Dear Reader,
Now for something a little different. I’ve teamed up with ten Instagram bloggers to give one lucky follower a $110 Amazon gift card or PayPal cash. Here’s how to enter:
Follow me —–> @BarbaraFeldman and then COMMENT on the Instagram Loop graphic for one entry.
Go to —–>@SunshineFlgirl and repeat (FOLLOW + COMMENT) for another entry.
Repeat at all 11 Instagrammers = 11 entries for you. Good luck!
See ya on the Net,
Barbara J. Feldman
“Surfing the Net with Kids”
https://www.surfnetkids.com
Ben Franklin’s Kite Experiment
https://www.surfnetkids.com/resources/ben-franklins-kite-experiment/
Ben Franklin’s Kite Experiment Printable(** for Premium Members only)
https://www.surfnetkids.com/printables/files/printables-club/ben_franklins_kite_experiment.pdf
In June of 1752, Ben Franklin sought to prove that lightning was electrical by flying a kite in stormy weather. When Franklin touched the iron key attached to the kite’s string, he saw sparks fly between his knuckle and the metal key. But some historians doubt that this famous experiment really happened.
Code Check: Ben Franklin and the Kite Experiment
Code Check, a publisher of books about building and electrical codes, is not the usual educational site for middle-school students, but they feature Ben Franklin in many of their books because he “made major contributions to each of the four main disciplines of building inspection: Building, Plumbing, Mechanical, and Electrical.” This page explains Franklin’s famous experiment along with an overview of the Leyden jar used in the experiment. “The first device capable of storing an electric charge was the Leyden jar. Invented by a German, Ewald G. von Kleist, on November 4, 1745, he made the discovery by accident.”
Julian T. Rubin: Ben Franklin
Because there was no eyewitness account written about Franklin’s kite experiment, some historians argue that the experiment didn’t occur at all, and others argue that it happened differently than described. “It doesn’t really matter if Benjamin Franklin indeed performed the kite experiment in reality. What really matters is the question if this experiment (or maybe only a theoretical proposal) is founded on sound scientific principles and as a matter of fact it is a possible experiment that enables the conclusion that lightning is an electric phenomenon.”
Museum of Hoaxes: The Electric Kite Hoax
Historian Tom Tucker has his own ideas about Franklin’s electrifying kite adventure, and published a book about it (“Bolt of Fate: Benjamin Franking and his Electric Kite Hoax”) in 2003. Tucker argues that the experiment was originally proposed as a joke to get back at the British Royal Society because they had given a cold shoulder to his earlier electrical research. “It was his way of saying, Go fly a kite in a storm! But when his suggestion reached France, where people took it seriously, Franklin decided to play along and claimed he really had conducted the experiment.”
… Click to continue to Ben Franklin’s Kite Experiment
Printables Club Members Also Get …
Surfnetkids Printables Club Members also get the following printables to use in the classroom, the computer lab, the school library, or to send home with students:
Ben Franklin’s Kite Experiment Printable
Easy Science Experiments Printable
Ben Franklin Printable
Kites Printable
Lightning Printable
Static Electricity Printable
*** Are you curious? Get your own ten-day trial membership:
https://www.surfnetkids.com/printables/join/
Related Games
Ben Franklin Quiz
Electricity Crossword
Printable Electricity Crossword
Quote of the Week
“Freedom of speech is a principal pillar of a free government; when this support is taken away, the constitution of a free society is dissolved, and tyranny is erected on its ruins.” ~~ Benjamin Franklin ~~ (January 17 1706 – April 17, 1790) American statesmen, author, printer, satirist. For more quotes from Ben Franklin, click the link.
Surfing the Calendar
National Rose Month June
Cancer From the Sun Month June
Dairy Month June
National Rivers Month June
National Fireworks Safety Month June
Great Outdoors Month June
Zoos: Zoo and Aquarium Month June
Aquariums: Zoo and Aquarium Month June
National Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Month June
D-Day Normandy Invasion Jun 6, 1944
World Oceans Day Jun 8, 2017
“$64,000 Question” Game Show Premiered Jun 7, 1955
Paul Gauguin’s Birthday Jun 7, 1848
Maurice Sendak’s Birthday Jun 10, 1928
Anne Frank’s Birthday Jun 12, 1929
President Reagan Urges Gorbachev to Tear Down Berlin Wall Jun 12, 1987
47th Mersenne Prime Number Found Jun 12, 2009
World’s First Roller Coaster Opened at Coney Island Jun 13, 1884
First American Flag Adopted Jun 14, 1777
John Bartlett’s Birthday Jun 14, 1820
Phrase “under God” Added to Pledge of Allegiance Jun 14, 1954
Flag Day Jun 14, 2017
Twelfth Amendment Added to US Constitution Jun 15, 1804
Duct Tape Days Jun 15-17, 2017