Magnets

• To introduce the ideas of attract and repel as related to magnets.
• To introduce temporary and permanent magnets.

• Marta’s Magnets by Wendy Pfeffer

• 2 Floating Magnet Rings
• 4 Giant horseshoe magnets (with protective strips)
• 12 Magic wand magnets
• Magnet sets (with 2 horseshoe magnets and 2 stick magnets)
• Magnetic counting chips
• Magnetic marbles
• Magnets (bag of assorted)
• Metal steel chunks ( 1 film canister)
• Nails, screws and paper clips (bag of assorted)
• Mysterious magnet tube

  ** Horseshoe magnets may be made at MVLA on the Ellison Machine.
  Limited number of magnet sheets is available.

• Levenson, Elaine Teaching Children About Physical Science: ideas & activities every teacher and parent can use. TAB Books, 1994.
• Pressling, Robert. My Magnet. Gareth Stevens Pub., 1994.

• Paper copies of the bookmark are included in the kit. PDF and JPEG copies are available here.
  • PDF - 4 bookmarks per page. Ready to print in color.
  • JPG - single high quality jpeg image.

• Objectives
  • To introduce the ideas of attract and repel as related to magnets.
  • To introduce temporary and permanent magnets.

• Introduction
• Ask “what is a magnet?”
• Where do we find magnets?
• How do we use magnets?
• What are they made of?

• Program
  • Read MARTA’S MAGNETS by Wendy Pfeffer.
  • Show different kinds of magnets and their ability to attract the various metal objects. Note they don’t pick up coins, plastic, us, etc.
  • Suspend a paper clip on a string or thread and see how it will “jump” to the magnet.
  • Create a temporary magnet: Use a wand magnet (orange, purple, green) and attach a paper clip or nail. Then attach another clip to that clip and create a chain, which each clip being a temporary magnet. Gently remove the top clip and see how the others all fall apart.
  • Permanent magnets are the “regular” magnets which always attract metal.
  • Show how magnets repel each other. Have a child hold two of the wand magnets and try to get them together when they are similar poles. There is enough force there for them to feel.
  • Put some paper clips in a cup of water and see that magnets attract even through water.
  • Show how magnetic force works through a thin table, wood, cardboard, etc. as long as it has something magnetic or metal to attract it on the other side.
  • Encourage free play with all the magnets.

• General
  • Many children come with the notion that magnets are just to hang papers on the refrigerators and “real” magnets are horseshoe shaped.