5 Ways to Learn About Electricity at Home

You flip the light switch and, like magic, your lights come on and the ceiling fan starts to spin. But, it’s not magic – it’s a complex system of power plants, people and technology that runs every day to make sure we have reliable electricity. Duke Energy has some resources for students of all ages to learn about the magic behind the light switch.

Build your own candy atom

Nuclear electricity is produced when uranium atoms split – a process called fission. It’s impossible to see it happen with the human eye, but we can recreate the process with candy. Visit Duke Energy’s Nuclear Information Center to make your own candy atom and for more information on nuclear power, the company’s largest source of low-carbon electricity.

Test your electric vocabulary
Use this crossword puzzle for a fun, easy way to learn and test what you know about electricity and how it’s produced. Hint: You can make 20 across with candy. Here are three easy experiments you can do, too, and the Duke Energy Classroom Resources page has more activities and lesson plans. 

Meet Energy Ant

For younger students, check out this printable activity booklet. Energy Activities with Energy Ant makes topics related to energy fun and easy to understand with puzzles, games and coloring sheets. Visit eia.gov/kids for more like this.

Kilowatt Krush
In this free app for Apple and Android devices, you play a series of games to build a house while learning about energy in the process. Duke Energy created the app as part of the My Energy Kit Challenge, an in-school program with a goal to save energy in schools.

Safety patrol
Put your detective skills to work and use this checklist to find safety hazards around your house to learn about natural gas and electric safety. Once you’ve completed your list, make sure to have an adult help make any fixes. Visit e-smart online, a website from Duke Energy and Piedmont Natural Gas, for more games and videos about electricity.