Magnets

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Home : 2003 : January : 23

Magnets
By Julianne

It is wonderful if the students can fool about with magnets on their own and discover what happens when they try to place the opposing poles together. The wand type magnets are good for this because their field is pretty
strong and therefore easily felt. Once someone brings up the fact that if you hold the magnets one way they "attract" and if you hold them the other way they "repel", you can introduce those vocabulary words along with "pole", "north", "south" and "magnetic field". It's nice to have some metal filings to show the magnetic fields, but be careful with the stuff. If kids get it on their

hands and rub their eyes or face it can cause irritation. A couple of ways to handle this - You can demonstrate the magnetic field by placing the magnet under a paper plate, then sprinkling the filings into the plate. This is a TEACHER ONLY job in first grade. When you remove the magnet from the bottom of the plate the filings are easily funneled back into their jar. Another way to show the field is to use a plastic sandwich box. Place about a tablespoon of filings in it, then cover it with heavy plastic wrap held down with duct tape. The kids can hold a magnet against the bottom of the container and shake it gently to see where the filings go. Again, watch to be sure they don't break the plastic and get filings all over. You can e-mail me if you want more magnet activities. Have fun!