Free PDFGrade 2 · Science · 30 min
Catch the ghosts
Use a rubbed balloon to make paper ghosts fly.
I can tell how rubbing a balloon makes static electricity.
A science experiment video with a free worksheet and answer key for teachers
About the video
In the video a balloon rubbed on hair makes small paper ghosts jump up from the table. At home your child cuts out 5 tissue paper ghosts, counts how many jump with an unrubbed balloon, then after 10 rubs and after 20 rubs.
Rubbing moves tiny charges from the hair to the balloon, and this extra charge is called static electricity. The charged balloon pulls on light things like tissue paper, and it works best on dry days because the charge leaks away in damp air.
What your child learns
- Describe how rubbing a balloon makes static electricity
- Count and compare results from three tries
- Sort light and heavy things by whether a balloon lifts them
What's on the worksheet
- 1Predict first
- 2Count the ghosts
- 3What did you see?
- 4The science behind it
- 5Match the words
- 6True or false
- 7Will it jump up?
- 8Ghost maths
- 9Draw what happened
You need
1 balloon blown up to about 20 cm wide, 1 sheet of white tissue paper, scissors, 1 pencil, clean dry hair (or a wool jumper) and a table.
Safety
If the balloon pops, an adult throws away all the pieces. Small children must never put balloon pieces in their mouth.
Tip for the adult
If no ghosts jump, check that the hair is clean and dry and the ghosts are cut from thin tissue paper, not normal printer paper.
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