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Cub Scout Adventures >

Bear >

Dancing Foil

Bear – 3rd Grade

Super Science

Elective

Requirement 1

Dancing Foil

Bear – 3rd Grade

Super Science

Elective

Requirement 1

Dancing Foil

Snapshot of Activity

Foil reaction to static electricity.

Indoor

If you want to know more about The Adventure Activity Key click here.

Supply List

Directions

Before the meeting:

Familiarize yourself with the experiment by watching this YouTube video, “Dancing Foil.”
Gather supplies.
Ask Cub Scouts to bring a wool hat with them to the meeting.
Set up meeting space with room to conduct experiment.

During the meeting:

Explain to Cub Scouts that they will be conducting an experiment on static electricity. Everything around us is made up of very small things called atoms. Those atoms are made up of even smaller things, including protons and electrons. Protons have a positive charge, and electrons have a negative charge. Each atom usually has the same number of protons and electrons, but if two atoms bump into each other, electrons from one atom can get rubbed off onto the other atom.
Hand out supplies to Cub Scouts.
Conduct the experiment:
- Take the sheet of aluminum foil and tear it into small pieces. Roll each piece into a tiny ball, no bigger than a pea.
- Place the balls inside the empty water bottle and twist the cap back on.
- Blow up your balloon and tie the end.
- Cub Scout rub their balloon onto the wool hat for 30 seconds.
- Hold the bottle in one hand. In the other hand, wave their balloon underneath the bottle and watch the foil balls dance around!
- Do not touch the bottle with the balloon.
Lead a discussion with Cub Scouts:
- What made the foil balls dance around?