Children are fascinated with magnets. When my own kids were little, they loved playing with magnetic toys. I even like magnets and I’m old. (Their words, not mine.) There’s a set on my desk that I fiddle with when I need a little brain break. Which, for old people like me, occurs more and more frequently.
A little while back, we needed some fresh ideas to supplement this science unit. The materials we had been given were fine, but a little thin on the fun factor. The kids naturally wanted more time to explore magnetic properties. They had all sorts of questions:
- Why are these magnets pushing apart?
- Are some magnets stronger than others?
- Does the shape of a magnet matter?
- Can we walk around and see what the magnets stick to?
- How big can magnets be?
BOOKS ABOUT MAGNETS
Before you wrap up the lesson planning for your unit, check out some nonfiction books to support children’s learning. They’re a great way to introduce and reinforce concepts. And, they’re a good way to fill in any gaps you may find in your district’s materials. (Children’s videos are good for this, too.)
These are some of our favorites:
- Magnets Push, Magnets Pull by David A. Adler
- A Look at Magnets by Barbara Susan Alpert
- Magnets – Pulling Together, Pushing Apart by Natalie M. Rosinsky
- What Makes a Magnet? by Dr. Franklyn M. Brantley
- Magnet Max by Monica Lozano Hughes
We love all of these and they’re just right for young children. What’s unique about the book by Barbara Alpert is that she uses photos in her book, so we recommend adding that one to your read-aloud stack.
EXTRA RESOURCES FOR YOUR UNIT
If you have a few holes in the lesson plans for this science unit, you can grab some new content 👉HERE. The set includes nonfiction science texts, activities for exploration and observation, and key vocabulary posters. These introduce relevant science terms like:
- attract
- repel
- push
- pull
- force
There are two nonfiction texts that begin to teach children all about magnetism and they’re differentiated, so you can choose the book that best suits the needs of your students.
This is a sample of the simpler version.👇 We love the clear images and nonfiction text features for helping kids understand new concepts.
And we love when kids get a chance to get up, move, and try things out. Activities like these hit the mark. Which items are attracted to a magnet? Which are not? What can we find out as we explore our own space?👇
You might be surprised at how many magnetic items your students are able to find! In our own room, for example, not only do we have magnetic letters on our whiteboard and magnetic tools in our math boxes, we also found a magnet inside each cabinet door and on some of the children’s backpacks. One child even shouted out, “There’s a magnet on my belt!”
This science lab👇 teaches children how a magnet can be used to move a metal object. The challenge? Can you use a magnet to get a paper clip out of any empty bottle without tipping the bottle over or touching the paper clip with your hands?
It’s definitely doable, but it may take a few tries. Not only are the kids learning important concepts during this activity, but it’s good for a lot of laughs, too. And we think that’s a big deal.
Until next time, happy teaching!
MORE FIRST GRADE RESOURCES
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