M for Magnet

See what we did for other letters in the Alphabet in Simple Science.

M for Magnet

Science Notebook Page (Click the picture to print).

    Background

First we talked about what magnets were and what they could do.  We read some books, then we did a lot of playing!  Luckily we have SO many toys that use magnets!

Is it Magnetic?

 

Materials:

Magnet
A bunch of magnetic and nonmagnetic items

Procedure:

For this activity I collected a bunch of random items and a magnet.  For each item I asked Xander to predict whether or not it would be attracted to the magnet.  Then he would test it and we would record the outcome.  At the end we talked about how everything that was attracted was metal or another magnet, however, some metal things were not attracted to the magnet.  I made sure to include a nonmetallic metal item so he didn't have the misconception that all metals stick to magnets.

The Dancing Paperclip

Materials:

Magnet
Paperclip
Thread
Masking taep

Procedure:
For this activity I tied some thread to a paperclip and taped the other end to the table.  Then I pulled the paperclip to the end of its thread, put the magnets on it and then slowly pulled them away.  The paperclip would still hover in the air even when the magnets were not touching it.  Xander enjoyed making the paperclip dance, but he did get a little frustrated by how easily it fell.  It would have worked much better with a stronger magnet.  With a stronger magnet we also could have tried placing items between the magnet and the paperclip to see what would and would not break the magnetic field.

Other Magnetic Fun

I printed off some letters, added paper clips, and then had Xander go fishing.  He then had to put them all in order.  It was pretty easy for him since he just fished for the letters in the correct order.  He liked it so much he immediately asked if he could do it again!

I got out his magnetic rings, which he enjoyed so much he went through several template cards in one sitting!

We painted his letter Ms with magnets this week!  I put them paper in a shoe box, added some paint and some paper clips, and gave him a magnetic wand to run along the bottom of the box.  He LOVED it.  I had to hold the box for him, though, so could not get a good picture.

This week's sensory bin also went along with the magnetic theme.  I used black beans for a base and added a bunch of colored paper clips, colored bingo chips, and some twirled pipe cleaners.

We couldn't have a magnetic week without playing with Magna-Tiles and Magnetix!

Check out my Alphabet in Simple Science Pinterest Board for more ideas!