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    Explore Electricity!: With 25 Great Projects
    Explore Electricity!: With 25 Great Projects
    Explore Electricity!: With 25 Great Projects
    Ebook153 pages2 hours

    Explore Electricity!: With 25 Great Projects

    By Carmella Van Vleet and Bryan Stone

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    About this ebook

    Given the pace of how we harness and utilize electricity, as well as the importance of developing new sources of energy, electricity is a timely subject for kids to explore. In Explore Electricity! With 25 Great Projects, kids ages 6-9 will learn the basics of electricity: currents, circuits, power, magnetism and electromagnetism, motors and generators. They'll become more attuned to how much they rely on electricity in their daily lives. They'll also understand that while electricity is a wonderful resource, and one we've used to our advantage ever since it was discovered, the future of how we make and use electricity is still changing and there are things they can do today to impact these changes.

    This title invites kids to experiment on their own with 25 simple projects that will "spark" their learning and enthusiasm, including making their own clothespin switch, lemon battery, compass, electromagnet, and flashlight, as well as generating their own "lightning." These hands-on activities combined with informational text will excite kids about STEM? the interrelated fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherNomad Press
    Release dateJan 7, 2014
    ISBN9781619301825
    Explore Electricity!: With 25 Great Projects

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      Book preview

      Explore Electricity! - Carmella Van Vleet

      Newest titles in the Explore Your World! Series

      Nomad Press

      A division of Nomad Communications

      10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

      Copyright © 2013 by Nomad Press. All rights reserved.

      No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review or for limited educational use. The trademark Nomad Press and the Nomad Press logo are trademarks of Nomad Communications, Inc.

      August 2013

      ISBN: 978-1-619-30182-5

      Illustrations by Bryan Stone

      Educational Consultant, Marla Conn

      Questions regarding the ordering of this book should be addressed to Independent Publishers Group

      814 N. Franklin St.

      Chicago, IL 60610

      www.ipgbook.com

      Nomad Press

      2456 Christian St.

      White River Junction, VT 05001

      www.nomadpress.net

      CONTENTS

      TIMELINE

      INTRODUCTION

      Let’s Explore Electricity

      CHAPTER 1

      Static Electricity

      CHAPTER 2

      Currents

      CHAPTER 3

      Circuits

      CHAPTER 4

      Electromagnetism

      CHAPTER 5

      Motors and Generators

      CHAPTER 6

      Earth–Friendly Electricity

      Glossary

      Resources

      Index

      For my nieces and nephews and my little buddy Sebastian—who light up the world.

      Let’s Explore Electricity

      What is the first thing you did when you woke up this morning? You probably turned on a light or went to the kitchen for breakfast. Maybe someone made you pancakes on the stove or toast in the toaster. Did you watch television or listen to music or use a computer? All of these things required electricity.

      Electricity is a kind of natural energy. Some people think Thomas Edison or Benjamin Franklin invented it. But nobody really invented electricity. It’s been around since the earth was formed.

      WORDS TO KNOW

      electricity: a form of energy caused by the movement of tiny particles. It provides power for lights, appliances, video games, and many other electric devices.

      energy: the ability to do things, to work.

      WORDS TO KNOW

      BCE: put after a date, BCE stands for Before the Common Era and counts down to zero. BCE is a non-religious term that means the same thing as BC.

      amber: a piece of fossilized tree sap or resin.

      static electricity: the buildup of an electric charge on the surface of an object.

      CE: put after a date, CE stands for Common Era and counts up from zero. CE is a non-religious term that means the same thing as AD.

      Thousands of years ago people knew about electricity because they could see it in action. But they didn’t understand it.

      For example, the ancient Greek scientist Thales of Miletus lived from 625 to 547 BCE. He knew that if you rub a piece of amber with wool or fur it attracts lightweight objects like feathers and dust.

      Maybe you have seen something similar happen when you rub a balloon on your head. The balloon will stick on the wall without falling. Today we call this static electricity. The ancient Greeks had no name for it.

      Pliny the Elder (23–79 CE), an ancient Greek scientist, knew that being shocked by an electric catfish could help numb a person’s pain. Later on, many scientists around the world studied electricity and how it works. But it’s only been in the last few hundred years that we’ve learned how to make the power of electricity useful to us.

      DID YOU KNOW?

      The word electricity comes from the ancient Greek word elektron. This was the Greek word for amber.

      Today our modern-day lives depend on electricity. A lot! Think about the last time you lost power at your home. It was probably hard to live without lights and the phone and the computer. Did you have to cook on a grill outside instead of on the stove or in your microwave? Maybe you used a cell phone to communicate with friends and family. But what happened when the phone lost its charge? No way to make a phone call. That could be very scary if you’re out of power for a while and need some help.

      WORDS TO KNOW

      charge: an amount of stored electricity.

      power: electricity made available to use.

      force: a push or a pull.

      blackout: a loss of power.

      WORDS TO KNOW

      generate: to create something.

      conductor: something that electricity moves through easily, like copper wire.

      insulator: a material that prevents heat, sound, or electricity from passing through it easily.

      circuit: a loop that starts and finishes at the same place.

      motor: a machine that turns electrical energy into motion.

      generator: a device that turns motion into electricity.

      resource: something that people can use.

      electric current: the flow of an electrical charge through a conductor.

      outlet: a device in a wall that an electric cord plugs into.

      appliance: an electrical machine used in the home, such as a toaster or washing machine.

      In this book, you’ll explore what causes electricity and the ways it’s generated, stored, and used. You’ll learn about its power and the role it plays in our lives. You’ll find out what conductors and insulators are, how circuits work, and the difference between a motor and a generator. You’ll also explore how scientists are trying to generate Earth-friendly electricity and energy resources. Along the way, you’ll get to do some fun projects and experiments. So get charged up and

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