1. Magnetic Circus for 2nd grade
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Magnetic Circus for 2nd grade
6 Demonstrations for 2nd Grade Students
Find the pole
Levitating magnets
Magnetic maze
Fishing with magnets
Floating Magnet Mystery
Magnetic Motion Boat
Based upon Engineering is Elementary, The Attraction is Obvious: Designing Maglev Systems

2. Activity Guide
Challenge: look at the Challenge. Discuss what it means to create a toy that moves without electricity or batteries. (5-10 minutes)
Generate Ideas and Multiple Perspectives (instructor choice)
Research and Revise (and Test Your Mettle)
Activity 1: demonstrate all 6 of the magnetic circus stations OR divide your students into 6 groups and let them rotate to each station while they complete the activities. Strongly suggest that you have assistants for each station. (24-30 minutes – about 4-5 minutes per station
Activity 2: go over the discussion questions. (5-10 minutes)
Go Public: revisit the challenge (10 – 15 minutes, or instructor decides timing) to allow discussion and “building” opportunities.

3. Teacher Tips
This activity is meant to be set up as 6 separate stations.
The teacher can present each station as a demonstration with the class traveling to each station as it is presented.
The teacher can also divide the class into 6 groups and allow the groups to participate in 6 hands-on activities; strongly suggested that helpers (older students, or parents, or volunteers) one per station is on hand and can explain the demonstration.
It is helpful to practice with the magnets before presenting the demonstrations.
Finding the poles can be tricky and requires holding the magnet with the known poles at an angle to the “unknown” magnet.
The Floating Magnet Mystery requires patience, but truly looks like a mystery.
You will need to fill the pitcher for the Magnetic Motion Boat with 2 liters of water before the activities begin.

4. Teacher Prep Obtain materials - in 2nd grade cabinets – see next page.
Prepare demonstrations - one each at 6 tables:
Find the pole
Levitating magnets
Magnetic maze
Fishing with magnets
Floating Magnet Magic
Magnetic Motion Boat
Give each student a copy of “Magnet Worksheet” and a pencil
Note that answers to the problems or further notes are found in the notes section found in presentation mode of this PowerPoint.

5. Materials for all demonstrations These are stored in bins in drawers.
Image of all materials on next page
Magnetic Fishing:
24 copies “Magnets Worksheet” stored in lower left filing drawer in mechanical room
Fishing pole – pencil with a ring magnet tied one end
24 pencils
Plastic container filled with:
Plastic balls
Finding the poles:
Pennies
Pieces of aluminum foil
1 magnet with north
Paper clips
and south marked
Washers
1 bar magnet
Nuts
Pieces of cardboard
1 ring magnet
Marbles
1 disc magnet
Floating Magnet Mystery
Levitating magnets:
1 paper clip attached to 12-inch piece of nylon thread
4 ring magnets with green dots
1 bar magnet (the unmarked black magnets work great)
1 piece of ½-inch PVC
Magnetic Motion Boat:
1 2-inch ball of clay
1 12-inch plastic bowl
1 sheet foam core with 8 sheet rock anchors in a circle
Magnetic Maze:
1 maze laminated to cardstock
8 ring magnets with red dots
1 ping pong ball with disc magnet glued on bottom
1 small piece of metal
1 plastic jug with 2 liters of water in it

6. Image of all materials

7. Location of All Materials
Drawer 1a1 contents:
Ring magnets marked with red dots and green dots
Ring magnet - unmarked
Bar magnets, ceramic, unmarked
“Fishing” pole – pencil with ring magnet attached with string
Box of 2 bar magnets, marked with North and South poles
Paper clip with thread attached
Ping pong ball with ring magnet glued on bottom
Mechanical pencils
Ball of modeling clay
1a1
Drawer 1a3 contents:
Pitcher to carry water
Box of magnetic and non-magnetic objects
Drawer 1a4 contents:
Laminated maze
12-inch shallow white plastic dish
Foam core with 8 sheet-rock anchors attached
Magnet Worksheet:
Stored in file cabinet in equipment room lower left as you walk in the door
1a3
1a4

8. Worksheet

9. Challenge The circus is in town.
They need toys that do not use electricity or batteries.
They asked your class to make toys for them.
Use magnets to make a toy that moves without using electricity or batteries.
Show the students that you can make magnets move using other magnets. Leave one magnet on the table and use another magnet to make the magnet on the table move away from (repel) or toward (attract) the magnet that you are holding.

10. Guiding Question What is a magnet and what does it do?
What are poles in a magnet?
What does repel mean?
What does attract mean?
What is a magnet field?
A magnet is an object that attracts certain materials, such as iron or steel. The areas where the magnetic forces are concentrated are the poles. Repel means to push away. Attract means to pull toward. A magnetic field is the space around a magnet where the force of the magnet can act. (Definitions from Harcourt Brace science dictionary)

11. Activity 1 – Rotate to the stations of the magnetic circus (24-30 minutes)
Finding the poles
Levitating Magnets
Magnetic Maze
Magnetic Fishing
Floating Magnet Mystery
Magnetic Motion Boat

12. Finding the poles Materials 1 magnet with north and south marked
1 bar magnet
1 disc magnet
1 ring magnet

13. Test disc magnet Lay the disc magnet down flat on the table.
Holding the labeled magnet at a slight angle to the table, push the North end toward the top side of the disc magnet. What happened?
Again holding the labeled magnet at a slight angle to the table, push the South end toward the top side of the disc magnet. What happened?
Label the location of the disc magnet poles on your worksheet – question 1.
If you pushed the North pole against one side of the disc magnet and it pushed the magnet away, you were pushing against the North pole of the disc magnet. Like poles repel each other or force each other away.
If you pushed the North pole against one side of the disc magnet and it pulled toward the magnet, then that side is the South pole of the disc magnet. Opposite poles attract each other or pull each other together.

14. Test ring magnet Lay the ring magnet down on the table.
Holding the labeled magnet at a slight angle to the table, push the South end toward the top side of the ring magnet. What happened?
Holding the labeled magnet at a slight angle to the table, push the North end toward the top side of the ring magnet. What happened?
Label the location of the ring magnet poles on your worksheet – question 1.
If you pushed the North pole against one side of the ring magnet and it pushed the magnet away, you were pushing against the North pole of the ring magnet. This is called “repel” or repulsion. Like poles repel each other.
If you pushed the North pole against one side of the ring magnet and it pulled toward the magnet, then that side is the South pole of the ring magnet. This is called “attract” or attraction. Opposite poles attract each other.

15. Test the bar magnet Lay the bar magnet down on its widest side.
Holding the labeled magnet at a slight angle to the table, push the South toward the top side of the bar magnet. What happened?
Holding the labeled magnet at a slight angle to the table, push the North toward the same top side of the bar magnet. What happened?
Label the location of the bar magnet poles on your worksheet – question 1.
If the magnets separated or pushed each other away, the poles are the same. So South attracts North.
If the magnets pulled together, then poles are opposite. So South repels South.

16. Levitating Magnets Materials
4 ring magnets with green dots on one side
3/4-inch diameter piece of PVC pipe, the “post”
1, 2-inch ball of clay

17. Set Up Stick ball of clay to table.
Stick PVC in clay perpendicular to the table.

18. Add magnets to post
Place magnets on post by sliding magnets over the post. Start sticker side up.
Make sure that the magnets are placed sticker side to sticker side; plain side to plain side.
All the same poles are marked with stickers.
What makes the magnets “levitate”?
What are these forces called?
The forces of like magnets repelling each other cause the magnets to levitate. Like poles repel like poles. The post prevents them from pushing each other off, but keeps them levitating! These forces are caused by the magnetic fields and are thus called “magnetic forces”. When like poles face each other (North facing North) the magnetic forces act to repel, called a repulsive force or repelling force.
If you placed magnets such that North faces South on the post, you would see that opposite poles attract and the force acting in the magnetic fields is called an attracting force, or attraction force.

19. Discuss what happened? And why?
What happened with the ring magnets when you pushed North poles against North poles?
What is this force called?
So if you put a ring magnet with its North pole facing the North pole of another ring magnet, what will happen?
If these magnets are forced to stay on top of one another, what do they do?
Answer question 2 on your worksheet.
The North poles pushed each other away.
The force is called repulsion.
They will repel each other.
They will levitate.

20. Magnetic Maze Materials 1 maze laminated to cardstock
1 bar magnet – the black bar magnets work well
1 small piece of metal

21. Hold the maze so that it faces students
You may need an assistant to hold the maze while you manipulate the piece of metal through the maze.

22. Hold the metal at the start line in front of the maze.
Make sure to keep the maze facing the students so that they cannot see the magnet.

23. Place magnet in back of maze near the start line so that it holds the metal in place.
This takes a little practice, but an assistant can help by holding the maze in place. Be sure to make it so that the students cannot see the back of the maze.

24. Manipulate magnet so that metal travels through maze.

25. How does this work? Is it magic?
What kept the metal piece on the maze?
Answer the question 3 on your worksheet.
Would this have worked with a plastic piece?
Magnetic force kept metal piece on maze. No, plastic is not a metal and a magnet is not attracted to it.

26. Fishing with magnets Materials
Fishing pole – pencil with ring magnet tied to one end
Plastic container filled with:
Plastic balls
Pennies
Pieces of aluminum foil
Paper clips
Washers
Nuts
Pieces of cardboard
marbles

27. Open the plastic container with magnetic and non-magnetic items inside.

28. Use fishing pole to “fish” in the container.
Discuss what the magnet “caught,” what it could not “catch,” and why.
What is an easy way to see if an object contains metal/iron?
Answer question 4 on your worksheet.
Magnets are only attracted to metal objects that contain iron. Glass, plastic, wood, paper, etc are not attracted to a magnet. Hold a magnet next to it. If the object contains metal/iron, the magnet will be attracted to it. Tip: the aluminum is in thin squares. It may get “caught” because it is trapped between the magnet and a piece of iron containing metal.
If the aluminum got “caught” by the fishing pole, what really was holding it in place? Is a magnet attracted to aluminum?

29. Floating Magnet Mystery
Materials
1 paper clip tied to a 12-inch piece of nylon thread
1 ceramic bar magnet

30. Wrap loose end of thread around your finger leaving about 6-inches of thread between you and the paper clip.

31. - Float the magnet over the paper clip until it is attracted to the magnet, but not attached to it. - Force the paper clip to float in space.
This takes a little patience, but is just like magic! It is incredible how strong the magnetic field is.

32. How did this work? What forces kept the paper clip in the air?
Answer question 5 on your worksheet.

33. Magnetic Motion Boat Materials 1 12-inch plastic bowl
1 sheet foam core with 8 sheet rock anchors in a circle
8 ring magnets with red stickers on one side
1 ping pong ball “boat” with disc magnet glued on bottom
1 plastic jug filled with 2 liters of water.

34. Set up magnetic pool
Place ring magnets on sheet rock anchors so that all the stickers are facing down.
Place bowl in center and ½ fill with water.

35. Place ping pong ball in center of water with magnet side down

36. Flip one magnet over What happens? Why?
The ping pong ball moves away from magnets that have the same pole facing up and moves toward the magnets that have an opposite pole facing up.

37. Flip the same magnet back over
What happens? Why?
The opposite pole facing up will attract the magnet towards it. Same pole facing up will repel the ball.

38. Try different configurations of magnets
See if you can make the ball move from one side of the bowl all the way to the other side.
Put magnets with 4 in a row facing up and 4 in a row facing down. The like poles will push/repel the ping pong ball; the opposite poles with pull/attract the ping pong ball.

39. What made the ball move in the water?
Did anyone touch the ball to make it move?
What do you call forces that made the ball move?
Answer question 6 on your worksheet

40. Activity 2 - Discussion
If you had several objects and you wanted to find out if they were magnetic, what would you do to test this?
If you had a magnet with North and South Poles marked and several unmarked magnets that the teacher asked you to label with North and South poles, how could you do this?

41. Go Public – Revisit Challenge
The circus is in town.
They need toys that do not use electricity or batteries.
They asked your class to make toys for them.
Use magnets to make a toy that moves without using electricity or batteries.
What type of toy do you want to make? What must one material in the toy be made from? How would you make the toy move? Draw it. Describe how it moves. Give the toy a name! If you have time and materials, build the toy.

42. Vocabulary
Magnet – an object that attracts certain materials, such as metal or iron.
Repel – to push away
Attract – to pull toward
Magnetic field – the area around a magnet where the force of the magnet can attract or repel another magnet or a piece of steel/iron.
Pole (on a magnet) – the place on a magnet where the forces are concentrated – the strongest part of the magnet.