Potato Battery

What You Need:

• 2 potatoes (or one potato cut in half)
• 2 short pieces of copper wire
• 2 galvanized nails
• 3 alligator clips
• Piece of sandpaper or steel wool
• Low-voltage LED clock or watch

What You Do:

1. Have your child remove the battery from the battery compartment of the clock or watch.
2. Ask them to number the potatoes as "1" and "2."
3. Insert one nail into each potato, as well as the copper wire.
4. Have your child use one alligator clip to connect the copper wire in potato number 1 to the positive (+) terminal in the clock's battery compartment.
5. Use the other alligator clip to connect the nail in potato number 2 to the negative (-) terminal in the clock's battery compartment.
6. Use the third alligator clip to connect the nail in potato 1 to the copper wire in potato 2. What happens?
7. Does your child think they can produce more energy by linking potatoes in a series?
8. Encourage your child to think deep by experimenting with different objects; will a lemon power the clock? How about an orange?