Place a pot under the faucet in your sink. Turn on the water so that it falls in a small but continuous stream. Rub the balloon against your hair, about 5 strokes. Hold the balloon near but not touching the water stream. The water bends toward the balloon, and small streams of water spray out.
Water is an example of matter, and all matter is made up of atoms.
An atom's center, called a nucleus, contains positively charged particles called protons and neutrally charged particles called neutrons. Spinning outside the positively charged nucleus are negatively charged particles called electrons. When materials are rubbed together, such as rubbing an inflated balloon on hair, electrons tend to rub off one of the materials and onto the other. In this case, the balloon rubs the electrons off the hair, giving the balloon an excess of negative charges. If you then hold the balloon near a stream of water from a faucet, the positive part of the water is attracted to the excess negative charge on the balloon, pulling the water toward the balloon.