Making lightning
When you think of thunderstorms, you think of light and sound: thunder and lightning. Can you make lightning yourself?
Get started
Step 1
Inflate the balloon and tie a knot in it. Go to a dark room.
Step 2
Rub the balloon over your hair or a woollen jumper.
Step 3
Slowly bring the spoon closer and closer to the balloon until it touches it. Can you see a flash of lightning between the spoon and the balloon?
Tip: It must be really dark to see the flash! Cover all cracks that let light in and make sure you cover any small (LED) lights in the room with a cloth. Can you hear crackling, but don't see any flashes of lightning? Then it's not dark enough yet!
What did you discover?
Have you ever received a shock from a banister or door handle? Then you were statically charged! This happens especially in dry weather.
If you rub a balloon over your hair or jumper, the balloon will also become charged. You can tell this is happening because it attracts pieces of paper, for example. If you hold a metal spoon near the balloon, the charge will jump over in one go. In the dark, you can even see a small spark, which looks like a mini lightning bolt!
