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St Josephs Primary School, Slate Street, Belfast

Science experiment using lemons 🍋

11th Oct 2024
🥼Future Scientists: P4 investigated using lemons in a circuit yesterday! 🍋⚡️ Using a lemon in a circuit investigation is a simple and engaging way to introduce children to basic concepts of electricity, circuits, and chemical reactions. Here's why it's effective:
 
1. Hands-on and Visual: Children can physically see and touch the components, making it easier to understand how a circuit works. The lemon provides a tangible and exciting element, making learning fun.
 
2. Safe and Non-toxic: Lemons are a safe, natural, and non-toxic way to explore electricity without using more hazardous materials like batteries or power supplies, which could pose safety risks for young children.
 
3. Teaches Basic Circuitry: A lemon battery involves a few basic components—lemon, copper coin, zinc nail, and wires—that form a simple circuit. This introduces the idea of electrical current flow in an easy, understandable way.
 
4. Chemical Reactions: The lemon acts as an electrolyte, allowing a small electrical current to flow between the copper and zinc. This introduces children to the concept of chemical reactions producing energy, even at a basic level.
 
5. Curiosity and Exploration: Children are often surprised to see that something as simple as a lemon can generate electricity. This naturally sparks curiosity and encourages further exploration and questioning.
 
Overall, the lemon battery experiment is a fun, safe, and educational way to engage young children with basic principles of science.