Move a butterfly's wings with static electricity!
Provided by Nancy Jones, James F. Bay Elementary
As with all static electricity demonstrations this works best when the weather is cold outdoors and warm and dry inside.
You will have to consider your students' fine motor skills and success in following directions when planning this lesson. You may prefer that the students make these models in pairs or groups. Or, you may choose to make a single model for the whole class to see and share in learning centers.
Materials:
Procedure:
1. Cut out the butterfly out of tissue paper and only glue the BODY (not the wings) inside the box on the bottom.
2. Trace the box onto the sheet and allow an inch so that it overlaps the area of the box an inch on each side. Cover the box with the sheet and tape the sheet down fairly tightly.
3. Take another piece of tissue paper and rub it back and forth on an area of the sheet and the butterfly's wings will start to flap!
Conclusions:
Have students speculate what causes the wings to move. Generalize how other forms of power move objects.
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