Static Strangeness!

The last couple of sessions for the year six electricity unit, were based around exploring static electricity and then applying their new knowledge to construct a simple torch using a limited amount of equipment.
For the static electricity investigations, the classroom was set up into seven different stations.  At each station, the boys had to do an activity using static charge and then answer a couple of questions or draw a quick sketch of what they saw happening.  Activities included getting a can to roll without touching it, making paper jump around on it's own, bending water, moving tin foil on its own as well as a couple of different experiments using balloons.

The boys had lots of fun creating and playing with static electricity.  It was great to see many of them beginning to think like scientists and beginning to understand the basic concepts of atoms, electrons and protons and the charge that they carry.  Well done Year Six!

In the last session, the boys were paired up and each given a couple of wires, 2 batteries, a bulb, some tin foil, a piece of card and a roll of tape.  Using the knowledge they had learned from the previous lessons, they had to construct a simple torch that they could turn off and on.