Potato Electricity Activity

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Need a fun, educational activity to do at home that kids will love? Try this easy Potato Electricity Activity! Thanks to Nickelodeon for sponsoring this post!

Potatoes and electrical wires to power a clockDid you know you can get electricity from a potato? It’s true! You can! And it’s a fun science activity to do with kids! In Are You Afraid of the Dark?: Curse of the Shadows (now out on DVD), young Midnight Society members prepare to fight off the Shadowman with a version of this same potato electricity activity! So, you can watch a fun show and then do a fun activity!

Potato Electricity Activity How-To: 

Materials: 

  • 3 Fresh Potatoes

  • Copper electrodes/strips (or pennies), one per potato

  • Zinc electrode/strips (or galvanized nails), one per potato

  • Insulated wires (At least 4), with metal or alligator clips at the ends

  • Small LED light or LCD clock with wires

 *Note: Inexpensive fruit/potato battery kits can be purchased online. Click here for the kit we used –> Fruit Battery Science Experiment Kit

potatoes, wires, and metal conductors

Directions: 

  1. Insert one copper strip and one zinc strip into each potato.

  2. Use one alligator clip with wire to connect the copper strip in the potato to the positive terminal on the clock/LED light.

  3. Attach another wire to the zinc strip in that potato to the copper strip in the next potato.

  4. From the 2nd potato, use another wire to connect the zinc strip in that potato to the copper strip in the 3rd potato.

  5. In the 3rd potato, use one alligator clip with wire to connect the zinc strip in that potato to the negative terminal on the clock/LED light.

  6. Voila – watch the clock or light turn on!

3 potatoes, wires, clock

This is such a great activity to teach kids about electricity and conductors! And it’s a fun tie in to Nickelodeon’s Are You Afraid of the Dark?: Curse of the Shadows! 

About Are You Afraid of the Dark?: Curse of the Shadows

The Midnight Society returns in a follow-up to 2019’s reimagined limited series horror anthology in Nickelodeon’s Are You Afraid of the Dark?: Curse of the Shadows, on DVD August 10, 2021. Based on the ‘90s kids’ cult classic and featuring a terrifying new story, the second season includes six hour-long episodes that follow an all-new group of kids as they tell the tale of a curse that has been cast over their small seaside town, haunted by a villain named the Shadowman. After their leader goes missing, it’s up to the remaining members of the Midnight Society to break the curse and free the Shadowman’s victims, before they too disappear into the shadows.

The members of the newest chapter of the Midnight Society are: Luke, played by Bryce Gheisar (Wonder, Nickelodeon’s The Astronauts); Jai, played by Arjun Athalye; Hanna, played by Beatrice Kitsos (Child’s Play); Gabby, played by Malia Baker (The Baby-Sitters Club); Seth, played by Dominic Mariche (The Christmas Yule Blog); and Connor, played by Parker Queenan (Party of Five). The Shadowman is played by Kyle Strauts (Flora & Ulysses). 

Show episodes include The Tale of the Haunted Woods, The Tale of the Night Frights, The Tale of the Phantom Light, The Tale of the Danse Macabre, The Tale of the Midnight Magic, and The Tale of the Darkhouse. 

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I’m Sara, a mom to three adorable boys living in the Arizona desert. As a former teacher, I love sharing my passions with others. So, have a look around for creative inspiration about cooking, creating, celebrating, traveling with kids, and more everyday mom endeavors!

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