Activity 8: Electric circuit run

Category: Electricity

Target group: Children from 4 to 6 years in kindergarten

Goal: Recognize and experience that electricity flows through electrical conductors.

Where: Group area, researcher’s laboratory, a room apart

Time: approx. 40 minutes

What: Manufacture an electric circuit run by using a battery

Preparation: Material: Bell wire, battery (voltage suitable for the bulb),light bulb, bulb base, two letter clips, stripping pliers, screwdriver, cardboard, paper clip.

Steps: The children sit in a dark room, the nursery school teacher asks the

children to switch the light on and asks them to think about why

the lamp (light bulb) shines. The children utter their assumptions.

The nursery school teacher puts the materials needed for the electric circuit run on the table.

She asks the children to think about whether they can make the light bulb shine with the help of the materials. The children experiment with the help of the nursery school teacher, until they have discovered the electric circuit run.

Instruction: First, one removes the isolation at the end of three bell wires with the help of the stripping pliers. Their ends are turned together firmly (this procedure can be prepared by the

nursery school teacher).

The bulb is turned into the bulb base. A 3x5 cm piece cut from the cardboard will be used as a switch.

Now, one fastens a wire end to a battery pole, the stripped end must touch the battery pole. The other end of the wire is screwed to the bulb base.

One end of the second wire is screwed to the other side of the bulb base, the other

wire end is wound around a paper clip, which is pressed through the

cardboard switch.

One end of the third wire is fastened to the second battery pole, the other end is once again wound around a paper clip. Before the paper clip is pressed into the cardboard, another clip is put underneath. The clip serves as switch. "The electric circuit run works!"

Electric circuit run:

Scientific explanation: An electric current only flows when it can

move from on pole of the battery (the negative) to the other pole (the positive). Electricity consists of tiny particles, called electrons: The battery sets them in motion, as soon as the electric circuit run is closed.

By the way: All metals conduct electric currents.

Possible variation: For the switchboard you can also use a wooden plate and thumbtacks. Instead of the paper clips, different "non- conductive materials" can be placed at the children’s disposal.

Note: Interesting examples that show the application of electric circuits (building an electric beetle or a lighthouse, lighting of a doll's house) can be found in the literature indicated below.

Quelle:

Ardley, Neil: Spannende Experimente aus Natur und Technik, Bindlach 1998

Cash, Terry u. Taylor, Barbara: Elektrizität – Experimente, Tricks und Tips