ZAP! Electricity!

HANDS-ON ELECTRICITY

	David Glover’s Batteries, Bulbs, and Wires (Kingfisher, 2002), illustrated with colorful drawings and photographs, is a short (31 pages) overview of magnetism and electricity with simple hands-on projects, among them lighting up a light bulb with a simple circuit. For ages 5-9.
	Doug Stillinger’s Battery Science: Making Widgets That Work and Gadgets That Go (Klutz, 2003) is a catchily designed collection of electrical projects, with such names as Nervous Noodler, Lie Detector, Bugzilla, Swamp Boat, and Amazing Submergible. Included along with the book is a kit of useful dohickeys, among them a battery, propeller, light bulb, wire, and alligator clips. For ages 8 and up.
	TOPScience has two terrific informational activity books on electricity, respectively targeted at grades 3-8 and 8-12. Illustrated instructions are presented in the form of panel cartoons; detailed lesson notes are included. The TOPS program is noted for doing substantive science experiments with very simple equipment – here, for example, think aluminum foil, paper clips, and clothespins. Sample activities from the Electricity modules include experimenting with series and parallel circuits, making electrical puzzles, building a fuse, and exploding a balloon with electricity. The modules are available as softcover books or downloadable e-books.
	From the San Francisco Exploratorium, Science Snacks About Electricity is a collection of short simple experiments (“snacks”) with electricity and magnetism, among them making a Leyden jar, an electrical (static, that is) flea circus, a hand battery, a magnetic pendulum, and an electric motor.
	With Ken Murphy’s Blinkybug Kit (Chronicle Books, 2010), kids can make their own (blinking) electronic insects. The kit includes all necessary materials and a comic-book-style instruction book. For ages 8 and up.
	Squishy Circuits uses conductive and insulating play dough to light up LEDS, activate buzzers, and spin motors. For ages 7 and up.
	Snap Circuits kits contain easy snap-together components that kids can use to build electric circuits and operate working models of various devices, such as a flashing light and howling siren. For ages 8-15.
	From TeachEngineering, Put a Spark in It! is a multi-part electricity unit targeted at grades 3-5. Included are activities and printable worksheets.
	More homemade flashlights! How to Build a Flashlight has a materials list, instructions, and a video guide.
	Electric Switches is a lesson plan for ages 8-11 in which kids learn how switches work, build electric circuits with switches, and draw basic wiring diagrams. Included at the website are downloadable worksheets with background info, diagrams, and instructions.
	Electric Circuits is a lesson plan for grades 3-8 in which kids model and build electric circuits, draw circuit diagrams, and test the conductivity of a range of materials.
	Make a Circuit Board has step-by-step instructions for making a circuit board – a great way to demonstrate simple electrical circuits for kids.
	All Science Fair Projects: Electricity has a list of projects based on electricity and magnetism, among them building a magnetic linear accelerator (which looks fun), testing different combinations of metals in galvanic cells, and experimenting with number of wire coils in electromagnets.
	At Electricity and Electronics Science Fair Project Ideas, the projects are categorized by level of difficulty (Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced).
	Make a battery with a lemon!
	Find out how to light a light bulb with (red-dyed) salt water – a.k.a. The Bloody Current experiment.
	Learn how to make a cool electric pinwheel.
	NeoK12: Electricity has interactive quizzes, games and puzzles, and many short videos on electricity. Titles of the latter include “Electricity and Circuits,” “Voltage and Current,” and “Introduction to Generating Electricity.”
	Circuit Breaker is an interactive game in which players try to make a light bulb light up.

THE FUN OF TAKING THINGS APART

Find out for yourself what makes things go. Disassembling stuff – formally known as “reverse engineering” – is a terrific hands-on learning experience; and almost any yard sale is an inexpensive source of raw material.

	From TeachEngineering, Engineering in Reverse! is a hands-on activity targeted at grades 5-8 in which kids disassemble a push-toy, draw diagrams showing how it works, and suggest improvements.
	For helpful safety tips and instructions on taking old appliances apart, see the Instructables’ How to Take Things Apart Without Killing Yourself.
	From Kids Building Things, Taking Things Apart has basic instructions, suggestions for machines to disassemble (and where to find them), and a recommended tool list.
	Thomas Thwaites’s The Toaster Project (Princeton Architectural Press, 2011) is the story of Thwaites’s struggle to build a toaster from scratch. First step was to deconstruct a toaster – a process any curious kid can relate to – and then to reproduce it, a process which took nine months and a lot of research and ingenuity. A fascinating read for teenagers and adults, after which you’ll never take an appliance for granted again.