Maglev Train

This magnetic-levitation train was made with this kit. It was a fun project for an afternoon, and the children were really pleased with it!

It levitates! Hooray!

Making 3-D Magnetic Fields

If you mix iron filings with baby oil or vegetable oil in a quart jar, shake the mixture very well, and then hold a magnet near the jar, you can see magnetic fields in 3-D! It's really cool and we played with it for a long time. (It's a bit tricky to clean the jar afterwards, but if you let the filings settle, pour out most of the oil, and then wipe the jar out with a paper towel, you can avoid getting most of the filings into your sink drain.)

Different kinds of magnets make different fields! It's fun to experiment with.

The little ones loved it too.

Stronger magnets pull more filings into their field!

Magnet Play: 2-D Magnetic Fields, Magnetic Art, Making a Compass

Making your own compass is fun and easy---you just need to magnetize a needle. Do this by stroking a magnet in the same direction 30 or 40 times along the shaft of a needle. Poke the needle through a square of tissue paper (to give it more surface area, so it will float---it needs to be able to turn freely, with little resistance or friction) and float it on water. It will turn until it's pointing north. You can check it with an already-made compass, or by bringing magnets close to it to make it turn around.

You can also make a visible magnetic field by putting a magnet underneath a piece of paper and sprinkling iron filings on top. These are so beautiful!

And there are lots of other fun ways to play with magnets too.

We also made magnetic art, with moving parts controlled by magnets. The children drew a picture that needed motion (Seb and Abe made trains, Ky made a sun orbiting another sun) and attached a paper clip to the back of the part that needed to move. Then they could move it around "magically" by using a magnet behind the picture.