Fun science: Electricity

• 5 Stars

Use Philip Harris’ simple circuits to help young children investigate electricity in a safe and fun way

Electricity – children love it but teachers dread its unreliability. However, electricity experiments can be exciting and educational, and can help to teach some common-sense safety ideas. Children get great delight from working with electricity and applying it in a context. But, it’s important to remember a few practical safety facts:

• Electricity from torch batteries is perfectly safe.
• Always use good insulated wire – very thin wire can get warm.
• Match bulbs to batteries (1.5V bulb to 1.5V battery).
• If something doesn’t work, check the connections first. You can only push electricity through conductor materials. These are mostly metals; however, make the push big enough, and water, air and even the human body will conduct electricity – especially when wet. Remember to end each lesson on electricity with a reminder never to play with sockets and plugs.