Science: Electricity #1

We are finally getting around to doing some science experiments. The kids are having so much fun and I have to admit, so am I. Science has never been my thing. I love learning about it but it seems to pass through one ear and out the other. We are using the Intellego Electricity course for grades 3-5 and I am amazed at how much I learned in the first lesson. No wonder I shy away from science so often.

If you aren't familiar with Intellego, they are an excellent curriculum that uses the philosophy of multiple intelligences. They have multiple grade levels, and many different courses. We have used many of their classes and have learned so much every time.

Our first experiment was to illuminate a flashlight bulb using only a battery and a piece of tin foil.

You will need:
1 flashlight bulb
1 D battery
4 x 12 inch piece of tin foil folded to make a 1/2 in. x 12 in. piece


Lay the tin foil down on the table. Set the battery on top of one side of the tin foil. Take the light bulb and touch the metal base to the top of the battery. Bring the other side of tin foil around and also touch it to the light bulb base. The bulb should light up.

It took us a couple of tries to get this right. We did a YouTube search to make sure we weren't doing something wrong. I was worried it wasn't going to work (which is not unusual for science experiments in our house) but then we got a flicker and it was so EXCITING! Merak really enjoyed it and played with it for another 10-15 minutes. Hooray for a successful science experiment.