By William Croyle
Enquirer contributor

FLORENCE - Several parents of Yealey Elementary School students say that when they were kids, they were all taught the same thing about electricity: Stay away from it.

"We never learned this," said Denise Thompson, who watched her son, Tanner, light up his homemade haunted house with a circuit he wired at school.

Roughly 120 third-graders at Yealey have been preparing for the annual haunted house/electrical circuit showcase for more than a month.

Four of the six third-grade classes switched on their house lights Friday in the library for their parents to see. The remaining two will light their houses Thursday.

It started with the kids building houses at home of cardboard and decorating them with paint, pumpkin stickers, candy corn - and anything else they could find to fit a Halloween theme.

Back in the school science lab, teachers gave the kids a D-size battery, two wires, some clips and a light bulb. Other than briefly explaining a little about electricity, the teachers told the kids they were on their own to figure out how to light the bulb.

"They got it in about a half-hour," said teacher Gina Miles. "We talked about Thomas Edison and how many tries it took him before he was successful. Then we talked afterward about how good it felt because they figured it out themselves."

A week later, the students were given an extra wire, some cardboard and a paper clip and were told to make a switch to turn the light on and off.

They then brought in their houses and wired them.

"It's low tech, but it's very exciting for them," said Miles. "They've not only been fascinated ... but they've also learned just how dangerous electricity can be."

Representatives of Owen Electric demonstrated the power of electricity by touching tree branches to live wires they have on a trailer as part of the company's electrical safety program.

Sondra Hinkel, who saw her son, Adam, flip the switch to light his house Friday, was pleased with the project. "It seems simple - but for kids this age, it's a good lesson," she said.

Andrea Vickers, 8, said the hands-on experience has made it easier to learn.

"Electricity can do so many things and can be very dangerous," she said.

"When a circuit is open, it cannot flow through," added Tanner Thompson, 9. "And you don't use metal stuff to fix electricity."