pepper and put it into the plate. Now mix both the ingredients. No wonder, kids are very much interested in mixing any kind of things. My kids are also excited to mix salt and pepper.

Step-5: Rub your balloon with a woollen cloth

• Before rubbing the balloon to a cloth, ask your child to place the balloon near the cracked pepper and observe.
• Ask some questions to your child to check how far they understand the experiment and also they will understand the experiment further easily by following this important step.
• Now ask your kid to charge the balloon by rubbing the dry woollen cloth against it.

Step-6: Bring the balloon near to the salt and pepper

After rubbing to a dry woollen cloth, ask your kid to bring the balloon nearer to the mixture of salt and pepper on the plate.

Kids will be amazed now seeing pepper getting stuck to the balloon without touching. It gives an interesting sound which would increase their curiosity. 

Little ones are happy to see the beard formed on to the cartoon’s face they drew on the balloon. In fact, they are surprised to see the magic of sticking pepper to the balloon.

They kept on asking me questions on how did this happen. Even as a mom, I enjoyed showing this fun and simple static science experiment to my kids.

Now it is time to learn the science behind this fun activity.

To make your kids better understand about the experiment we have listed few important questions (some questions are directly from my daughter’s). Have a look!

Why does a balloon attract pepper?

Rubbing a balloon to a piece of dry woollen cloth or fabric gives it a negative charge, also called as static electricity. When the balloon gains enough static electricity, the negative charge attracts neutrally charged surfaces like pepper and salt.

Confused!!!? Let me explain you in detail.

In our experiment, when balloon is rubbed against the cloth, some of the free electrons jump on to the balloon and creates negative charge. When the balloon is brought closer to the neutrally charged pepper, the negative charge on the balloon attracts the pepper.

How does a balloon become charged?

Things are basically are made of atoms, electrons, neutrons, and protons (positively charged). An atom looses an electron resulting in a positive or negative charge. These charges will now attract the opposite forces in some other objects when brought nearer to them.

When the dry woollen cloth is rubbed against the balloon, the free electrons (formed when atoms loose an electron) jump directly on to the balloon and produces negative energy or surface on the balloon.

What will a charged balloon attract? A charged balloon attracts positive or neutrally charged surfaces. Enough static electricity on the balloon will force it to stick to the opposite forces.

Why does static electricity attract pepper? When any object is rubbed against another, the surface of the object is charged, that charge is known as static electricity. Static electricity is created because of rubbing which produces negative charge that is carried by electrons. The electrons further build up to produce static electricity. This static force attracts opposite forces like positive and negative charges. Thus, the static electricity being negatively charged attracts neutrally charged pepper.

Why does salt and pepper separate with static electricity?

Pepper is the lighter body rather than the salt. Hence, static electricity attracts pepper than a salt body.

Is Salt attracted to static electricity? Both salt and pepper are attracted to the static electricity. As pepper is lighter than the salt, pepper takes less effort to get stick to the opposite charges.

Why does rubbing a balloon charge it? Rubbing a balloon to a fabric creates negative charge on its surface since the free flow of electrons happens between the cloth and the balloon surface.

How does a balloon make static electricity? Static electricity is more noticeable in dry conditions. Since the dry cloth is rubbed against balloon, the negative charge is created on the surface of the balloon also knows as static electricity.

What happens when a charged balloon is brought near other materials? When a charged balloon is brought near other materials, we can observe some “Attractive Forces” between them.  We tried with two charged balloons. They both attract each other and get stick to one another. Even the charged balloon will stick with walls. But they would lose charge eventually and drop from the walls. 

Is Pepper lighter than salt? Yes, pepper is lighter than salt.

What materials produce the most static electricity? The materials that have tendency to cause most static electricity are human hair and skin, dry woollen cloth, leather, rabbit and cat fur, silk, aluminium, paper, lead, glass, and nylon.

How does a body get charged on rubbing? The free electrons in any object or thing are transferred from one body to another on continuous rubbing thus making one body negatively charged ( one which accepts electrons ) and the other becomes positively charged ( one which looses electrons).

What are 3 ways an object can be charged? An object (electrically neutral) can be charged by using any of the following methods.

• Charging by friction
• Charging by conduction
• Charging by induction

How static electricity is used to separate mixtures? Static electricity experiment is the classic activity for kids since they get fascinated by seeing how static electricity separating mixtures.

Static electricity is an imbalance build up of charges. Consider a mixture of salt and pepper. Since the pepper is lighter thus attracted more to the object with static electricity (brought nearer) leaving the heavier granules of salt. Thus, separation of mixtures happen using static electricity.

Six Fun Static Electricity Experiments for Science Students

Krystal DeVille

December 18, 2023

Electricity is a large part of our daily lives. Without it, we would be able to engage in any activities.

We often don’t know exactly how precious it is until we experience a power outage. Electricity doesn’t just involve currents- it also allows individuals to move, think and feel. We explore several different static electricity experiments that illustrate what this natural phenomenon can do.

Table of Contents

Experiments Using Static Electricity

Experiments using static are fun. When most people consider experiments using static electricity, then envision the one involving hair and a balloon. However, many additional experiments will amaze children of any age and can effectively also illustrate how physics and chemistry are used in creating illusions.

*Warning: These experiments may debunk some well-known magic tricks!

Before we get into all the static electricity experiments, be sure to grab my free eBook with over 25 STEM experiments for kids. For all my free downloads, check out this page here.

1. Static Electricity Butterfly

• Age: Elementary school
• Time: 15 minutes
• Difficulty Level: Easy

This experiment demonstrates how static electricity can move the wings on a tissue paper butterfly. 

• Googly eyes
• Cardstock paper
• Tissue paper

Instructions:

• Begin by cutting a square piece of cardboard into a 7″x 7″ square.
• Draw butterfly wings on a piece of tissue with a pencil. Make sure that it is smaller than your square. Cut the butterfly out and place them on the cardboard piece without gluing it.
• Cut the body of the butterfly using cardstock. Once finished, glue it to the middle of the butterfly. Make sure it overlaps the cardboard to prevent the wings from flying off. The wings need to be loose to demonstrate the effects of static electricity.
• Glue googly eyes on the butterfly. You can use pipe cleaners for antennae if you would like.
• Blow up the balloon.
• Rub the balloon on your hair to provide a static (electrical charge). Hold the balloon to the top of the butterfly. It should be close to it but shouldn’t touch the butterfly. You should see the wings lower and raise as the balloon is moved closer and further in distance. 

The Science Behind the Experiment

When a balloon is rubbed on hair, electrons form. Electrons go from the hair and are given to the balloon generating static. When a negatively charged balloon comes into close contact with positively charged tissue, they generate an attraction. The pull of the charged attraction enables the paper to move towards the balloon.

Static electricity experiments are fun to do. It incorporates both the principles of physics and chemistry into something very simple. It is the perfect way to engage any child in STEM education while teaching them that learning can indeed be fun.

2. Flying Bag Experiment

• Age: Any age
• Time: A few minutes

No, this isn’t done by using an updraft of air but with static electricity. This is what levitates the bag into the air.

• Light plastic bag
• Piece of material
• Plastic Rod
• Use the piece of cloth to run the plastic rod’s surface for 40 seconds.
• Flatten a plastic bag. Then rub the piece of fabric against the bag’s surface for 40 seconds.
• Release the bag and watch while it levitates in the air while the rod is waved below.

The fabric and rod become negatively charged after rubbing them together. Like charges are known to repel each other, so the bag appears to repel when the wand is waved.

My kids loved all the microscope activities we did hands-on in this article. It’s a great way of opening the world to what they can’t see!

3. Hovering Plates

• Age: Elementary School

Using magnets is not the only way that items can repel each other. Hovering plates illustrates this concept very well.

• 2 Styrofoam plates
• Piece of fabric, or your shirt
• Using the piece of fabric, rub the base of one plate.
• Put the plate (base up) on any flat surface.
• Attempt to place the other plate (base down) on top of the other plate. The two plates will repel each other.

This experiment works based on the principle of static electricity. This occurs when two things are rubbed together. The one plate receives electrons directly from the fabric and then becomes negatively charged. In turn, the electrons generated repel the other plate.

4. Bending Water Using Static Electricity

In nature, water can bend due to the moon exerting tidal forces. The same phenomenon can be accomplished by using static electricity.

• Running water
• Piece of cloth
• Plastic Rod or thick straw. My son used a smoothie straw like this because it’s thicker and works a little better.
• Use the fabric to rub the surface of the rod for 40 seconds.
• Create a stream of water by turning the tap on.
• Place the rod close to the water and watch with amazement as the stream bends.

This experiment can also be done using a comb. It would be best if you rubbed the comb against your hair for it to work. Then, you can use it to bend water.

Rubbing the material on the rod generates negatively charged ions. This repels the electrons found in the water. The water closest to the positioning of the rod receives positive charges from it. The attraction between positive and negative charges creates a force on the water, allowing it to appear as if it were bending.

5. Separating Pepper and Salt

Have you accidentally spilled both the salt and pepper? Here is a convenient way to separate them and sort through this lovely mess!

• Fabric or your shirt
• Thick straw
• Mix one teaspoon of pepper and salt thoroughly. 
• Rub the straw on the fabric for 40 seconds.
• Place the straw over the mixture. The pepper should jump and adhere to the straw (if it’s held over the correct places).

The granules of pepper and salt are positively charged. As a result of gaining electrons directly from rubbing the cloth, the straw attracts these positive charges located in the mix. Since pepper is lighter, it will jump with greater ease to the straw.

6. Bubble Moving Balloon

This trick is fun and easy. It will delight young children and amaze older ones. 

• Smooth sheet plastic, glass, or a kitchen plate like we used
• Dishwashing soap or bubble solution
• Charged balloon
• Spread the bubble solution on a sheet of glass or plastic. Blow larger bubbles on the sheet with the straw. 
• Charge an object like a balloon.
• Place the object near the bubble and watch as they follow the charged object. 
• Watch it move around the glass/plastic top.

Soapy water is drawn (attracted) to any object that is charged. When there is a large bubble, you can watch it move around.

Wrapping Up

I love static electricity experiments because they can be done with stuff you have lying around your house, not especially tools required. Our favorite experiment was the butterfly one. My three-year-old pretty much thought it was magic.

Another easy item to pick up is pop rocks. My kids had a great time with all the science experiments involving the cracking, popping treat in this article. Please check out our article, Fun Pop Rock Experiments Exploring Viscosity .

5 thoughts on “Six Fun Static Electricity Experiments for Science Students”

Great ideas here with materials that are readily available.

Thank you for ideas and a wonderful resource.

Kind Regards, Jan (Grandmother – Australia)

The salt and pepper experiment mentions a spoon in the directions, but it seems like it should be a straw according to the rest if the directions.

You’re right Kathryn, and thank you for pointing that out to me! The article has been updated 🙂

In the fourth one about bending water, one of the materials say ‘piece of clot’ not cloth. Just a minor error.

Thank you, good catch! I updated it.

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Three Fun Static Electricity Experiments to Do at Home

Experimenting with static electricity is a great way to introduce young kids to science and spark their curiosity to learn more. Here are three quick, hands-on experiments you can try at home. Each experiment takes only a few minutes and uses materials you probably already have at home.

What You’ll Need:

• Salt and pepper
• Small bowl or plate
• Plastic spoon
• Empty aluminum cans
• Your own head of hair! (to generate a static charge)

What You’ll Do:

Experiment #1: Bend Water

• Blow up a balloon and tie the end. Rub the balloon on your head until your hair sticks up to create a static charge.
• Turn on the kitchen faucet to create a stream of water about the same thickness as a pencil.
• Slowly bring the charged balloon up to the stream without touching it. The stream of water will bend as it flows around the balloon.

Experiment #2: Separate Pepper from Salt

• In a small bowl, mix a good amount of salt and pepper together.
• Rub a balloon on your head until your hair sticks up to create a static charge.
• Slowly move the charged balloon over the salt and pepper mixture in the bowl. As the balloon gets closer to the mixture, the pepper will fly upward toward the balloon, separating from the salt.

Experiment #3: Can Races

• Gather a few empty (and clean) aluminum cans.
• Arrange the cans in a line on a hard, smooth floor.
• Rub a balloon on your head to create a static charge.
• Place the balloon behind each can to see it roll away by itself.
• Set up a can race to see who can move their can the fastest using the power of static electricity.

How does the science work? Objects can become either positively or negatively charged through friction. In these experiments, the friction is created by rubbing a balloon on your head. Charged objects exert forces on each other that either attract or repulse.

What Kids Learn

• Critical Thinking
• Creative Thinking

How to Support the Play

• Remember: There is often more than one “right way” of doing things.
• If your kid asks for help, try and guide them without taking over. Nudge them along with suggestions framed as questions. “What would happen if…?”
• Ask questions about why your child thinks the static electricity is affecting the water, pepper and cans.

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Easy Static Electricity Experiment with a Balloon

Categories STEM Activities

Want a super-easy science demonstration for static electricity? This static electricity for kids experiment is easy and fun for kids of all ages.

My kids are big fans of science projects and Christmas STEM activities . We tried a static electricity experiment years ago, but it was high time we tried another.

This static electricity experiment with a balloon came about when we tried to levitate a tinsel orb, but our tinsel was too thick.

However, we quickly found that static electricity could act like tape and hold the tinsel to the balloon.

Learn how to conduct your own static electricity for kids demonstration below!

Related: Kids Science Projects 

Static Electricity Demonstration for Kids

This static electricity experiment is quick and easy, which makes it perfect for kids of all ages!

What is a static electricity demonstration?

A static electricity demonstration shows the scientific concept of static electricity.

To be a science experiment, students need to test variables.

You can test variables in this experiment by using different sizes of balloons, different things that may cling to the balloon (like tissue paper or water), or allow the kids to test their own variables.

But if you follow the directions as listed, then your static electricity science for kids activity will be a demonstration of a scientific concept, not a complete experiment.

Demonstrations can be used in science or STEM labs to illustrate the basics of a concept that children can then explore in small groups or on their own.

Static Electricity for Children Explantion

Static electricity is electrons that aren’t moving.

Usually, electricity travels in currents or waves from one point to another. But if the electrons in a molecule get charged and have nowhere to go, they are static electricity.

When you touch something that has a static electricity charge, you complete the circuit and the charge is transferred to you (or whatever touches it).

This is why sometimes you feel a tiny shock, see a spark, or have a reaction like your hair standing on end when you touch a charged balloon.

What you’ll need for this science demonstration:

Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links for your convenience at no cost to you.

Static electricity experiment directions:

Blow up the balloon and set it aside.

Tie the tinsel into a bow shape. We just used one piece, but you could experiment with thicker bows to see if the experiment will still work.

Let each kid rub the balloon on their heads. Their hair will stick to the balloon, which is usually fun for the kids to see.

Drop the tinsel bow onto the balloon. Instead of sliding off, it will stick to the balloon.

You might even be able to turn the balloon upside down without the bow falling off.

My kids thought this was the best activity ever. Once you remove the bow, the balloon has to be recharged.

The kids spent nearly half an hour repeating this activity.

It’s even more fun when you do it in the dark because you might see a spark of electricity!

Try rubbing the balloon on different surfaces to see if you get different results!

Share this project with a friend!

Magic Goo! Balloon Static Electricity Experiment

• Kids Activities
• Slime Recipes
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Looking for a really fun and easy science experiment for kids of all ages? You will love making this Magic Goo ! This  Static Electricity Experiment for kids is a fun, hands-on way to explore static electricity for kids . Use Magic Goo Balloon to explore static electricity experiments with preschool, pre-k, kindergarten, first grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade, 5th grade, and 6th grade students.

Are you kids still enthralled by slime? I think most children experienced the slime phase in one way or another, I mean stores were literally out of white glue for weeks. Some children phased out of that while others, like my child, could play with slime all day every day. In my head though, it was time to mix it up. Add a little more science into her play and have a different kind of slime fun. So we experimented with different slimes and static electricity and found this magic goo! Your preschoolers, kindergartners, grade 1, grade 2, grade 3, grade 4, grade 5, and grade 6 students will love this  Static Electricity Experiment . 

Static Electricity Experiment for Kids

All you need for this simple, but amazing  science activity for kids  are a couple common household items:

• vegetable oil
• bowl to mix it in
• filled balloon

Magic Goo Balloon

We tried a few different types of slime and some did not work. We tried to encourage movement with static electricity and it just would not work. Nothing moved, except our eyes with anticipation. But then, a play on ooblek worked! Ooblek is cornstarch and water. The concoction that when hard you can break it with a hammer but when lifted up it can ooze through your fingers. Pure magic. I didn’t think anything could beat that, but I was wrong. We mixed corn starch with oil. Vegetable oil to be exact and WOW!

Static Electricity Experiments

We mixed one part vegetable oil, to 1 part cornstarch. You may have to play with the ratio slightly, but it should make a goo, but not watery. It should have some movement but just a tad bit. When it was ready to go, we put it on a cookie sheet. I blew up a balloon and my daughter rubbed it on her hair. This is my favorite way to create static electricity. Another way to describe static electricity to kids is when they get shocked. If someone walks by and barely touches them and a SPARK is felt. No not the I’m in love spark, but the static electricity spark.

Static Electricity for Kids

After she had built up quite a bit of static electricity by rubbing the balloon on her hair, we held the balloon next to the goo. LOOK! Can you see how it’s spiking up towards the balloon? The static electricity is pulling the goo towards the balloon. That is pure magic! Science is SO cool! So the reason this happens is the cornstarch has a positive charge, while the balloon (charged by rubbing on her hair) has a negative charge. The positive charge is attracted to the negative charge and they want to be together. How cool is that??

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• Hands-on Newton’s cradle project , DIY draw bot for kids to make, LOTS of Life Cycles for Kids and 10 fun science experiments

Beth Gorden

Beth Gorden is the creative multi-tasking creator of 123 Homeschool 4 Me. As a busy homeschooling mother of six, she strives to create hands-on learning activities and worksheets that kids will love to make learning FUN! She has created over 1 million pages of printables to help teach kids ABCs, science, English grammar, history, math, and so much more! Beth is also the creator of 2 additional sites with even more educational activities and FREE printables – www.kindergartenworksheetsandgames.com and www.preschoolplayandlearn.com. Beth studied at the University of Northwestern where she got a double major to make her effective at teaching children while making education FUN!

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Free Worksheets

Social studies.

• EASY Static Electricity Balloon Experiment

Everyone knows that rubbing a balloon on your hair or on the carpet will create a static electricity charge, but how can you show kids that it is actually there? Kids may have a hard time understanding something that they can’t see. Although we used a red balloon and valentines day glitter to make this static electricity balloon experiment a valentines day science experiment , this  static balloon experiment can be used any time. This is such a fun Valentines Day activity for toddler, preschool, pre-k, kindergarten, first grade, 2nd grade, and 3rd grade students too. 

Static electricity balloon experiment

This Valentine’s Day Balloon Experiment is the perfect way to help children understand and visualize static electricity. You’ve probably tried use the static charge on a balloon to make your hair stand up, but now with this  static electricity balloon experiment you can SHOW kids static electricity a different way. This simple  Valentine’s Day science is perfect for toddlers, preschoolers, kindergartners, grade 1, grade 2, and grade 3 students too. Whether you use this as a  valentines day theme idea or at some other time as an easy science project for kids, this is sure to be a hit. 

Whether you are a parent, teacher, or homeschooler you will love this  Valentine science experiments  with kids at home or in the classroom.

Valentines Science Experiments

To set up this Valentine’s Day Balloon Experiment, you only need two simple materials that you probably already have on hand. Plus it is such a super simple procedure it is a snap to prep! Grab the following materials:

• Glitter, we used two colors

Valentines Day Activity

Set this up first by blowing up the balloon. We chose pink, because the store didn’t have red and we were doing this with a Valentine’s Day theme. Any color of balloon will suffice, though. Pour glitter on a surface. We chose a paper plate for easy clean up, but anything will work.  You can use any glitter you have on hand; we used two different colors of glitter to see if the weight of the glitter made a difference. The red pieces were a bit thicker and chunkier than the silver, which was a fine grain of glitter.

Valentines Day Science

Rub the balloon on your hair or on the carpet. We did both and they worked about the same. Once there is static on the balloon, put it near the glitter. At first, don’t touch the balloon to the glitter. You will see the glitter literally jump to the balloon from the plate. It was the coolest thing. When the static started to decrease, we put the balloon closer to the plate and eventually touched the balloon to the glitter. In all levels, the glitter connected with the balloon. It was as if we literally painted glitter onto the balloon. When we were done, I asked my daughter to tap the balloon to see what happened. It disrupted the electric charge and the glitter fell. That was a mess I wasn’t necessarily prepared to clean up, but I should have known. It wasn’t that bad, honestly.

Valentines day activity for kindergarten

This activity is the perfect way to harness the static electricity into one place that will turn the electricity, that is normally not seen, into a visual example. Although kids learn best through exploring cause and effect and making observations at this age, try having them walk through the scientific method for kids as you perform the kindergarten science experiment. So what happened, rubbing the balloon onto your hair or floor adds electrons to the balloon and causes the balloon to become negatively charged. Opposite charges attract so the glitter will be attracted to the charged balloon.

Valentines Day Activities for Kindergartners

• Practice counting to 20 and tracing numbers as you prepare the mail in this Valentines Day Math
• Count and Trace Valentines Day Worksheets with conversation hearts
• Cute Find the Letter Valentine’s Day Worksheets with alphabet candy in the cookie jars
• Valentine’s Day ABC Hole PunchingActivity – kids will strengthen hand muscles while working on letter recognition
• Pencil Valentine Printable – super cute free printable “looking sharp” Valentine for kids
• Valentines Day I Spy Printable – this is a fun valentiens day activity that also works on counting and visual discrimination at the same time
• Color by Hundreds Chart Valentines Day Worksheets
• Valentine sight word coloring pages – kids will have fun reading and gaining fluency with key sight words while revealing these mystery pictures
• Rhyming Valentines cut and paste printables – these heart workshets are a fun way for kids to practice identifying rhyming words
• Sneak in some fun writing practice with these Febraury Writing Prompts Calendar
• Valentines Day Math Clip Cards – practice counting numbers 11-20 with these cute, low prep clip cards
• Our kids favorite tradition! Print out these Valentines Day Printables and leave love notes for each other to read on February 14th!
• Valentiens Day Symmetry for Kids – kids will have fun learning about symmetry with these drawing prompts.
• ABC Valentines Day Worksheets – kids will have fun learning new vocabulary and practicing tracing upper and lowercase letters as they make their very own alphabet book.
• Valentines Day Color by Odd and Even Numbers Worksheets
• Color by Hundreds Chart Happy valentine’s day mouse activities

• Valentine’s Day Math Craft – students will have fun practicing addition and subtraction within 10 while making this super cute cut and paste math craft
• Valentines Day Color by Number – students will reveal hidden pictures as they color by number and work on number recognition
• Snap Cube Valentines Day Worksheets   – with two levels of difficulty these cards help kids practice using logic and spatial reasoning
• Dancing Hearts Science Experiment is a fun and simple science experiment that will delight kids of all ages!
• Roses are Red Poem Rhyming Puzzles – Valentines rhymes for kids
• Valentines Alphabet Activity – students will have fun getting valentines ready to “mail” while matching upper and lowercase letters while working on phonemic awareness and beginning sounds.
• Super cute Valentines Day Activity sorting mail by parts of speach!
• Practice spelling with this fun, engaging and FREE Printable Valentine’s Day Spelling Activity
• A-Z Valentine’s Day Worksheets   is fun for kids to practice making capital letters using conversation hearts!
• Free Valentine’s day math worksheets – kindergartners will have fun practicing numbers to 100 while they reveal hidden images with these Valentines Day coloring pages
• CVC Words Valentines Day Worksheets – students will have fun practicing the sounds letters make while building CVC words with alphabet conversation hearts
• Chocolate Shape Valentine Playdough Mats – kids will have fun practicing forming shapes with these chocolate shape playdough mats.
• Lock and Key valentine matching game printable – kids will have fun working on color recognition with this fun, Valentine’s Day matching game
• Alphabet Valentines Day Worksheets – with a free printable alphabet worksheet for each letter from A to Z, help kids work on letter recognition while decorating these heart cookies
• Practice a variety of math and literacy skills with these Free Valentine’s Day Worksheets !

• Love Potion – Valentines Day Science
• Tic-Tac-Toe Printable Valentine Cards
• Conversation Heart Ooblek – FUN Valentines Day Activity for Kids
• Salt Painting Valentines Day Activity
• EASY Skittles Valentines Day Science Activities
• Happy Slime-tines – Free Printable Valentines Day Cards
• Practice shapes with this hands-on Valentines Day STEM Activities
• Fizzy Heart Science Project – Valentines Day Activities for Kids
• Add some Valentines Day Science with this super cool and EASY Dancing Hearts Experiment
• Try these FUN Valentine Science Experiments for kids of all ages
• Salt crystal hearts Science Experiment perfect for February

• Plus don’t miss these fun Valentines Books to cuddle up and read this February
• Heart Fish Craft for Valentines Day – kids will have fun cutting and pasting lots of hearts to make this adorable fish craft
• Fingerprint Hearth Tree Valentines Day Craft is super cute and such a precious keepsake craft
• Bear treat cup Valentines Day Craft   is cute and practical too
• Red Hot Valentines Slime is so pretty and fun to play with!
• Try this EASY Chocolate playdough recipe to make your creations look like valentines day candy!
• Beautiful Valentines Art Projects – Matisse Style heart craft for kids
• Super cute Heart Mobile Valentines Day Craft for Preschoolers
• Cactus valentine craft – this is such a fun cut and paste Valentines Day Craft for kids
• 30 February Crafts for Kids – so many fun, clever crafts to fill the whole month of February
• Don’t miss these fun February activities for kids

Science for Kids

Looking for lots more fun, science experiments for kids? You’ve GOT to try some of these outrageously fun science experiments for kids! We have so many fun, creative and easy science experiments for elementary age children:

• 100 Amazing Food science experiments for kids – arranged by type of science
• Colorful Capillary action science experiment (also known as walking water)
• Amaze kids with these 12 Hands on Science experiments with batteries
• 24 Epic Solar system science project s to try this week
• Fun Water balloon science experiment that explores density
• 50 Fun Preschool science experiments the whole family will want to try
• Red White and Blue Science Project
• Salt Crystal Hearts
• Egg Density Experiment
• Simple Galaxy science project
• Easy and Fun Dancing Raisins Experiment
• Learn about weather as you find how to make a weather vane
• Eye opening Eye science experiments
• Fizzing Christmas Science Experiment
• Easy-to- make Air pressure science project
• Amazing POP rocks science experiment is one of our all-time favorite science experiments we like to do during the summer are
• Stunning Chromatography Flowers are so pretty you’ll forget it was as science project!
• How to Make a Lava Lamp – super easy and SO cool!
• 30 Simple machines science project s kids will want to try
• Easy, fascinating, and colorful project answering Why do Leaves Change Color Experiment

Balloon Craft Ideas

Looking for more fun ways to play with balloons this summer?

• 25+ Water Balloon Games for Kids
• Drop & Paint – Water Balloon Painting Activity
• Roll & Paint – Outrageously FUN Balloon Painting Activity for Kids
• Balloon Paint Art Project for Toddlers and Preschoolers
• Learning the Notes on a Staff with a FUN Music Activity for Kids
• Balloon Matching Shapes Worksheets – Kindergarten Math Activity
• Water Balloon Experiment for FUN summer science
• Educational Balloon Games
• FUN Lego Ballon Car that is simple to make
• Epic Ideas for Water Balloon Painting
• Pop Rocks Balloon Experiment

Beth Gorden is the creative multi-tasking creator of Kindergarten Worksheets and Games. As a busy mother of six, she strives to create hands-on learning activities and worksheets that kids will love to make learning FUN! Browse through more than 200,000 pages of FREE worksheets & educational activities for kindergartners! Plus don't miss her other sites www.123homeschool4me.com and www.preschoolplayandlearn.com

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Static Electricity with Balloons: Creating Static Charges

Static electricity is a fascinating phenomenon that involves the buildup of electric charges on the surface of objects. In this experiment, you will use balloons to create static electricity by rubbing them against various materials. This simple activity helps children understand how static charges are generated and how they can interact with other objects.

Materials needed for this science experiment:

• Balloons (latex or rubber)
• Different materials (wool cloth, hair, paper, plastic, etc.)
• Hair or woolen sweater
• Small pieces of paper or confetti (optional, for visual effects)

1. Inflate the Balloons: Begin by inflating the balloons. Tie a knot to seal the balloons, but don’t overinflate them.

2. Choose Different Materials: Gather a variety of materials for rubbing against the balloons. These can include a wool cloth, your own hair, a plastic pen, a piece of paper, or even a woolen sweater.

3. Rub Balloons Against Materials: Take one balloon and rub it against a material of your choice. You can do this by holding the balloon and briskly rubbing it back and forth against the surface of the material. Do this for about 15-20 seconds.

4. Observe the Balloon: After rubbing, hold the balloon near small pieces of paper or confetti. You should see the paper being attracted to the balloon. This is because the balloon has acquired a static charge, which is pulling the paper towards it.

5. Try Different Materials: Repeat the rubbing process with different materials and observe the effects. You may notice that some materials transfer more static charge to the balloon than others.

6. Explore Interactions: Hold the charged balloon near objects or surfaces and observe how they react. For example, try bringing the balloon close to your hair or a wall. You might see your hair stand on end or the balloon sticking to the wall.

7. Create “Static Art”: You can also experiment with sticking small pieces of paper or confetti to the charged balloon, creating a temporary “static art” display.

8. Neutralizing Charges: To neutralize the balloon’s charge, simply touch it to a grounded object, such as a metal doorknob or a faucet. The charge will be transferred, and the balloon won’t have its static effect anymore.

9. Recharging Balloons: If the effect diminishes after a while, you can rub the balloon against the material again to recharge it with static electricity.

10. Safety Note: While this experiment is safe and fun, be cautious when rubbing balloons near your hair, as excessive rubbing can sometimes lead to tangling or tugging. Also, avoid rubbing balloons against delicate surfaces or materials that might get damaged.

By rubbing balloons against different materials, you’re generating an imbalance of electric charges, resulting in the buildup of static electricity. This experiment helps children experience the captivating effects of static charges and provides an opportunity to discuss the science behind them.

More Science Experiments

Explore similar educational resources that improve a variety of skills and cultivate a love for learning.

Rainbow Fireworks in a Jar Experiment: Creating Colorful Liquid Layers

Soda and Mentos Geyser Experiment: Creating a Fizzy Explosion

Color Changing Lemonade Experiment: Create a pH indicator

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• Demonstrations
• Home Experiments

Balloons and Static Electricity

• by Joe Crowley
• in Home Experiments
• on January 4, 2021

Contributed by Sabrina Brickner

Introduction

• How does charge work? Can we really see how electrons work without fancy science tools?
• Someone with hair on their head
• A working faucet
• An empty metal can
• Blow up a balloon.
• Rub it on your head.
• Watch what happens to the balloon and your hair.
• Turn on your sink and put the balloon close to the water without letting the balloon touch the water.
• Watch what happens to the stream of water. 
• Try moving the balloon around a little bit (without touching the water) and see what happens.
• Get an empty metal can and lie it on a hard surface (like the floor or a kitchen counter) such that it can roll. 
• Put the balloon close to the can without touching them together.
• Slowly move the balloon away from the can and see what happens.

Physics Concepts and Questions

How does this work?

Static electricity arises from an electrical charge imbalance. In this experiment, when we rub the balloon against our hair, we transfer negative charge to the balloon in the form of electrons. This means that the balloon is now negatively charged, and our hair is positively charged. When we put the balloon by our hair, they attract because they are oppositely charged. This same idea of opposites attracting applies to the water coming out of the faucet, and the empty metal can. 

How can the water be positively charged if we haven’t done anything to it like we did in the case of rubbing the balloon on our hair which makes our hair positively charged?

When water comes out of the faucet it is neutral, meaning that it has positive and negative charges in it. However, when we bring the balloon close to the water, some of the negative charge is repelled away into other parts of the water (the top and bottom of the stream), leaving the middle of the stream of water (by the balloon) positively charged. Since this part of the water is positively charged, and the balloon is negatively charged, they attract.

What about the metal can? Can electrons really travel through metal like they travel through water?

Yes they can! The same thing happens here! Some of the positive charge in the can goes to the other side of the can, leaving the side facing the balloon positively charged. Thus the balloon and the can attract. 

Conclusions and Further Investigations

• If you rub the balloon on your head 2 times, does it bend the water more, less, or about the same as rubbing the balloon on your head 10 times?
• Does the temperature of the water make a difference?

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more in Experiments

Roll a can with static electricity, you will need.

* An empty soda can * blown-up balloon * A head of hair

1. Place the can on its side on a flat smooth surface like a table or a smooth floor.

2. Rub the blown up balloon back and forth through your hair really fast.

3. Now the fun part – Hold the balloon close to the can without actually touching the can. The can will start to roll towards the balloon without you even touching it!

Try This Too: While you’ve got the balloon out, tear up part of a tissue into tiny pieces about 1/4 inch (.5 cm) big. Rub the balloon in your hair again and bring it close to the tissue pieces. They will be attracted to the balloon and then jump away.

How does it work?

This works a lot like our bending water experiment. When you rub the balloon through your hair, invisible electrons (with a negative charge) build up on the surface of the balloon. This is called static electricity, which means “non-moving electricity” The electrons have the power to pull very light objects (with a positive charge) toward them – like the soda can.

MAKE IT AN EXPERIMENT

The project above is a DEMONSTRATION. To make it a true experiment, you can try to answer these questions:

1. Does the size of the balloon change the power of the pull?

2. Does the length of the persons hair effect the power of the static electricity?

3. How much water can you put in the can until the balloon can’t pull it anymore?

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Jumping Frogs – a static electricity experiment

May 2, 2019 By Emma Vanstone 12 Comments

Have you ever had a static shock from a shopping trolley or an escalator? The shock is because of static electricity, which can cause materials to attract or repel each other.

How does static electricity work?

Static electricity is what makes your hair stand on end when you rub a balloon on it. Static electricity occurs when an atom gains or loses an electron.

What is an atom?

All materials are made of atoms.

Atoms contain tiny particles called protons, neutrons and electrons (subatomic particles ). Protons and neutrons are found in the nucleus of an atom. Electrons orbit the nucleus but occasionally break away.

Balloons and some other objects, like a fluffy jumper, can steal electrons from other surfaces. The extra electrons give the balloon a negative charge, which attracts other objects, like the tissue paper we use in this activity.

A fun way to demonstrate static electricity is by making jumping frogs.

Static Electricity Experiment – Jumping Frogs

Paper, cut into shapes. We used sugar paper, but tissue paper would also work brilliantly.

Woolly jumper or hair

Cut up your different types of paper into frog shapes ( or anything else you want to make jump )

Blow up your balloon and rub it on your jumper or hair. Hold above the frogs and watch them jump up.

How does this static electricity experiment work?

Rubbing the balloon on your jumper or hair charges it with static electricity. This attracts the tissue paper frogs, making them jump up to the balloon. They will stick until the charge wears off.

Make it an investigation

Experiment with different types of paper for the frogs.

Design an investigation to record how long the frogs stick to the balloon and if they stick for longer if the balloon is rubbed on hair for longer.

Investigate whether smaller frogs stick for longer than bigger ones.

Try other shapes and themes, like our jumping leaves for Autumn.

Science Kiddo uses static electricity to separate salt and pepper .

Inspiration Laboratories also has a very cool ghost static electricity activity .

Amazon.com Widgets

Last Updated on October 13, 2023 by Emma Vanstone

Safety Notice

Science Sparks ( Wild Sparks Enterprises Ltd ) are not liable for the actions of activity of any person who uses the information in this resource or in any of the suggested further resources. Science Sparks assume no liability with regard to injuries or damage to property that may occur as a result of using the information and carrying out the practical activities contained in this resource or in any of the suggested further resources.

These activities are designed to be carried out by children working with a parent, guardian or other appropriate adult. The adult involved is fully responsible for ensuring that the activities are carried out safely.

Reader Interactions

January 02, 2014 at 3:03 pm

Jumping frogs are such a fun way to learn about static electricity! Love it!

January 06, 2014 at 7:57 pm

Love this and the frogs are a great idea! Have pinned for future science fun with the boy! Thanks so much for sharing with the pin it party!

January 08, 2014 at 1:44 pm

Gosh I love the explanations! Fascinating for the kids

January 08, 2014 at 1:48 pm

This looks so fun and educational at the same time, may have to make time to try this with my kids

January 08, 2014 at 2:20 pm

Totally gonna do this! It looks like so much fun. Pinned it!

January 08, 2014 at 10:23 pm

Yeah static balloons! Takes me back to childhood !

January 09, 2014 at 6:28 am

Isaac has suddenly taken to science and is full of question after question. I am definitely going to do this with him and have joined your G+ community xx

January 09, 2014 at 11:23 am

Brilliant idea! I can imagine my kids squealing with excitement over this one. Will definitely give it a go.

January 09, 2014 at 9:37 pm

Another fab but simple idea. We have balloons in the cupboard – but am crap at drawing so the boys will have to do that bit. Can’t tell you how many times I think of this blog and your book and your ideas. I WANT to get that shopping basket organized and WILL X

January 12, 2014 at 7:23 pm

oh i remember doing a similar thing with my plastic ruler and pieces of paper in school. thanks for sharing #pinitparty and featured in tomorrow post x

January 13, 2014 at 6:42 pm

Greetings from across the pond! Just wondering, would sugar paper be construction paper in Canada – a heavy kid-friendly paper?

January 20, 2014 at 3:47 am

I love this static electricity activity! Pinned to my science for kids board!

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Power a Light with Static Electricity - Use static electricity to light up a fluorescent light bulb.

Posted by Admin / in Energy & Electricity Experiments

Static electricity can provide enough power to light up a light bulb. If you have ever experienced a little zap from static electricity, this amount of energy is capable of powering a fluorescent light bulb for a short time.

Materials Needed

• Fluorescent light bulb

EXPERIMENT STEPS

Step 1: Blow up a balloon and tie off the end.

Step 2: Rub the balloon vigorously against the hair on your head.

Step 3: Go into a dark room.

Step 4: Touch the balloon against the two metal electrode prongs on the bottom of the fluorescent light bulb.

Step 5: Watch what happens when the static electricity discharges from the surface of the balloon into the fluorescent light bulb.

Step 6: Repeat rubbing the balloon to add more static electricity to the surface of the balloon. If careful, the balloon can be held against the light bulb as it is rubbed against hair. As the balloon surface builds up enough static electricity it will discharge into the light bulb frequently, resulting in light.

SCIENCE LEARNED

Extra electrons from the hair transfer to an area on the surface of the balloon giving it a negative charge. The majority of the surface of the balloon still has a neutral charge. If the balloon is rubbed for longer, more of the surface will build up a negative charge.

The fluorescent light bulb acts as an electrical circuit, allowing the electricity to discharge from the surface of the balloon into the light circuit. Inside the fluorescent bulb the electrons travel through the light tube they bump against mercury gas electrons. Eventually this causes the mercury gas electrons to release photons which is the source of the light. The light only occurs until all of the static electricity charge from the surface of the balloon where the light bulb electrode prongs are touching is used up. If you move the prongs to another area of the balloon surface you will see another light up in the bulb if there are still negative charged electrons there.

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Static Electricity Experiments For Kids

Ever noticed how when you rub a balloon against your hair, it sticks to the wall? That’s static electricity in action! Learn more about this fun science concept with simple static electricity experiments, and everyday examples of static electricity. Enjoy hands-on physics experiments for kids!

Explore Static Electricity For Physics

Static electricity happens when tiny particles called electrons build up on an object, making it either positively or negatively charged.

When these charged objects get near each other, they can do some pretty cool things, like making your hair stand on end or attracting small things, like pieces of paper or confetti.

So, static electricity is all about the invisible forces that make objects stick together or repel each other, and it’s a fun and fascinating part of science that you can explore with simple static electricity experiments below.

💡For more ways to explore physics with kids, check out our list of easy physics experiments .

Examples of Static Electricity

Here are some everyday examples of static electricity that you can explain to kids. These examples help kids understand that static electricity is all around us, and it can be both fun and surprising when we see it in action. It’s like a little bit of science magic happening every day!

• Balloon on the Wall: When you rub a balloon against your hair and then stick it to the wall, it’s static electricity at work. The balloon becomes negatively charged from the friction, and it sticks to the wall, which has a different charge.
• Walking on Carpet: Sometimes, when you walk on a carpet with socks, you may feel a shock when you touch a metal doorknob. This happens because you build up a charge by rubbing against the carpet, and when you touch the doorknob, the charge flows and gives you a little shock.
• Socks and Jumping Beans: Sometimes, when you take off your socks after walking on a carpet, they might attract small items like jumping beans or bits of paper. The socks get charged as you walk, making them attract other small objects.
• Static Cling in the Dryer: When you take clothes out of the dryer, they might sometimes stick together or to the sides of the drum. This happens because of static electricity from the friction of the clothes rubbing against each other.
• Balloons Stick Together: If you rub two balloons against your hair and then bring them close together, they might stick to each other. This is because the like charges (both negatively charged) on the balloons repel each other.
• Crackling Sounds in the Winter: In cold, dry weather, you might hear crackling sounds when you touch things or take off your winter hat. That’s static electricity being discharged.
• Lightning: Explain how lightning during a thunderstorm is a massive example of static electricity in nature. It happens when negative charges build up in the clouds and discharge as a bright bolt of lightning to the ground.
• Petting a Cat or Dog: Sometimes, when you pet your cat or dog, you might feel a little shock when you touch their fur. It’s because of static electricity from friction between their fur and your hand.

Here are some simple and fun examples of static electricity experiments and demonstrations that are great for learning at home or in the classroom.

Rolling Can Static Electricity

The rolling can experiment provides a tangible demonstration of static electricity’s captivating nature! Grab a balloon and an aluminum can to get started.

Bending Water

Can you bend a stream of water with static electricity? It’s an easy and fun science demonstration for people of various ages to try.

Static Electricity with Balloons

Rub a balloon against your hair or a piece of wool cloth, and then place it near small pieces of paper. The paper should be attracted to the balloon, demonstrating the effect of static electricity. What happens when you use different types of cloth?

We’ve tested lightweight paper, tissue paper, and tinsel! What else can you test?

Static Electricity with a Plastic Straw

Rub a plastic straw with a piece of cloth or fur and then use it to pick up small pieces of paper or confetti. The static charge on the straw will make the paper pieces stick to it.

Static Electricity with a Plastic Bag

Inflate a plastic bag and rub it against your hair or a piece of fabric. Hold the bag near a wall, which should stick to the wall due to the static charge.

Static Electricity with a Balloon and Salt and Pepper

Rub a balloon against your hair and then bring it to a plate of salt and pepper. The salt and pepper will be attracted to the balloon, demonstrating the power of static electricity.

Static Electricity with a Comb and Water

Run a comb through your hair and bring it near a thin stream of water. The water will be attracted to the comb and bend towards it.

Check out the experiment details further below!

Static Electricity with Cornstarch Goop

Make electric goop ! Mix up a batch of cornstarch oobleck and test out the power of static electricity with a balloon.

What Is Static Electricity?

Think of tiny invisible particles called electrons as little magnets. Everything around us, like your hair, a balloon, or even a piece of cloth, is made up of these particles. Learn more about electrons here.

Sometimes, when two things rub against each other, like when you rub a balloon against your hair, the electrons can get all jumbled up and move from one thing to the other.

When this happens, one thing gets extra electrons, and the other thing loses some. The one with extra electrons becomes negatively charged, like a minus sign, and the one that lost some becomes positively charged, like a plus sign.

These opposite charges make things stick together or repel each other, like magnets with opposite ends.

So, when you rub the balloon on your hair, it’s taking some of your hair’s electrons, making the balloon negatively charged.

That’s why the balloon can stick to the wall or make your hair stand up—all because of those jumbled-up electrons creating static electricity. It’s like a tiny invisible magic show happening all around us!

Also Try: Static Electricity Butterfly

Make it fly! Harness the power of static electricity.

• Lightweight Paper/Tissue Paper
• Tape and Scissors

Instructions:

STEP 1: Cut out a butterfly shape from lightweight paper or tissue paper,

STEP 2: Attach a small piece of tape to its center and affix it to a straw.

STEP 3: Generate static electricity by rubbing a balloon against the fabric. Hold the charged balloon near the butterfly.

STEP 4: Observe as the butterfly flutters toward the balloon drawn by invisible forces!

Try This Static Electricity Experiment with a Comb

This comb and water static electricity experiment is a fun way to demonstrate the principles of static electricity to kids.

• A plastic comb (the type with fine teeth works well)
• A running faucet or a source of water
• A small piece of dry paper or a small piece of tissue
• A piece of dry cloth or wool (a piece of wool fabric or a wool sweater works great)

STEP 1. Take the dry comb and rub it vigorously against the dry cloth or wool for about 20-30 seconds. This rubbing creates a buildup of static electricity on the comb.

TIP: If the comb is not dry, be sure to dry it with a paper towel or cloth so that it’s completely free of water.

STEP 2. Have a running faucet nearby or fill a small sink with a shallow layer of water.

STEP 3. Now, while still holding the comb, bring it near the running faucet or the water surface without actually touching the water.

You should see that the water stream bends toward the comb, as if the comb is magically attracting the water.

TIP: You can also try this with a small piece of tissue instead of running water. When you bring the charged comb close to the tissue, you’ll notice that it’s attracted to the comb.

What is happening?

When you rub the comb against the cloth or wool, it picks up extra electrons and becomes negatively charged. The water or tissue has a positive charge.

Opposite charges attract, so the negatively charged comb attracts the positively charged water or tissue. This is a simple demonstration of the principles of static electricity.

Make sure to explain this concept to the kids while conducting the experiment, and encourage them to try it themselves. It’s a great way to make science fun and interactive for children.

Helpful Science Resources To Use

Here are a few resources that will help you introduce science more effectively to your kiddos or students and feel confident yourself when presenting materials. You’ll find helpful free printables throughout.

• Best Science Practices (as it relates to the scientific method)
• Science Vocabulary
• 8 Science Books for Kids
• All About Scientists
• Science Supplies List
• Science Tools for Kids
• Join us in the Club

More Physical Science Activities To Explore

• Gravity Experiments
• Magnet Activities
• Simple Machine Projects
• Potential & Kinetic Energy
• Light Experiments
• Surface Tension Experiments

Science Experiments By Age Group

We’ve put together a few separate resources for different age groups, but remember that many experiments will cross over and can be re-tried at several different age levels. Younger kiddos can enjoy the simplicity and hands-on fun. At the same time, you can talk back and forth about what is happening.

As kiddos get older, they can bring more complexity to the experiments, including using the scientific method , developing hypotheses, exploring variables , creating different tests, and writing conclusions from analyzing data.

• Science for Toddlers
• Science for Preschoolers
• Science for Kindergarten
• Elementary Science by Season
• Science for 1st Grade
• Science for 2nd Grade
• Science for 3rd Grade
• Science for 4th Grade
• Science for 6th Grade
• Science for Middle School

Printable Science Projects For Kids

If you’re looking to grab all of our printable science projects in one convenient place plus exclusive worksheets and bonuses like a STEAM Project pack, our Science Project Pack is what you need! Over 300+ Pages!

• 90+ classic science activities  with journal pages, supply lists, set up and process, and science information.  NEW! Activity-specific observation pages!
• Best science practices posters  and our original science method process folders for extra alternatives!
• Be a Collector activities pack  introduces kids to the world of making collections through the eyes of a scientist. What will they collect first?
• Know the Words Science vocabulary pack  includes flashcards, crosswords, and word searches that illuminate keywords in the experiments!
• My science journal writing prompts  explore what it means to be a scientist!!
• Bonus STEAM Project Pack:  Art meets science with doable projects!
• Bonus Quick Grab Packs for Biology, Earth Science, Chemistry, and Physics

Subscribe to receive a free 5-Day STEM Challenge Guide

~ projects to try now ~.

STEM for Kids

Empowering the next generation of innovators!

3 Static Electricity Experiments with Aluminum Foil

Static electricity is an interesting phenomenon that is easy to observe and experiment with. One simple way to explore static electricity is by using aluminum foil. In this article, we’ll go over some fun and educational static electricity experiments that you can do with aluminum foil.

There are plenty of fun ways to play with static electricity and it’s pretty safe to use. This makes it perfect for even small children to learn about.

Attractive Foil

With this experiment, you’ll make the comb irresistible to the foil. It’s easy!

• Aluminum foil
• A plastic comb
• A piece of wool fabric
• A sheet of paper
• Cut a small piece of aluminum foil and lay it on a flat surface.
• Run the plastic comb through your hair a few times to build up a static charge.
• Hold the comb close to the aluminum foil without touching it. You should see the aluminum foil start to move toward the comb.

Explanation: The static charge on the comb induces a charge on the aluminum foil, causing it to move toward the comb. This is an example of static electricity at work.

Static Electricity from Wool Fabric

Did you know that wool can generate static electricity? If you have an old wool sweater lying around or a pair of wool gloves, give this experiment a try.

• Rub the wool fabric vigorously against the aluminum foil for about 30 seconds.
• Hold the aluminum foil close to a sheet of paper without touching it. You should see the aluminum foil attract the paper toward it.

Explanation: When the wool fabric is rubbed against the aluminum foil, it transfers electrons to the foil, creating a static charge. The charged aluminum foil then attracts the neutral paper, causing it to move toward the foil.

Static Electricity from a Balloon

One of the most common experiments to do with static is to use a balloon. However, this one uses the balloon to draw in the aluminum foil.

• Blow up a balloon and tie it off.
• Rub the balloon vigorously against your hair or a wool fabric for about 30 seconds.
• Hold the balloon close to the aluminum foil without touching it. You should see the aluminum foil move toward the balloon.

Explanation: When the balloon is rubbed against your hair or a piece of wool fabric, it picks up electrons and becomes negatively charged. The charged balloon then induces a positive charge on the aluminum foil, causing it to move toward the balloon.

Static electricity experiments with aluminum foil are a fun and educational way to learn about the principles of static electricity. By experimenting with different materials and observing the effects of static charges, you can gain a deeper understanding of this fascinating phenomenon. So the next time you’re looking for a fun and engaging science activity, try some of these aluminum foil static electricity experiments!

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