Rubbing Makes Sparks!
Have you ever rubbed a balloon on your hair and then held it near your head? Your hair stands up and reaches toward the balloon! It looks like magic, but it is actually science called static electricity.
Everything around you is made of tiny, tiny pieces called atoms. Atoms are so small you cannot see them. Each atom has even tinier pieces inside it, including things called electrons that carry a negative charge.
When you rub a balloon on your hair, some of those electrons jump from your hair onto the balloon. Now the balloon has extra negative charges, and your hair is missing some. Opposite charges attract each other, so your hair reaches up toward the balloon!
The word static means staying in place. Static electricity is electricity that stays on an object instead of flowing through wires like the electricity in your house.