1/27/2027

Morning Announcements

Morning Meeting Agenda

Mon · Social Studies Tue · Literacy Wed · Science Thu · Math Fri · ROAR + Houses
Science of the Day

Why doorknobs shock you in January

You reach for a doorknob and — ZAP. It happens constantly this time of year and almost never in summer. That’s static electricity, and the reason it’s seasonal is genuinely interesting.

Static electricity is a tiny bit of electricity that builds up on things. You can’t see it — but you can definitely feel it!

Three places you feel static electricity: doorknobs, sweaters, and your hair
Let’s talk
  • Have you gotten a little shock from a doorknob this winter? What did it feel like?
  • Have you ever seen someone’s hair stand up from a slide or a balloon?
  • Does this happen more in summer or winter? Why do you think so?
Reveal the answerHide the answer
WINTER! Winter air is very dry, and static loves dry air. In summer the air is full of water, which carries the electricity away before it can build up.
Try it

Make static! Rub your hands together fast for ten seconds. Feel that warmth? Now imagine rubbing a balloon on your head — the same rubbing makes static that lifts your hair right up!

Everything is made of atoms, and atoms have tiny particles called electrons. When two things rub together, electrons jump from one to the other — and suddenly things aren’t balanced.

Diagram showing electrons transferring between two objects when rubbed

Opposite charges attract. Same charges repel. That single rule explains the shock, the clinging sock, and the hair standing up.

Let’s talk
  • Each strand of hair gets the same charge. Using the rule above, why does that make hair stand up and spread apart?
  • The shock happens when you touch metal. Why metal and not, say, a wooden door?
  • We learned earlier this month that winter air is dry. How does that connect to static?
Reveal the answersHide the answers
Every hair carries the same charge, so every hair repels every other hair — they push apart in all directions at once. Metal is a good conductor, meaning charge moves through it easily, so all your built-up electrons jump at once in a single spark. Wood is an insulator and won’t take them. And dry air is the key: water molecules in humid air carry charge away gradually, so it never accumulates. Winter air holds far less water — so the charge builds and builds until something metal gives it a path.
Try it

Predict and test! If static needs dry air, predict what would happen to static shocks in a steamy bathroom. Then think bigger: lightning is static electricity on an enormous scale. What does that tell you about what’s happening inside a storm cloud?

Additional Notes/Activities

If additional activities are needed for the Morning Meeting, they will be added here.