Scare your family with a dancing ghost, a creepy spider or a flappy bat! By using static electricity you can bring your Halloween creations to life.
What you need:
- Cardboard
- Glue
- Tissue paper
- Scissors
- Coloured pens
- Googly eyes (optional)
- Balloon
Use the scissors to cut a square of cardboard. This is the base that we will attach our static electricity creatures to.
What to do:
Draw your creature on the tissue paper and cut it out with the scissors.
Cut out a body for the creature from cardboard. Decorate and colour-in your creature body.
Sandwich the tissue paper in between the cardboard base and the cardboard body. Glue the creature body onto the cardboard base, be careful not to completely glue the tissue paper down as well!
Blow up a balloon and tie it off. Rub the balloon onto your hair, your carpet, or a woollen jumper.
Hold the balloon on top of the creature, close but not touching it. Watch the tissue paper move about as you raise and lower the balloon.
What’s going on?
When we rub the balloon onto our hair and clothes, the balloon starts to build up a static charge. This static charge is caused by a build-up of electrons jumping from our clothes/hair onto the balloon.
The balloon is now negatively charged, as it has more electrons than most other things around it. The negative charge of the balloon attracts other positively charged things, like the tissue paper, or your hairs.
Over time, the balloon will lose its extra electrons and need to be “re-charged” by rubbing it again on your hair or clothes.
We would love to see your creations! You can share your photos with us on social media, or by emailing motat.fun@motat.org.nz.
