Electricity / Magnetism (continued)

We have covered quite a bit on electricity and magnetism. We discussed that everything is made of atoms. The air we breathe, the book we read,the floor under our feet, even our own body are made of atoms!Atoms are very very small.The tiny parts of the atom are called electrons. Electrons circle around the nucleus or center of the atom!Every electron carries a tiny amount of electrical energy called a charge.There are two types of electrical charges- positive and negative. Electrons have a negative charge and that protons carry a positive charge.To make electricity we need energy. Energy is found in many of earth's natural resources:- water, wind, coal ,gas.Wind , sun , water are all renewable energy, we can use it over and over again. Where as coal and oil can be used up . They are nonrenewable energy.We watched couple of Bill Nye videos on magnets and electricity. And came to know that electricity flows to every electronic device on a looping path called a circuit.Electricity has a special relationship with magnets.Magnetism can make electricity.We did couple of experiments with a compass and a balloon and discovered static electricity!The children had a wonderful time.They thoroughly enjoyed learning about Thomas A. Edison and how curious he was as a little boy.Here are some pictures.... enjoy....