5 activities to spark your child’s interest in physics

Often seen during thunderstorms and hot summer nights, lightning is a natural wonder that captivates both young and old. Lightning bolts are sudden discharges of electricity caused by a buildup of opposite charges. Here’s what you and your child will need to safely recreate this phenomenon indoors:

• A metal plate
• Wooden clothespins
• A piece of wool clothing
• A key

Set your child up in a dark room and ask them to do the following:

• Clip the two clothespins to the edge of the plate (they should be very close together)
• Hold the plate by the two clothespins so that you’re not touching it with your hand
• Take the wool garment and rub it vigorously against the plate
• Put down the garment
• Take the key and gradually bring it closer to the plate
• Watch and listen

Static electricity, which refers to the phenomena of electricity at rest, can travel within a substance and jump from one substance to another. It’s precisely this characteristic that will allow your child to move an aluminum can without even touching it. To perform this experiment, you’ll need the following materials:

• A clean, empty aluminum can
• A rubber party balloon

Ask your child to do the following:

• Inflate the balloon
• Place the can on its side on a flat surface (e.g., a countertop or table)
• Rub the balloon on their hair
• Slowly bring the balloon close to the can
• See what happens

Sound is a vibration that our ears can detect and that can travel through many materials. To help your child understand this phenomenon, show them how to make a telephone using these simple materials:

• 2 clean, empty aluminum cans
• A 5 m piece of string

Here’s what they’ll need to do:

• Pierce a hole in the bottom of each can using a small nail and a hammer
• Thread one end of the string through one of the cans and tie several knots
• Repeat this step with the other end of the string and the other can
• With your child holding one of the cans and you holding the other, move apart until the string is taut

See what happens when one of you talks into a can while the other person holds theirs up to their ear

Is it possible to bend water using only static electricity? The following experiment will allow your child to answer that question:

• Grab a plastic ruler and a wool sweater, and then slowly turn on the kitchen faucet until you have a thin stream of cold water
• Vigorously rub the ruler against the wool sweater
• Slowly bring the ruler toward the water
• See what happens

To go one step further, try changing certain variables to see how they affect the outcome:

• Use a stronger stream of water
• Increase the water temperature
• Rub the ruler more forcefully or more gently against the sweater
• Etc.

The magnetic field around magnets is what allows magnetic forces (attraction and repulsion) to act at a distance. You can observe this phenomenon using two magnets. Ask your child to write down their observations as they carry out the following experiments:

• Bring the magnets close together
• Put a piece of paper between the magnets
• Use the magnets to move metal utensils
• See what objects the magnets stick to
• Etc.