Magnetism Discovery Box

This is a picture of all of the materials of the discovery box together.

This is the book "What Magnets Can Do" by Allan Fowler. This book as the title might suggest gives a background knowledge of what you can do with a magnet. It would be a great way to introduce the box.

This is the book "Experiments With Magnets" by Salvatore Tocci. This books gives a few different things that kids could try with magnets. A great addition to the box because it gives kids the resource to broaden their use of the magnets.

This is a book called "Driving Force" by James D. Livingston. This book is all about the history of magnets. A great resource for kids that wish to learn more about magnets and their use in history. 

This is a picture of some of the metallic Items I would have in the kit

This is a picture of some of the non metallic items I would include in the kit.

By having both metallic and non metallic items, it allows kids to explore what will and wont stick to the magnet. That would lead to some conversations about how magnets work. 

This is a picture of a venn diagram I would include in the box, so that the kids could track what stuck to the magnets and what wouldn't. This would help kids to see a pattern. 

I don't know how to attach a word document, so I will explain one other thing I envision the kids doing with this box. I envision them trying to make a chain using all of the little things that would stick to the magnets. Because the magnetism would transfer through objects, provided the magnet is powerful enough, I'd encourage the kids to build as big of a chain as possible, and try out different combinations of items in order to get the best chain possible. 

Additional Resources:

Brain Pop- This is a link to a website that provides many different science lesson Ideas based around magnets. 

Magnet Video- This doesn't so much extend the lesson as it does supplement it. This video is all about how magnets work. It would give another window for students that might learn differently.

Science activity websites

Listed below are some websites that contain science activities that would be great resources for your classroom:

B B B Bill Nye the science guy- This website contains a lot of resources based around the Bill Nye the science guy videos. It contains some demo's of experiments, as well as links for other subject areas.

Kids National Geographic- This is the kids version of the National Geographic website. I linked it to the science section of it, which provides many different experiments for kids to do.

A-Z experiments- This websites provides experiments for toddlers and preschoolers. This specific link goes to the G experiment, which touches on gravity.

Shoe Box Maze- This website gives you the details on a cool experiment called the shoe box maze. It shows kids the growth tendencies of plants. There are other experiments on this website as well that you can try out in your classroom.

Little Miss Kindergarten- This website is actually a link to someone else's blog. She has a very interesting lesson concerning magnets which I think would be great to get kids thinking about how they work.

Kool-aid is educational?- This link takes you to a website that gives you 30 cool things to do with kool-aid (besides drink it). It shows you things like kool-aid play-doh and Kool-aid bubbles. Very fun for kids.

I want candy!- This is a website dedicated to science experiments using candy. What kid wouldn't want to have candy in the classroom. Grab the students interest immediately, and then show them just how fun science can be!

Weather!- This is the weather channel for kids website. It has all kinds of games, educational materials, and video clips for kids to watch. This would be a great resource for any weather unit.

science games- This is a link to the PBS kids website. It has a lot of science related games for kids to play right on the page. Let the kids learn while playing! They wont even realize the learning is happening, and they'll have fun!

Kids songs- This is a link to a Youtube channel that has many different kids songs. This includes songs about the zoo, the solar system, baby animals, and the colors of the rainbow.

Science books!

The Moon Book

By: Gail Gibbon

        This book gives facts about the moon, the different phases, eclipses and more. This book would be great for a unit about the mean, and could be used to supplement or introduce it. 

The Skeleton Inside You

By: Phillip Balestrino

     This book could be used to introduce a unit about the skeleton system. Very clever and interesting to read. It should engage kids and get them excited to learn. 

Can We Save The Tiger?

By: Martin Jenkins

     This book is about several animals that are in danger of becoming extinct. The book talks about ways that we humans can affect all of the other creatures that share our planet. 

Frogs

By: Nic Bishop

     This book talks about many different species of frogs. It provides basic information as well as cool and quirky facts. 

Insects: Biggest! Littlest!

By: Sandra Markle

This book gives information on many different kinds of insects of all shapes and sizes. It talks about the many adaptations the insects have that help them survive. 

Down Comes the Rain

By: Franklin Mansfield Branley, James Graham Hale

     This book takes the readers through the rain cycle. It would be great to use to lead into a unit about rain.

Polar Bears

By: Gail Gibbons

     When we think of bears, we generally think about how big and strong they are. This book looks at how threatened bears are as a species, and facts about their habitats, their biology, and the important role they play in their ecosystems. 

The Thomas Edison Book of Easy and Incredible Experiments

By: James G. Cook

     This book provides many ideas for science fair projects,and science experiments. This would probably be a ppropriate for older students, around the 4th grade or older. 

Why I Sneeze, Shiver, Hiccup, and Yawn

By: Melvin Berger

     As the title suggests, this book explains the science behind why we sneeze, shiver, hiccup, and yawn. It also provides some experiments for children to try!

Benjamin Franklin's Adventures with Electricity
By: Beverley Birch

     This book gives several stories about Benjamin Franklin. They are all documentary style, and have a lot of facts. Benjamin Franklin did many experiments with electricity which lead up to his famous kite experiment.

Science lesson plans

Here are a few lesson plans for science lesson that could be used in your classroom:

Balloon activities- This lesson allows children to learn about air pressure and static electricity through the use of balloons. I think this would make it more interesting because children are familiar with balloons and so they can see how it relates to their lives.

We go together like oil and water- This lesson allows children to learn about how liquids mix(or in this case do not mix) together and how this process works. This would have a "wow" factor for kids because most of them will have never experienced two liquids that don't mix together. This could lead to some very interesting conversations.

Plant growth- This is a classic lesson to introduce children to the topic of plant growth, or the broader topic of biology. This will allow children to experience how different plants grow, and how to take care of them. The children could even take them home to keep the learning going!

Comet; not just a cleaning supply- This lesson will allow children to build their own comet. This would introduce students to the topic of space, and the objects in space.

I'm rubber, you're glue!- This lesson allows children to experience the process of making glue. This will hopefully lead to conversations about how glue works, and introduces the children to chemistry.

Lego; not just something painful to step on!- This lesson lets the children unleash their creative side by building Lego cars. This activity would probably have a high interest level for the kids.

Watch out! It's a dinosaur!- Everyone knows that children love dinosaurs! This lesson provides subject matter that interests kids, while introducing them to terms such as paleontology, reptiles, Jurassic, Triassic, and Cretaceous

Volcano!- This lesson will introduce children to chemical reactions. It shows the exciting side of science.

Get to the chopper!- Anyone can make a paper airplane. This lesson has children make a paper helicopter and test it in different scenarios. This can introduce children to important flight concepts such as lift.

Gravity and Water- Bend the rules of gravity with this science lesson. This can lead to a very interesting discussion about gravity and air pressure.