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Indoor activity

Magic Static Tissue Ghosts

Harness the power of static electricity to make spooky tissue-paper ghosts dance and fly using only a balloon!

Ages 5-8 0-1 hours Education 8/10

Materials

  • Balloons
  • Markers
  • Scissors
  • Tape
  • Tissue Paper

Illustrated Steps

1

Cut Out the Ghosts

Use scissors to cut out tissue paper ghost shapes and draw faces on them.

2

Tape the Ghosts Down

Tape just the bottom edge of each ghost to the table so they don't fly completely away.

3

Charge the Balloon

Rub an inflated balloon on your hair or a woolly jumper to build up static electricity.

4

Make Them Fly

Hover the balloon above the ghosts and watch them magically stand up and dance!

What You’ll Create

You will use the invisible force of static electricity to become a wizard! By rubbing a balloon on your hair, you’ll create an electrical charge that makes little tissue paper ghosts rise from the table and dance in mid-air.

How to Set It Up

Step 1: Cut Out the Ghosts

Take a sheet of tissue paper and use your scissors to cut out small ghost shapes, about the size of your hand. Use markers to draw little spooky faces on them.

Step 2: Tape the Ghosts Down

Place your tissue ghosts on a flat table. Use a tiny piece of tape to stick just the very bottom edge of each ghost to the table, leaving the rest of the body free to move.

Step 3: Charge the Balloon

Blow up a balloon and tie it off. Now for the magic: rub the balloon quickly back and forth on your hair or a woolly jumper for about 10 seconds. You will hear it crackle!

Step 4: Make Them Fly

Slowly lower the charged balloon over your ghosts. Before the balloon even touches them, the ghosts will magically stand up and reach towards the balloon!

Have fun!

  • 👻 Make a whole family of ghosts and see how many you can lift at once.
  • 🎨 Try cutting out other shapes like frogs, stars, or aliens.
  • ⏱️ See who can keep their ghost standing up the longest before the charge fades.
  • 💇‍♂️ Check out your crazy static hair in the mirror after rubbing the balloon!

Why It’s Amazing

  • Science Discovery: A brilliant, visual introduction to static electricity and invisible forces. ⚡
  • Fine Motor Skills: Carefully cutting delicate tissue paper practices scissor control. ✂️
  • Creative Play: Merging a science experiment with imaginative, spooky storytelling. 🎭
  • Sensory Experience: The sound of the static crackle and the feeling of the balloon add sensory depth. 🎈

Pro Tips

For ages 3-5: Cut the ghosts out for them and let them focus on the balloon magic.

For ages 5-8: Challenge them to see what else the balloon can pick up (like tiny scraps of normal paper or salt).

For ages 8-12: Explain that the balloon gains negative electrons from their hair, which then attract the positive protons in the paper!