Christmas Lime Battery Electricity Experiment for Preschoolers

Looking for a really cool christmas science activity for kids? We made the simple lime battery project into a relaly cool science Christmas tree. This battery lime experiment is perfect for introducing preschool, pre-k, kindergarten, first grade, and 2nd graders to electricity for kids. All you need ar a few simple materials and you can try these fun Chrsitmas Science experiments.

Lime Battery

We love doing holiday themed lessons and christmas science in December. Not only does doing christmas science activities for preschoolers help keep kids engaged, but they tend to remember an epic science christmas tree better than just reading about electricity for preschoolers. Try this Christmas science activities for preschoolers, kindergartners, grade 1, grade 2, and grade 3 students. Whether you are a parent, teacher, or homeschooler you will love this christmas science project!

Battery Lime

All you need to try this simpler fruit battery are a few simple materials including:

• 6 limes
• 6 nails or large paper clips
• heavy copper wire (with or without plastic coating)
• wire cutters or heavy scissors
• 1 LED light bulb (like from string of Christmas lights)
• electrical tape

Christmas Science

The first step is to cut the copper wire into six 8″ lengths and 2 pieces of 10″ length.  If the wire you got is covered in plast, make sure you take the time now to  cut off about 1-inch of the plastic insulation from both ends of each wire.

To get all the juices flowing, spend a couple minutes squeezing the limes and rolling them around. But don’t break the skin! Now to make this a fun holiday themed science activity, arrange your limes in a tall triangle, tree shape!

Christmas Science Experiments

The second step is to stick a nail about halfway in each of the lime fruits.

Christmas Science Activities for Preschoolers

The third step is to connect the limes to one another to form a complete circuit. Attach 8″ copper wire to nail in the lime and the other side to the next fruit by sticking it right into the lime itself – you want it close to the nail, but not touching. Continue until each lime is connected to the fruit  behind it via a copper wire coming out of the lime itself and the lime in front of it from a copper wire attached to the nail.

Science Christmas Tree

Before we get to the last step, you can decorate your tree! We used a red pipe cleaner as garland and pom poms as ornaments, but you can use ribbon, paper ornaments, or whatever else you like!

The final step is to connect one of the long wires to the last lime on the left’s nail and then to one of the wires (or leads) on the light bulb; secure with electrical tape. When you add the last 10″ wire to the other light bulb lead and the lime that does not have a wire going directly into it’s flesh the ligh bulb will light up.

HINT: If you are using an LED light and it isn’t lighting up, just turn around the led so the leads are attached in a different direction to get the electricity flowing in the correct direction.

Electricity for Preschoolers

We don’t typically see lights powered by a limes, lemon battery, or a tomato battery. We usually get our electricity from electrical outlets or batteries. A battery is made of two different metals and an acid. In this case the limes is the acid. The nail and copper wire are the substitute for two differene metals that make the electrodes where electricity enters and exits the battery. These electrons flow from the nail into the lime juice acid to the copper wire and then on to the next fruit. They gather more and more electrons in their route until their are enough to light up the bulb.

Take it a step further. Can other fruits power a battery? Try other acidic produce such as oranges, lemons, tomatoes, and potatoes.  Now try a non-acidic fruit like peas or zuchini; does it work?

Electricity Activities for Preschoolers

Looking to explore electiricty further? Try these fun electricity projects.

• Lego Electricity Experiments for Kids
• How to Make a Battery Science Project
• 12 Hands-on Battery Experiments for Kids
• Minion Squisy Circuits – electricity experiments for kids
• EASY Steady Hand Game – Electricity Experiments for Kids
• Tomato Battery Experiment for Kids
• Lemon Battery Project for Kids
• Ornament Carousel ElectricityExperiments for Kids
• Magic Goo – Static Electricity Experiment
• Spinning Tree Christmas Science Experiment
• Christmas Lime Battery Electricity Experiment for Preschoolers
• Simple Light Bulb Experiment

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• Christmas Science Lime Battery Electricity Experiment for Preschoolers

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