Make A Static Powered Dancing Ghost
Today we were playing around with some balloons (which we often do when things get slow) and we had an idea to add a Halloween twist to a familiar static experiment. It is really quite a lot of fun and super simple. For this bit of spooky science you will need:
- A piece of tissue paper
- A balloon
- Scissors
- A head of hair
- Spooky Music (optional)
- First cut out a ghost shape in the tissue as shown about 1.5 inches (4 cm) long and add some eyes with a marker. If you are using 2-ply tissues, peel apart the 2 layers to get the tissue as thin as possible. Cut out a few ghosts for more fun and place them on a flat surface.
- Blow up the balloon and tie it. Then rub it really fast through your hair for about 10 seconds. This will add a static charge.
3. Slowly bring the balloon near the ghost, and the ghost will begin to rise toward the balloon. (Our ghost “arms” actually reached toward the balloon as we got it near.) If the balloon is charged enough, the ghost will rise and float right up to the balloon, even when it is several inches away. With a little practice, you can get the ghost to rise, float, and even dance around.
How’s it work?
When you rub the balloon through your hair, invisible electrons (with a negative charge) build up on the surface of the balloon. The electrons have the power to pull very light objects (with a positive charge) toward them – in this case, the tissue ghost!
Try it out and let us know how it goes.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE HALLOWEEN SCIENCE IDEAS.
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Halloween Science Experiments & Ideas!
Need ideas for your Halloween party, or just some all-around Halloween fun? Here’s a few great ideas to get you started.
GLOWING DRINKABLE BEVERAGES
Did you know that tonic water will glow under a blacklight? We didn’t either. The quinine in the tonic water glows a very cool looking blue color that we really like. If you’re not crazy about the taste of tonic water, try making ice cubes using the tonic water and then add them to a glass of Sprite or another light colored citrus drink. Switch on the blacklight and you have the perfect Halloween beverage. After a few minutes the entire drink will start to glow. (see photo)
MAKE SOME HALLOWEEN SLIME
Slime and Halloween go together like, well, slime and Halloween. Here’s 2 ways to add a little slime to your October.
Do it yourself slime - If you’ve got a little glue and some powdered borax, you can easily mix up some slime by following the instructions HERE.
Slime Kits - If you want to make LOTS of slime as an activity, or if you have trouble finding Borax, a kit may be the way to go. We have just the slime kits you are looking for. You can find out more by clicking HERE.
EERIE GREEN PUMPKINS
All your neighbors will have Jack-O-Lanterns that glow orange, but you will impress them with a Jack-O-Lantern that glows green! Best of all, the green glow is simple and safer than traditional candles. Purchase one or two large glowing light-sticks per pumpkin at a party store or hardware store. (We like green, but there are many colors to experiment with) Activate the light stick and simply drop them into the pumpkin, or, to conceal the glow sticks, attach them to the inside of the pumpkin lid by unbending large paperclips to secure them. Place your pumpkin outside on Halloween night and admire the “Oooos” and “Ahhhhs” of Trick-Or-Treaters.
MAKE A HAUNTED, SCREAMING CUP
If you think haunted houses are scary, wait until to hear…haunted drinkware! First, check out our Chicken In A Cup experiment, but instead of pulling along the string in short bursts to sound like a chicken (it really does, trust us) pull in one continuous motion. The result is an eerie screaming cup! The only thing better than than trying the screaming cup yourself, is trying the screaming cup with LOTS of your friends all at once. Parents especially seem to enjoy that. The instructions can be found HERE.
BUBBLING POTIONS AND JARS
Every mad scientist needs some bubbling potions. While dry ice may be the ultimate bubbling potion, the effect tends to be short-lived, and dry ice can be dangerous around younger Halloween party goers. The solution is a simple aquarium pump. Purchase an inexpensive aquarium pump and some tubing at your local pet store along with a line splitter (if you want more than one bubbling potion.) Set up the pump to send bubbles into various large food jars through the tubes. Add some food coloring, plastic bugs or fake body parts, and you’ve got the sights and sounds of a mad scientists lab that will last all night. For added drama, light up the jars from below using flashlights. You can also create floating eyeballs by drawing an iris and pupil onto ping-pong balls with permanent markers. Make a few that will float around by drilling two very small holes in the ping-pong balls and allowing them to fill with water until they sink. For an added glowing blacklight effect add our Glow-Bright Concentrate.
GHOST BUBBLE SPHERE
If you’ve got some dry ice, (available at some grocery stores and most ice companies) why not gather Halloween party-goers and try your hand at making a large dry ice ghost bubble? You will need:
- Medium size bowl with a rim
- Small bowl
- Liquid soap
- 20 inch by 2 inch strip of absorbent cloth (cotton or cheese-cloth work well)
- Dry Ice
Fill each bowl halfway with water. In the small bowl, add a good squirt of liquid soap (we like Dawn Concentrate) and stir it up. Dip the cloth into the soapy water to get it wet. Get the rim of the larger bowl wet with water and add the dry ice . Admire the sights and sounds of bubbling dry ice. Now the tricky part, pull the cloth strip so that it is taught and pass it across the entire rim of the medium bowl to create a soap bubble “skin” over the bowl. It may take several tries. Once you get it, the bubble will expand as gas is released and it will rise to create your own ghost bubble sphere. After the soap gets into the water with the dry ice, you are treated to soap bubbles filled with dry ice mist! CAUTION: Never touch dry ice! It’s -109° F (-78° C) That’s really, really cold.
CLICK HERE for instructions to make a static powered dancing ghost.
THE SCREAMING QUARTER EXPERIMENT
If you have some dry ice from the Ghost Bubble Sphere left over, you might want to try this fun little demonstration. Dry ice is the solid form of carbon dioxide. As it sublimates, (turns back into a gas) the carbon dioxide gas escapes around the quarter causing the quarter to vibrate and make a rather spooky shrill along with occasional humorous sounds. Always wear gloves when performing this demonstration.
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