Physical Sciences
Electricity
Students build working circuits, classify conductors and insulators, compare series and parallel configurations, and investigate how different energy sources (including hand-powered generators) produce electricity.
Year 5–6
90 min
up to 30 students
$490 + GST
What students will do
Working individually and in pairs, students assemble simple circuits and test a range of materials to classify them as conductors or insulators. They then construct series and parallel circuits using light bulbs and batteries, and use snap circuits with motors and speakers to explore energy transformation. Teacher demonstrations include a five-bulb parallel circuit, a propeller car, an electromagnet and a hand-powered push torch, with a final hand-crank generator allowing students to produce electricity themselves.
Curriculum outcomes
Victorian Curriculum v2.0 content descriptions addressed in this session.
- VC2S6U09
Identify materials as electrical conductors or insulators and use this knowledge to build open and closed circuits
- VC2S6U09
Describe how electrical energy is transferred through series and parallel circuits and transformed into light, sound and motion
Investigate how different energy sources — including chemical (batteries) and mechanical (generators) — can be used to produce electricity
Often booked alongside
Physical Sciences
Force & Motion
Students measure forces with a spring balance, test friction across surfaces, feel inertia first-hand, launch reaction rockets, and explore magnetism and static electricity.
Physical Sciences
Heat & Energy
Students investigate how heat moves by observing convection currents, comparing conduction through plastic and metal using an infrared thermometer, and testing how insulators slow heat transfer.
Physical Sciences
How Objects Move
Students roll differently shaped objects, race a balloon-powered car, drop parachutes, launch foam pump rockets, and test what sinks or floats, exploring how pushes and pulls drive every outcome.
Bring Electricity to your school
Tell us your year levels and preferred dates. We'll confirm availability and bring everything with us.
Limited dates each term — one facilitator, one school per day.