Magnets All Around

Very often, exploring magnets is one of the first aspects of science children discover. They can be found in so many everyday objects children encounter on a daily basis, from refrigerator magnets to magnets on the back of plastic letters found in their toy boxes. Magnets are easy to use, safe, fun, and most importantly: surprising. One of the most fascinating things about magnets is the way they can attract metal objects and other magnets “at a distance”, invisibly, through what we call a magnetic field.

Third graders have been exploring the properties of magnets and forces during our science unit “Balanced Forces”. First, I introduced them to the phenomenon of a floating train in a mysterious town. They were then on a mission to determine what made this train rise off the tracks, float in the air, and then fall back down at the end of the trip. 

After exploring different kinds of forces, we focused our attention on the power of magnets. The students had the opportunity to determine what types of materials were attracted to magnets, when magnets repelled and when they attracted other magnets, and how the magnetic force could act on objects without even touching the object (non-touching forces).

Students also explored the ability of magnets to attract objects without actually touching the object. They discovered that different magnets had different magnetic fields and different strengths.