Magic Goo! Balloon Static Electricity Experiment

Looking for a really fun and easy science experiment for kids of all ages? You will love making this Magic Goo! This Static Electricity Experiment for kids is a fun, hands-on way to explore static electricity for kids. Use Magic Goo Balloon to explore static electricity experiments with preschool, pre-k, kindergarten, first grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade, 5th grade, and 6th grade students.

Magic Goo

Are you kids still enthralled by slime? I think most children experienced the slime phase in one way or another, I mean stores were literally out of white glue for weeks. Some children phased out of that while others, like my child, could play with slime all day every day. In my head though, it was time to mix it up. Add a little more science into her play and have a different kind of slime fun. So we experimented with different slimes and static electricity and found this magic goo! Your preschoolers, kindergartners, grade 1, grade 2, grade 3, grade 4, grade 5, and grade 6 students will love this Static Electricity Experiment. 

Static Electricity Experiment for Kids

All you need for this simple, but amazing science activity for kids are a couple common household items:

• cornstarch
• vegetable oil
• bowl to mix it in
• filled balloon

Magic Goo Balloon

We tried a few different types of slime and some did not work. We tried to encourage movement with static electricity and it just would not work. Nothing moved, except our eyes with anticipation. But then, a play on ooblek worked!

Ooblek is cornstarch and water. The concoction that when hard you can break it with a hammer but when lifted up it can ooze through your fingers. Pure magic. I didn’t think anything could beat that, but I was wrong. We mixed corn starch with oil. Vegetable oil to be exact and WOW!

Static Electricity Experiments

We mixed one part vegetable oil, to 1 part cornstarch. You may have to play with the ratio slightly, but it should make a goo, but not watery. It should have some movement but just a tad bit.

When it was ready to go, we put it on a cookie sheet. I blew up a balloon and my daughter rubbed it on her hair. This is my favorite way to create static electricity.

Another way to describe static electricity to kids is when they get shocked. If someone walks by and barely touches them and a SPARK is felt. No not the I’m in love spark, but the static electricity spark.

Static Electricity for Kids

After she had built up quite a bit of static electricity by rubbing the balloon on her hair, we held the balloon next to the goo. LOOK! Can you see how it’s spiking up towards the balloon? The static electricity is pulling the goo towards the balloon. That is pure magic! Science is SO cool!

So the reason this happens is the cornstarch has a positive charge, while the balloon (charged by rubbing on her hair) has a negative charge. The positive charge is attracted to the negative charge and they want to be together. How cool is that??

 

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