| Being without power due to a storm gave us the | | | | the coils. |
| opportunity to explain electricity to our | | | | 3. Wrap the cord around the compass. |
| four-year-old daughter who was quite confused | | | | 4. Connect the two ends of the wire. |
| and angry when the lights and TV did not work. | | | | 5. Move the magnet in and out of the coils. |
| So I read Switch On, Switch Off by Melvin | | | | Results: You will see the needle of the compass |
| Berger, a really great book that describes | | | | move in response to the electricity flowing |
| electricity, how it works, how to create it, and | | | | through the wire. The magnet is creating |
| how it travels through our neighborhoods and | | | | electricity by forcing the electrons in the wire to |
| homes. | | | | move from one atom to another. |
| Reading about electricity and magnetism with my | | | | Experiment #2 |
| children, I learned a few things about electricity | | | | Materials: |
| myself. I already knew that breaking a circuit | | | | Battery |
| would end the flow of electricity, but what I did | | | | Strip of Tin Foil |
| not know was how the electricity was created in | | | | Circuit wire |
| the first place. | | | | Strong, horseshoe magnet |
| This science story book shows how magnets are | | | | Steps: |
| used to move the electrons inside the circuit, and | | | | 1. Connect the wire and the tin foil together. |
| this is how electricity is created. A power plant | | | | 2. Close the circuit by adding the battery. |
| uses large magnets to generate power, and we | | | | 3. Put the horseshoe magnet over the tin foil strip. |
| can do this on a small scale with a small wire and | | | | Results: The tin foil will bend in response to the |
| a hand-held magnet. | | | | magnet reacting to the electricity passing through |
| Here are a few experiments and resources to | | | | the tin foil. |
| help get you started learning about electricity and | | | | You can continue to explore magnetism with |
| magnetism. | | | | these books and materials: |
| CAUTION: For safety reasons, all electrical | | | | Experiment Kits |
| experiments should be performed with a battery | | | | You can buy magnet or electricity kits at a toy |
| rather than an electrical outlet. A battery will | | | | store or teacher store. We found one at an art |
| provide only a small amount of electricity. Also, all | | | | store, and it made a great Christmas gift for the |
| experiments should be performed with an adult. | | | | family. Kids of all ages love to explore with |
| Experiment #1 | | | | magnets, and even after learning all the lessons |
| Materials: | | | | on magnets, the children still love to play with |
| Circuit Wire | | | | them. |
| Bar Magnet | | | | What makes a Magnet? by Franklyn M. Branley. |
| Compass | | | | This illustrated science story book not only tells |
| Steps: | | | | you how magnets work but why. The pictures |
| 1. Wrap the cord around your hand a few times. | | | | and descriptions make it easy for even young |
| 2. Carefully remove your hand without disturbing | | | | children to understand. |