Materials
balloons
empty soda can
wool item, such as a sock, scarf, or a sweater
Instructions
* Ben Franklin's birthday is January 17th.
1. Blow up the balloons and tie a knot in them. Give one to each child.
2. Encourage the children to rub their balloons on a wool item until they
hear faint crackling.
3. Place an empty soda can on its side on a flat surface.
4. Hold the balloon near, but not touching, the can. The can will begin to
roll quickly toward the balloon, as if pushed by an invisible hand!
More to do Science: Do the following activities with a charged balloon:
* Sprinkle salt in one dish and pepper in another dish. Hold the charged
balloon over each one to see which jumps up and sticks to the surface
of the balloon.
* Tear a tissue into small pieces and hold the charged balloon over
the pieces.
* Hold the charged balloon near a running faucet. The thinner the
stream of water, the better the effect.
