Magnet hunt

From the house

• A big fridge magnet or two
• A tray
• Things to test: metal jar lid, foil ball, metal spoon, wooden spoon, sock, keys

How to play

1. Put the things on the tray, hold up the magnet and ask, “Will it stick?”
2. They sort the things into two piles of guesses: “sticks” and “won’t stick”.
3. Test each one with the magnet and move any wrong guesses to the right pile.
4. Hunt around the kitchen together: the fridge, a cold pan, a door handle, a table leg.

Fit it to your child

• Easier: Start with sure things, a metal jar lid and the fridge, then a sock and a wooden spoon that won’t stick.
• Harder: They test whether the magnet still holds on the fridge through one sheet of paper, then two, then five.

Words to use

• magnet
• stick
• pull
• metal
• guess

Why it helps

Guessing and then testing shows them a surprising pattern: magnets pull on iron and steel, but not on every metal, so foil and some spoons won’t stick.