Spinning Christmas Tree Science Experiments

Kids are going to flip when they make they make their very own spinning christmas tree experiment. Use this  christmas science experiments to help kids learn more about electronics with an easy, fun, and hands-on project perfect for December.  This spinning christmas tree stem combines a Christmas craft and a science for an epic holiday learning activity  for kinderarten, first grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade, 5th grade, 6th grade, 7th grade, and 8th grade students.

spinning christmas tree experiment

Get ready for a holiday adventure that combines creativity with science! Kids are going to flip when they make their very own spinning Christmas tree experiment. This exciting project isn’t just about crafting; it’s a unique opportunity for young minds to dive into the fascinating world of electronics while celebrating the festive season.

This Christmas science experiment is perfect for students from kindergarten all the way through eighth grade. With easy-to-follow steps, kids can create a spinning tree that adds a magical touch to their holiday decor. As they build, they’ll learn about basic circuitry and the mechanics of motion, all while crafting something they can proudly display.

Imagine the joy on their faces as they watch their beautifully decorated trees whirl around! Not only does this project encourage hands-on learning, but it also sparks creativity and collaboration as kids can design their trees with different colors, ornaments, and styles.

Research shows that hands-on projects like this one enhance STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) understanding while making learning fun. It’s a win-win! Encourage your kids to explore and innovate during this magical season with a project that emphasizes both education and festive fun.

We have lots more fun science experiments to choose from including Lego electricity experiments for kids, easy lemon clock, steady hand game using electricity, simple light bulb experiment, hands-on how to make a battery for school project, and 12 battery experiments for kids.

christmas science experiments

To make this homopolar motor, start out by grabbing a couple simple materials to make your Christmas themed science experiments.

Supplies:

• Copper Wire (this is the one we used)
• Small round magnets (these are the ones we used)
• 3-in-1 pliers with cutter (we used these)
• AA batteries (you will need one for each spinning Christmas tree you want to create)
• crepe paper
• hot glue gun
• pom poms, fushion beads, confetti, etc.

A quick note about safety. Please use common sense when using cutters and batteries as they can cause damage if not used and handled carefully. Also magnets are a known chocking hazard and should not be used by small children or any children without careful adult supervision.

spinning christmas tree science project

I love that this easy Christmas science experiments is easy enough for parents to make with their children as a Christmas activity or robust enough to use as a fun Christmas science experiments for middle school. Either way it is fun, engaging, and has a good WOW factor!

spinning christmas tree science experiment

Start by cutting off 10-12″ of copper wire. Now on one side form a triangular Christmas tree. Ours were about 1 3/4″ in height. Use your pliers to carefully turn down the edge. This will be the connector to the positive side of your battery that your dancing science project will sit on.

spinning christmas tree stem activity

Now hold over the other side to make the bottom part of the tree and use your plier to make a 90 degree angle down. After it goes straight for 1/2″ or so start to make curly cues with your wire.

christmas tree science experiment

I actually found it easiest to make the spirals around the battery and then just wide the spirals out and stretch it down to the length I needed to get to the same height as the magnets at the bottom. Cut off any extra copper wire – you don’t want your project to be any heaver than it needs to.

spinning christmas tree stem

Now you are going to prepare your motor for your project by putting 4-8 mini batteries on the negative side of the batter (Where there is no bump). Stand up your battery on top of the magnets on a table.

christmas tree science

How you are going to start fitting your spinning Christmas tree on the battery. The one side of the copper wire end that you started with will balance on the bump at the top of the battery. The bottom end of your spirals needs to come down parallel to the magnets. You want the spirals wide enough to allow your project to spin, but still balanced so the tree doesn’t tip over. This is the hardest part of the project, but only took us about 10 minutes of tweaking. I suggest tweaking one at this stage so you can see what it is supposed to look like.

TROUBLE SHOOTING:

If your project is balanced on the battery with one connector on the top bump and the other parallel to the magnets and it still won’t spin try to:

• flip over your magnets
• try a new battery (it may be a dude)
• if your project is getting hot – use a new battery  – out of the dozen or so we made we had trouble with one battery. Children should not be touching or experimenting with hot batteries
• Try to reduce some of the wire or smooth out the spirals

christmas tree stem activity

Cool, right? Depending on how balanced your project is it might turn slowly or spin really quickly. My kids were amazed by how fast it spined. Now comes the craft part of this project; the part that makes it look like a Christmas science project for kids!

Use green crepe paper and a hot glue gun to cover the triangle part at the top. Remember you want a sleek project so no need to go crazy with the glue or double the crepe paper LOL! Cut off any overhang; remember you need the top connector expose and glue free to make your Christmas electronics project to work!

christmas science experiment

Now it’s time to decorate your green Christmas tree project! You can use whatever you have on hand. We tried fusion beads, mini pompoms, and confetti. They all worked great and did not make the project to heavy. I think the fusion beads were my favorite, but again – they all work. Carefully use a hot glue gun to attach your ornament decorations. Ready…. it is time to put the project back on the battery and watch the spinning Christmas tree!

christmas science experiments middle school

Kids will be amazed at how they made their own motor to power the Christmas trees so they spin and dance. This is such a fun science project for December with so many options for decorating, look of the trees, and more! My kids wanted to play with them again and again for hours and days and weeks!

If you are looking for another fun way to explore using your battery, magnets, and copper wire – try our Ornaments-Go-Round Christmas STEM Activities.

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