Carrots Are Orange

Montessori Parenting & Learning

  • Montessori
    • Principles
    • Curriculum
      • Geography
      • History
      • Language
      • Life Science
        • Botany
        • Zoology
      • Math
      • Peace
      • Practical Life
      • Sensorial
    • Classroom
    • Theory
    • Materials
    • Courses
    • Printables
  • Activities
    • Art
    • Fall
    • Montessori
    • Outdoor
    • Science
    • Summer
    • Fine Motor
  • Parenting
    • Montessori Toys
    • Montessori At Home
    • Mindfulness
    • Social & Emotional Learning
    • Special Needs
      • Anxiety In Kids
      • Gifted Children
      • Executive Functioning
      • Sensory Processing Disorder
  • Printables
  • Resources
    • Book Lists
    • Gift Guides
    • Montessori Materials
    • Montessori Toys
  • Newsletter
  • About
    • Contact
Home » Activities » Science » Electricity Experiments with Kids: Super Easy Science Experiments

Electricity Experiments with Kids: Super Easy Science Experiments

This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure .

Electricity experiments are the perfect ones for budding scientists, which is pretty much every child, so curious about the world and how “things” work. You know we’re a bit science obsessed as seen with our Friction experiment and Balloon Rocket.

The activity is ideally suited for kindergarten and up but can be adjusted to work with a slightly younger child and certainly an older child. My 3.5-year-old is definitely intrigued but my 5-year-old “got it”.

Here is a wonderful activity to add to your arsenal of electricity experiments with kids.

Electricity Experiments with Kids

Electricity Science Experiment with Preschoolers

Scroll Down Below for a Free Printable to Use with this Activity

What is Electricity?

Well, let’s start with an electric charge. Think about it like this: all matter is made up of atoms. Atoms are either positively charged protons, negatively charged electrons, or neutrons, which carry no charge at all. If an object is charged, it either attracts or repels (pulls or pushes) on other charged objects. Like charged objects repel and opposite charged objects attract. The behavior of an object that has been charged is dependent upon whether the object is made of a conductive or a nonconductive material.

Conductors are materials that permit electrons to flow freely from particle to particle. An object made of a conducting material will permit charge to be transferred across the entire surface of the object. On the other hands, insulators are materials that prevent the free flow of electrons from atom to atom and molecule to molecule. If the charge is transferred to an insulator at a given location, the excess charge will remain at the initial location of charging.

Related Post: Easy Science Activity for Kids: Make an Awesome Pulley with Kids!

Battery Electricity Experiment

The purpose of this activity is to test materials to understand what materials conduct or resist or “insulate” electric current.

Materials Electricity Activity

Electricity Experiment Materials

  • Battery
  • Small Bulb
  • Aluminum Foil (folded lengthwise and “rolled” up)
  • Tray or table for workspace
  • Objects to test such as a key, an eraser, a coin, a nail, a piece of chalk, a piece of wood, and a candle. Older children can test materials such as aluminum, copper, nickel, and tin.
  • Paper and Pencil to record results
  • Conductor and Insulator Sorting Worksheet

This science activity introduces physics to young learners with an activity about electricity. Learn electricity with kids by testing it! Kids love this activity!

Electricity Experiment Approach

  • Gather battery and bulb (I used an old flashlight bulb and battery)
  • Seek out materials and objects to test (I found many useful testers around my home)
  • Play on tray or workspace
  • Present to your child
  • Explain the activity in detail and words appropriate to the child’s developmental stage
  • Point to the battery, the bulb, and the foil
  • Ask the child to roll the foil
  • Point to the bowl of objects (for younger students)/materials (for older students) and talk about conductivity and insulation
  • Test objects by placing the object between the battery and the bulb, then touching the foil to the base of the bulb. The bulb should light up (or not).
  • Encourage children to take notes about the objects/materials and their observation

Electricity Observation Sheets

Further Science Learning

  • Preschool or kindergarten, sort the objects/materials into conductors or insulators
  • For elementary, make a graph of weakest to strongest conductors (since conductivity is a matter of degree)
  • Ask questions about the materials that insulated best, or did not insulate well
  • Brainstorm a list of objects or materials that might conduct (or insulate).
  • Roll the foil for the great fine motor work
  • Hold the object or material as you test with the foil (or vice versa)
  • Ask the child ahead of time what objects he believes may conduct electricity, and why
  • Assess the child’s learning by testing a clothespin (or another object with both insulator and conductor attributes). Is it a conductor or an insulator? Which parts of the clothespin will light the bulb?

Pin for later!

Learn easy electricity experiments with kids

Check out these other science experiments:

  • Fruit Electricity with a Lemon Clock
  • Ridiculously Easy Friction Science Experiment Your Kids Will Love
  • Exploring the Science of Sound
  • Baking Soda and Vinegar Experiment with Balloons


Tagged With: Elementary, Kindergarten, Physics, Preschool

About Marnie Craycroft

Marnie hails from Maine where she spent summers buried in sand and winters buried in snow. She is the daughter of a nearly four decade veteran of the public school systems. Teaching has always been a part of her life. She founded Carrots Are Orange in 2010.

Carrots Are Orange is a Montessori learning and living website for parents and teachers.

Marnie graduated from Wesleyan University in 1999 with a BA in Economics. She spent nearly a decade working in investment management. In 2006, she earned her MA in business from the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business.

Marnie moved to the west coast in 1999 and currently lives in Boulder with her husband and three sons. She is Montessori trained. Her work has been featured on Apartment Therapy, Buzzfeed, PBS Kids, BabyCenter, the Melissa & Doug blog, Huffington Post, and WhattoExpect.com. Besides writing, passions include running (usually after her three sons), photography, and outdoor adventures.

« Art Activities with Bubbles – Painting Activity with Kids
Ideas for Montessori Homeschool Curriculum Planning »

Comments

  1. Dbo says

    August 16, 2020 at 7:45 pm

    Your instructions on how to do the experiment were rough at best. You literally never explained where the battery goes…

    Reply
    • Marnie Craycroft says

      August 17, 2020 at 11:17 am

      I apologize – here is the part of the post that references the battery.

      “Test objects by placing the object between the battery and the bulb, then touching the foil to the base of the bulb. The bulb should light up (or not).”

      Reply
      • Courtney says

        September 13, 2020 at 7:16 pm

        This clarification doesn’t really clarify anything. Can you please post a picture of how the circuit should look? Thank you! From a desperate first-time homeschooling mom. :)

        Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Recent Posts

  • Resist Painting – Toddler & Preschool Activity
  • [2020] Montessori Black Friday Deals
  • [2020] The BEST Gift for 8 to 12 Year Olds
  • Teaching Kids Compassion – Pay It Forward
  • The Best Board Games for Kids, Homeschoolers, and Families

Copyright © 2021 Carrots Are Orange · Disclosure & Copyright · Site by Design by Insight

  • 60