Bright, twinkling lights and holiday festivities make this month seem magical—almost electrifying. It only seems appropriate to feature the Quirkles’ Ellie Electricity and the concept of electricity and how it plays into the season.

If you celebrate Christmas, you know the beautifully lit Christmas tree in a big part of the holiday tradition. But do you know how electrical tree lights came to be? It might not be surprising that Thomas Edison, one of the most prolific inventors/scientists in recent history, had something to do with it. He created the very first strand of electric lights and during the Christmas season of 1880; these strands were strung around the outside of his Menlo Park Laboratory. Railroad passengers traveling by the laboratory got their first look at an electrical light display. But it would take almost forty years for electric Christmas lights to become the tradition that we are familiar with.

It was Edison’s right-hand man and business partner, Edward H. Johnson, who played an even bigger role. Before electric Christmas lights, families would use candles to light up their Christmas trees. This practice was often dangerous and led to many home fires and even deaths. Johnson put the very first string of electric Christmas tree lights together in 1882. He hand-wired 80 red, white, and blue light bulbs and wound them around his Christmas tree. Not only was the tree illuminated with electricity, it also revolved. It spun in a circle six times a minute on a little pine box as its lights flashed in “a continuous twinkling of dancing colors,” reported a newspaper. An electric current drawn from Edison’s main office powered the lights and the crank that rotated the tree. “I need not tell you that the scintillating evergreen was a pretty sight,” gushed a reporter. “One can hardly imagine anything prettier.”

However, the world was not quite ready for electrical illumination. There was a great mistrust of electricity and it would take many more years for the masses to decorate Christmas trees and homes with electric lights. Some credit President Grover Cleveland with spurring the acceptance of indoor electric Christmas lights. In 1895, President Cleveland requested that the White House family Christmas tree be illuminated by hundreds of multi-colored electric light bulbs.

Until 1903, when General Electric began to offer pre-assembled kits of Christmas lights, stringed lights were reserved for the wealthy and electrically savvy. The wiring of electric lights was very expensive and required the hiring of a wireman, a modern-day electrician. According to some, to light an average Christmas tree with electric lights before 1903 would have cost $2000 in today’s dollars!

By the 1940s, when electrification had become standard in rural America, electric lights had replaced wax candles on most Christmas trees, and the danger of trees bursting into flames had been replaced by the frustration of untangling Christmas light strands.

So as you sit in front of your beautifully lit Christmas tree, drink hot cocoa, and snuggle up with a good book like Ellie Electricity, remember how electricity plays a key role this holiday. Also, watch our video that uses an electric energy stick to illustrate making connections with those around you this season.

Whatever holiday you celebrate this month, we wish you great joy as you connect with those most special to you. Happy holidays from the Quirkles and Fuddlebrook team to you!
 

Not only are cranberries good to eat (and super healthy), but also a tool that can be used to teach science lessons. This month we offer four activities with either a Thanksgiving twist or a way to release some energy (while learning about important science concepts) after the big meal.

What’s Thanksgiving without some sort of cranberry dish? Nutritionally power packed, cranberries are one super food you’ll want to include on your holiday table! Today Americans consume 400 million pounds of this “native to North America” fruit each year.

Native Americans recognized the nutritional properties of the berry far before science proved them to be true. They created sauces and meat cakes called “pemmican” out of the berry, and used it medicinally to stop bleeding and to help cure blood poisoning. The nutritional properties of the cranberry were capitalized on during international voyages at sea also when sailors would eat the red berries to keep scurvy at bay. Later it was determined that prevention was possible due to the fruit’s high Vitamin C content.

So what about the science lessons? Read the Quirkles® book Density Dan, then see if cranberries (not dried) will float in water. You’ll simply need two or three berries and a cup of water. What happens? How can something “solid” float? Cut open the berry and see if the inside structure provides some insights.

Or, how about making cranberries “dance?” Offer a Thanksgiving variation of the activity we share in Density Dan called Density Dan’s Dancing Raisins. You’ll need a colorless soda or carbonated water, a clear drinking glass, and some dried cranberries.

When the cranberries interact with the bubbles (carbon dioxide gas) in the soda, they will be carried up to the top. When the bubbles pop and release the carbon dioxide, the cranberries drop down. This makes it seem like they are “dancing.”

So now the big meal is over and it’s time to go outside for a little fresh air. If it’s not too cold, try Mary Motion’s Spinning Bucket. Check out our video where young scientist, Chloe, demonstrates centripetal force. If you do it right, you’ll get some exercise and you won’t take a shower!

Finally go to our Fuddlebrook webpage to see our friction activity called the Fuddlebrook Magic Money Stack. Several nickels and a butter knife will keep kids engaged for a long time! This is a fun way to learn about friction, release some energy, and have fun, too!

Happy Thanksgiving!

The holidays are time to make connections. See how the energy stick illustrates this concept.

You better not be afraid of getting wet! If you do this right, centripetal force will keep the water from spilling.