Life Before Electricity

LIfe before Electricity (in Wolfville, NS)

National Post - Then there were two: Little Bay Island's couple prepare for living off grid September 26, 2019.

The Chronicle Herald (Halifax) - Followers drawn in by little Bay Islands couple's Facebook postings (October 14, 2020)

For Discussion

Topic - Is there anyone in your family who remembers a time before electricity? Interview them about their experiences. What was life like? What was the hardest part about not having electricity? Come up with your own questions.

Topic - How would your life be different if electricity had not been invented?

Topic- What would you miss "most" if electricity had not been invented? Gaming/internet would probably on top of your list, but think about all the things that use electricity.

Topic - Identify ten different ways you use electricity in a typical day.

Topic - There are still things I can do, even with no electricity.

Topic - Create a poster comparing aspects of daily life before and after electricity.

Topic - Get your family together and brainstorm things you might need if the electricity went out for 3 days. Make a list.

Power Outages

CBC, January 21, 2019 Winter storm slams Eastern Canada, causing power outages, flash freeze warnings

Is electricity safe?

Electricity can be dangerous. Some important things to keep in mind:

Never play with electricity.
Always follow the instructions on electrical equipment and ask your mom or dad for help if you don't understand.
Never stick anything but a proper plug into a wall outlet.
When you unplug something from the wall, don't pull on the cord, use the plug.
Never put electronic items into the water, especially if they are plugged in.
Don't place items on top of electrical cords. The cords could get damaged and cause a fire.

These are just some safety precautions to take when using electricity. If you are unsure, be sure to check with your parents or teacher. Ducksters

Let’s Talk Science is a registered Canadian charitable organization focused on education and skills development for Canadian children and youth through science, technology, engineering and mathematics based programs.

Exploring Electricity has several activities that can be done at home.

Static vs Current Electricity

6 Fun Static Electricity Experiments You Can Do At Home!

If you don't have the materials to try experiments, not to worry. The videos below show you all about invisible forces.

What is Static Electricity?

DK findout! about Static Electricity

Science Kids - Experiment with balloons

Frugal Fun for Boys and Girls -

Experiments with combs

What is Current Electricity?

Students should come to understand that current electricity:

• is the type of electricity used to power devices;

• refers to a continuous flow of negative charges (current);

• comes from sources such as batteries, generators, and power stations; and

• requires an electric circuit (i.e., closed path) to flow.

Series and Parallel Circuits - Videos

Questions to think about:

What kind of circuit would be best for:

street lights
Christmas tree lights
lights in your house
concert speakers

How are series and parallel circuits different?

Lightning Destroys Tree - Action News

Interactive Games about Electricity

(Watch the videos above. Use the interactive sites below to make series and parallel circuits)

Interactive Learning Circuits

Kids Science - Make a Circuit (requires Flash)

Brainpop - Circuit Construction - lots of options to add insulators and conductors.

Circuit Construction Kit - Interactive

Use the symbols on the left to draw a representation of the above circuit.

Illustrations 1 and 2

What Conducts Electricity?

Interactive game about conductors (requires Flash)

Make a list of conductors and insulators .

Illustration from

Slide Show Link

How electromagnets work Video

How to make a simple electromagnet

"An Electromagnet is the kind of magnet, which uses electric current to create a magnetic field. It can attract and magnetize ferromagnetic materials like Iron, Nickel, and Cobalt. It is easy to make a simple electromagnet at your home from household materials." Science4fun

Questions to test or think about:

Does the number of times you wrap the wire about the nail change its strength? How can you come up with a fair test to prove this true or false?
Create a test to check your hypothesis.
Make a list of items from around your house that it can pickup.
How can you increase the strength of an electromagnet?