Magnets (From Magnets to Magic Mixtures)

Music Time “Magnets Attract”: We discussed that magnets attract and pretended to be magnets. Magnets were spread out on the floor. First, we danced around to music. When the music stopped, we found a magnet to stand on. The magnets were positioned in a way so that two students were facing each other. The partners then let certain body parts touch (e.g., hands to hands, knee to knee) pretending to be magnets.

Small Group Project “Magnet Painting”: We worked in teams and created paintings using magnets, paint and paper: 

1. Place and tape a sheet of plexiglas (approximately 11x14) on two large wooden blocks so that there is enough room under the plexi to move hands. 
2. Tape a piece of paper onto the plexi.
3. Place blobs of paint (different colors work best) on the paper.
4. Place magnet balls (1 for each child) on the plexi.
5. Move another magnet (1 for each child) against the underside of the plexi.

Magnet painting is not only a fun activity that lets everyone experience magnetism but is also a great project to promote teamwork and cooperative play. Here are some ideas:

• Students follow or chase each other, e.g., one student takes the lead by moving the magnet ball in one direction and the partner tries to follow.
• Students negotiate what patterns they want to create.
• Students let their magnets attract and paint as a team.

What attracts? We experimented with different materials and determined what objects attract to magnets. We looked for magnetic items in a bin filled with sand with the help of a magnetic wand. We then placed the items that are magnetic on a green paper and the ones that are not on a red piece of paper.