30 – 45 minutes

Watch electricity flow!

Here’s a fun electricity project to learn how electricity moves from a battery through a circuit to power an LED.

Let's get started!

Learning and Leadership
Battery pack connected to colourful glue on two pieces of paper.

How to Prepare:

Collect the following items before you begin:

  • Salt
  • Glue
  • Battery pack with AA batteries
  • LED Diode Bulbs
  • Two sheets of cardstock or thick paper
  • Paper clips
  • Electrical tape
  • Tray
  • Watercolours or food colouring
  • Pipettes or paint brushes

Build Your Circuit!

Step 1: Fold each sheet of paper in half and attach a paper clip at the bottom. Place the sheets of paper next to each other on a tray.

Step 2: “Draw” a line of glue from the paper clip up the paper and then towards the edge. Be generous with the glue, we’ll need lots of it!

Step 3: Time to use your salt - sprinkle a good layer of it on the glue.

💡Activity Hack! Extra salt? Just lift your paper and dump the extra salt on your tray and tilt the tray to move the salt to the side.

Step 4: Take the exposed red wire from the battery pack and wrap it around one of the paper clips. Secure it in place with the electrical tape. Make sure that the wire and paper clip make good contact!

Step 5: Repeat the previous step, only this time you will use the black wire. Attach it to the other paper clip and secure it in place with electrical tape.

Step 6: Add watercolours to the salty glue lines using a pipette or the tip of a paintbrush. It should flow nicely along your salt and glue drawing!

Make It A Circuit!

💡Activity Hack! It’s a good idea to test your LED before making the circuit. Hold the long leg (positive side) of the LED to the exposed end of the red wire coming out of the battery pack. Hold the other LED leg to the exposed end of the black wire. The LED should light up.

Step 7: Bend the legs of the LED away from one another.

Step 8: Touch the long leg (positive side) of the LED to the glue/salt line attached to the red wire.

Step 9: Touch the other leg of the LED to the glue/salt line attached to the black wire. It should light up!

💡Activity Hack! The light coming from the LED will be fainter than when attached directly to the battery pack wires.

Circuit Complete! Congratulations!

How It Works

Electricity is the flow of electrical power from a source (a battery) to something that needs power (like a motor or a light).  The flow of electricity is called a current. In a DC circuit the current only flows in one direction. That’s why it’s important that the positive end of the LED is connected to the positive (red) wire.

Many different materials can carry an electrical current. The most common one is metal. Salt and water are also good electrical conductors and can carry a current!

What other metals can you think of that might conduct electricity? Consider wire, pipe cleaners, copper tape, nails and more. Connect your battery pack to these materials and see if they can conduct electricity!

This activity is inspired by:

https://babbledabbledo.com/how-to-make-salty-circuits-a-simple-circuit-project-for-kids/