Exploratorium

Exploratorium - Static Electricity
flat =Proposal=


 * Demo 1:** Positive and Negative Charges
 * Materials:** Cardboard
 * Instructions:** Cut a big piece of cardboard in a particular way. The two pieces should fit together and one will be the positive charge and the other will be the negative charge.


 * Demo 2:** Balloons
 * Materials:** Balloons, String, Wool cloth
 * Instructions:** I will show an example of positive and negative charges in action with this simple balloon demo. Each kid will blow up to balloons, attach a string to each one, and then decorate them. I will then have each of them charge a balloon and I will show them different ways to have the balloons attract and repel certain things. If both are given a charge, the balloons will repel. When one is given a charge, the balloon will attract to the child's face.
 * Website:** http://www.mos.org/sln/toe/admirer.html


 * Demo 3:** Static Tubes
 * Materials:** Clear plastic tube with end caps and styrofoam peas
 * Instructions:** Rub the plastic tube with wool or something else to give it a negative charge. The peas will cling to the plastic and then leap away. When you put your finger close to the tube, the finger will repel the peas and chase them around.
 * Website:** http://www.mos.org/sln/toe/statictubes.html


 * Demo 4**: Static Electricity Stick
 * Materials:** 2 Wonder Fly Static Generator Sticks
 * Instructions:** I will show the kids the wonder of this amazing stick and explain to them the physics behind it. They will then all get the opportunity to try this amazing demo!
 * Website:** http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/product/wonder-fly-stick

=Physics Explanations= ===For 2nd Graders ... you are making some headway, but I want you to script this. Anticipate their answers. Think about how you will get them to participate/engage in the content, not just the activity. ===


 * Demo 1 - Charges:** So this demo basically explains what negative and positive charges are. There is a piece of cardboard labeled positive and one labeled negative. This is going to be as simple as possible. When the two pieces fit into place, they are called an atom, a very tiny object that everything is made of. When they are split apart, one of the pieces is positive and one of the pieces is negative. The only way that they can be complete is if there is one negative and one positive. Don't they want to be complete? Yes, that's why opposites attract. If there are two of the same charge, they don't fit with one another. This is why they repel.


 * Demo 2 - Balloons:** Each kid is going to blow up two balloons and we will help them close it and attach a string to it. They will get to decorate their own faces on each balloon. What they are gonna do is rub it against their hair, gaining negative charges. If they hold both balloons close together by the string, the balloons will repel because likes repel. They can then have a friend hold the charged balloon up to their faces and watch the balloon be attracted to their face. This is because the negatively charged balloon is attracted to the positive charges on one's face.


 * Demo 3 - Static Tube:**


 * Demo 4 - Electricity Stick**: Press the button on the Wonder Fly Stick for a few seconds to generate a negative static charge. Drop the stencil shape onto the stick to quickly transfer the negative charge to the stencil. The stick's negative charges create an electric field around the stick, which is negatively charged. This repels the negative stencil and makes it float.

=Trifold Poster=

Remember, we are explaining this to second graders, so we want as little words as possible and as many pictures as possible. Add the pictures that I sent to you guys along with other random pictures you find on the web that has something to do with static electricity. After reading this, you should get a good sense of what I am trying to convey to these kids. Don't use many words, which might be hard, but remember that we will be explaining the trifold to them. Sorry I don't have the third demo done, I didn't have enough time this physics period and I was at orientation the past two days. Look at the other trifolds, which I think you have seen and just take some of their ideas. Good luck and just make it look nice, then we'll get a good grade. Thanks guys

=Script=

Hey Guys! What's going on?!?!?! Today we are gonna learn about static electricity! Yay! Who's up for some good ol physics phun? I know I am! So everything that you will learn with me will have to do with the atom and charged particles. Can anyway tell me something about the atom? (All that really needs to be said here is that the atom is made of positive and negative charges because this is the basis of static electricity) Well yeah, the atom is made of positive and negative charges. Here's a simple picture of the atom. There is one positive charge and one negative charge. As you can see here, the charges are combined together to make a whole atom. Can anybody tell me what is up when an atom has both a positive and negative charge? Yes Johnny! The atom is neutral, meaning basically that it is not positive or negative. But let's see what happens when they split apart. Now we are left with one negative charge and one positive charge. Take a look! They fit together perfectly! I can piece together a positive and negative charge to make a whole atom. But look at when I combine two positive charges or two negative charges. They don't fit together. That's because they don't combine to make a whole atom. Weird and crazy stuff! So do you guys think that a positive wants to be with a negative? Yeah, I think so too! They are attracted to each other. Positives want to be with negatives and negatives want to be with positives. Crazy!! But do positives want to be with other positives and do negatives want to be with other negatives? No, of course not! They repel. Explain what repel and attract mean. Opposites attract and likes repel!!! You want to see this happening in action? Wow, you are such great physics students!!! I'm glad you all want to get involved. Ok so everyone take two balloons and blow them up. Then use these markers to draw a smiley face on them. Then we will all ties strings to the ends. My lovely assistants are here to help. So let's take a look at one balloon right now. Everyone rub it against their hair! What you guys are doing is taking negative charges away from your hair and putting them onto the balloon. Now put them near your hair! Wow!!! Your hair is sticking up? Does anybody know why it is doing that? Yes, Richie, you are right!! The positive charges in your hair are attracted to the negative charges on the balloon so they are going closer to each other! Wow! Now rub again and have a friend hold the balloon next to your face! Your face is attracted to you!!! The negative charges are moving closer to the positive charges on your face. Good stuff! Next let's charge up your second balloon! After you have done that, hold the two balloons by the strings next to each other. What do you think will happen? What do you notice? Do you guys know why? Yes, Alex! The negative charges are pushing away from each other! Hahaha it's great stuff kiddos! Now let's take a look at another example of this crazy concept. This is called a static tube and is really cool. Here is a clear plastic tube filled with styrofoam fun! What I am going to do is rub it against my hair. What does this do again? Good, gives the tube negative charges. This gives pellets a positive charge. Remember that the negative charges were attracted to our positively charged face? Well now the pellets are repelled by our positively charged fingers, so look at how they move. Everyone can try it! Yipee! Now for the grand finale. Get ready and please hold back your excitement. Molly and Rachel, please bring out the fun fly wonderstick! Wow!!! Yipee!!! So here it is the fun fly wonderstick thingy majiggy! So let me explain this a bit before we get into the FUN! What this stick does is run negative charges through the entire thing. This creates an electric field around the stick. Can anyone tell me what an electric field is? Yes, Scotty, you're right! An electric field basically is an area around charges that has an electric force. So electric field can move things without even touching them! Wowzers. I'm gonna show you how this works. So the negative charges in the stick creates an electric field surrounding it. What should positive charges do? Attract! What should negative charges do? Repel! Well take a look at this thing. It is negatively charged. Watch what happens! Whoooooaaaaaaa. Awesome. Craziness. Oooooo. Aaaaahhhhh. Interesting. Incredible. Ridiculous. A+ work! You're the best! Thanks for teaching us all about physics Sam!