Posted by : Karen Thursday, March 01, 2012

This workshop was inspired by a friend of Braveheart's, who, when asked what he would have liked to have learnt about as a kid, answered "Electricity!" And the seed was sown, and then much fun and ensuing 'wonder' took place!

We began by talking about inventions and inventors, and what they might like to possibly invent themselves. It was interesting to help many of the kids see that in many ways they are all actually all inventors in various ways - writing new stories, building traps, creating new pancakes!

Around our house I had stuck up small pictures of inventors with their inventions. Each child then got a sheet with only the inventors on it, and using their skills of deduction they had to figure out who invented what!

Benjamin Franklin is wearing bifocal glasses in this little picture. The Franklin headshot on the sheet of paper has him without glasses - so in essence, through "spot the difference" the kids figured them all out!

Then I spoke to them about electricity - what it was, Thomas Edison (a great man and awesome character study!). We talked about atoms and electrons - and here they are playing a game where they are holding cards showing a positive charge in one hand and a negative charge in the other. If they found a similar charge, they had to run away from each other, and if they found the opposite charge, they had to link arms and turn around! I shouted "Show your cards!" at various intervals - and I'm glad I demarcated the bricks as a limited space else they might have been running around the garden!


Then we looked at static electricity - rub a spoon on your head, and then see what happens when you hold it over a plate of slat and pepper! This caused such wonder, I was simply amused! They loved it. We also used small bits of paper.




After a break, we had more fun - this time with current electricity - I had found this inpsirational site about squishy circuits for kids (no need to use soldering irons :)). Did you know that if you make a play dough with sugar instead of salt it will act as an insulating dough?







They had so much fun, they took all their lights into our playroom which can become pitch black and using various Lego pieces made glow in the dark cities!


King Arthur didn't stop using his all day - in fact, he even used some sticky stuff (think here you call it prestick?) to make a one eyed alien with a friend afterwards!


Wonderful wonder!

One Response so far.

  1. Jenni C's says:

    it looks like a lot of fun...i am going to try this with my little ones..no correction..i am going to ask dad to do this seeing as it is his field of expertise..
    thanx for the inspiration..

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