Give children the opportunity to experience how magnets work with this delightful STEAM project
In kindergarten and first grade, children start learning about the concept of magnetism when they cover “pushes” and “pulls” in science.
This STEAM project is a simple way to provide children the opportunity to experience first-hand how magnets work.
Supplies:
- A tray or container that has a thin bottom (I used recycled a take-out container)
- 2 magnets of unlike poles
- Washable paint
- Masking or painter’s tape
- Sheets of paper cut to fit into your chosen container
Directions:
- Set your paper in your tray or container. Tape down the corners of the paper to ensure that your paper doesn’t move as you are painting.
- Drop a few dollops of paint onto your paper.
- Set one magnet inside your tray or container and the other on the bottom. The magnets should be pulling, or attracting, together through both the tray and paper.
- Pull the attracted magnets through the paint to create a design.
This project provides the opportunity to explore the basic concepts of magnetism. Magnets have two sides- one called positive and the other called negative. When you put the positive and negative sides of two magnets together they will pull, or attract. When you put the same poles of a two magnets together, they will push, or repel.
Looking for another sciencey art project? Check out these Ice Suncatchers.
Needing another painting art lesson? This watercolor painting project includes a video tutorial and connects with a children’s book.
