EASY Lemon Battery Experiment for Kids

Did you know you can create your own electricity from fruit? Yep! In this amazign lemon battery your children will use a couple simple materials to make a lemon powered light. This lemon battery experiment is perfect for kindergarten, first grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade, 5th grade, and 6th grade students to explore creating a circuit. Except in this case, we will get our electricity from lemon power! This electricity experiment for kids is sure to amaze and delight kids of all ages!

Lemon Battery

Did you know that the acid from fruit allows you to use it as a source of electricity? Help kids explore electricity for kids as they explore this amazing lemon battery experiment. Like the infamous potato clock, this lemon battery is a classic experiment that every child should try at least once. Your elementary age students from grade 1, grade 2, grade 3, grade 4, grade 5, and grade 6 will be amazed at the lemon powered light. This is a great introduction to how electricity works, circuits, and more fun electricity experiments. 

Lemon Battery Experiment

All you need to try this fun fruit battery experiment are a few simple materials:

• 6 lemons
• 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

Electricity from Lemon

Start by cutting the copper wire into

• 6 pieces of 8-inches length
• 2 pieces of 10-inch length

If you got the plastic coating wire, cut off about 1-inch of the plastic insulation from both ends of each wire.

Lemon powered Light

Squeeze and roll the lemons on the table so they are good and juice on the inside, but dont’ break the skins!

Stick a nail about halfway in each of the lemons.

Summer Science

Connect the lemons. Attach 8″ copper wire to nail in the lemon and the other side to the next lemon by sticking it right into the lemon itself close to the nail, but not touching. Continue creating your closed circuit by attaching anothe rwire to the next empty nail and the following lemon. Each lemon should be connected to the lemon behind it via a copper wire coming out of the lemon itself and the lemon in front of it from a copper wire attached to the nail.

Electricity Experiment

I like to make them in a circle to get a better picture. Connect one of the long wires to the last lemon on the left’s nail and then to one of the wires (or leads) on the light bulb; secure with electrical tape. Now we will complete the circuit (connected circle) by adding the last 10″ wire to the other light bulb lead and the lemon that does not have a wire going directly into it’s flesh. The ligh bulb bule 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.

lemon battery explanation

So what? Usually our lights are plugged into an electrical outlet or powered by a battery. Batteris are made of two different metals and an acid. In this case the lemon provides the acid. The nail and copper wire are the substitute for two differene metals. The nail and wire are electrodes where the electricity enters and exits the lemon battery. These electrons flow from the nail into the lemon juice acid to the copper wire and then on to the next lemon. 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, limes, tomatoes, and potatoes.  Now try a non-acidic fruit; does it work?

  

Electricity Experiments

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
• Christmas Lime Battery Electricity Experiment for Preschoolers
• Ornament Carousel Electricity Experiments for Kids
• Magic Goo – Static Electricity Experiment
• Spinning Tree Christmas Science Experiment
• Simple Light Bulb Experiment