Of all the science experiments we’ve done over the years nothing can be more fun than magnets. The kids love exploring north and south poles of magnets, which poles attract and repel each other, and what sticks to the magnet. (Honestly, I love magnets because it requires minimal mess to clean up and I can quietly watch them doing their own experiment independently while I’m cooking dinner – ha! #momgoals)
I bought this Thames & Kosmos Magnetic Science kit to try out and we absolutely love it.
The kit comes with several magnets of varying strength, iron filings in a box, a compass, and a great experiment book to lead the kids in experiments. After about a week the kids had left the magnets in a pile along with a bunch of paper clips so I started doing a few experiments of my own.
I took one of the paper clips, tied it with a string, and tested how far away a magnet could get from the paperclip and still magnetize it. Check this out:
I think we’ve found our next favorite magic trick! You can try this simple experiment at home too!
What you need
- Thread about 12″ long
- a paper clip
- a magnet
How you do it:
- Tie a piece of string around a paper clip
- Hold one end of the string and with the other lift the paper clip up
- Then release the paper clip from the magnet and see if you can hold it up with just the magnetic force.
- How far away can you get? How long can you hold up the paper clip with the magnet?
What’s the science? Magnetism can pass through the air! The iron in the paperclip is attracted to the magnet and when held at the right distance, the magnet appears to “magically” defy the gravity of the paperclip.
Try this activity with other items. Will this work with something as heavy as a pair of scissors? Could it work with a thumb tack? Have fun experimenting!
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