Magnets Unit Study - Homeschooling on a Shoestring

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The information here is for a wide range of ages, grades K-12, depending on which objectives and activities are selected, so please check first to make sure your choices are appropriate for your own family. New information will be added as time allows. Links to lesson plans and activities here represent materials that can be printed and added to your notebook for this unit.

This unit covers the basics of magnets and their uses in medicine, energy and space studies.

A magnet is made of materials that generate a magnetic field, and every magnet has both a North and South Pole. By convention, magnetic field lines exit the North Pole and enter the South Pole. This two-pole structure is called a magnetic dipole. Even if a magnet is broken into smaller pieces, each piece will still have both a North and South Pole. A true magnetic monopole—an isolated single pole—has never been observed.

The goal of this unit is to give students hands-on experience while learning about magnets. Through engaging experiments, students explore magnetic force and compass use. The unit emphasizes open-ended, thoughtful questions that encourage deeper exploration of the topic.

Caution about magnets and this unit

Please keep magnets away from recorded tapes (video or audio), watches, cell phones, computer hard drives, and similar devices. Magnets can realign particles on tapes and erase the content—if you have an old tape you’re discarding, try it as an experiment!

Also, be extremely cautious with small, strong magnets around young children. Ingested magnets can attract each other through intestinal walls, leading to dangerous perforations. This can be life-threatening and difficult to diagnose in time. Several toys have been recalled due to this risk. Treat magnets with the same care you would give any potentially hazardous material.

Previously worded as: Also be aware of the problems with children swallowing strong magnets. There have been many toys recalled because the small magnets, when swallowed, seek each other through folds in the intestines and actually perforate them. The children often die before the parents/doctors figure out what is wrong. It is like being shot in the stomach.

Learning Objectives:

Many parents and teachers will need to create their own goals. You can compare the goals at these sites to create your own goals depending on how stringent your requirements need to be. All links have several suggested activities for different ages.

Basic Course structure https://www.worldbook.com/free-educational-resources#tcos
Michigan Department of Education https://www.michigan.gov/mde/services/academic-standards
Maine as an example of state level requirements https://www.maine.gov/doe/ela/standards/index.html
California state level requirements https://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/
https://www2.mcrel.org/compendium/ National Level
Ontario Canada K-8 Expectations https://www.dcp.edu.gov.on.ca/en/curriculum#elementary
Abeka Scope and Sequence https://www.abeka.com/HomeSchool/ScopeAndSequence.aspx
The series of books called “What your nth Grader needs to know” May also be helpful nth representing the grade your child is in. This series only Goes to grade 8

Know that there are forces between magnets and that magnets can attract (pull towards) and repel (push away from) each other
Make and record careful observations of magnets
Know that magnets attract some metals but not others and that other materials are not attracted to magnets
Magnetism is caused by the behavior of atoms in a magnet
Using simple scientific instruments (magnets, magnifying glasses, and thermometers)
Know the care and handling of magnets, magnifying glasses, thermometers and binoculars
Know the types of magnets (horseshoe, U-shaped, bar and circle)
Know that the magnetic field is stronger at the poles – north and south
Know what a magnifying glass is and some common uses
Know what a thermometer is and some common uses
Know what a magnet is and some common uses
Appreciate the importance of magnetism
Identify a magnet based on their investigations and limited knowledge of what a magnet is capable of doing
Understand that magnets are pieces of metal that have the power to attract other pieces of metal
Understand that magnets attract objects made of iron or steel
Understand that magnets have a ‘N’ and ‘S’ pole. Like poles push away or repel. Different poles pull together or attract
Develop listening skills and demonstrate these skills
Become familiar with terms and procedures related to topic
Dramatize information learned about topic
Evaluate information based on prior experiences and newly acquired knowledge
Research a variety of documents to obtain knowledge
Exercise critical thinking skills
Learn to gather and use research information
Create a notebook to demonstrate organizational skills

Bible References:

Look up and compare scriptures at the sites below. In your journal note how the different translations and versions help you to have a fuller understanding of the text.

American Standard Version https://ebible.org/asv/
King James Bible in Mp3 https://www.audiotreasure.com/indexKJV.htm
World English Bible in Mp3 https://www.audiotreasure.com/webindex.htm
World Wide Study Bible https://www.ccel.org/wwsb
Free software that will allow you to compare many translations at the same time https://www.e-sword.net/
New World Translation https://www.jw.org/en/library/bible/study-bible/books/

ISAIAH 40:22 Earth was described as round and global despite what humans thought
JOB 26:7 Earth hung upon nothing! Not atlas, not elephants standing on a turtles back

Vocabulary

aluminum	force	nonmagnetic
atom	iron	North Pole
attract	lodestone	pick up
battery	magnetic	polarity
chemical	magnetism	poles
compass	magnetized	positive
electromagnetic	metal	repel
flux	negative	South Pole

Vocabulary for Magnetism https://www.tooter4kids.com/Magnets/vocabulary_for_magnetism.html

Book Resources

Introduction to Magnets https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnet
Ferrite https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrite_(magnet)

Highschool Textbook Link to Catalog page for Opportunities in High Magnetic Field Science https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11211/opportunities-in-high-magnetic-field-science

Opportunities in High Magnetic Field Science: Letter Report https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11211/opportunities-in-high-magnetic-field-science

Engaging Schools: Fostering High School Students’ Motivation to Learn https://nap.nationalacademies.org/read/10421/chapter/1

200 Gooey, Slippery, Slimy, Weird and Fun – by Janice Janice Van Cleave
Adventures in Science Series: Magnetism (Kit) – publisher: Educational Insights
Amazing Magnets – by David Adler
Awesome Experiments in Electricity and Magnetism – by Michael Dispezio
The Book of Magnets – by Mae Freeman
Driving Force: The Natural Magic of Magnets – by James D. Livingston
Electricity and Magnetism – by Robin Kerrod
Electricity and Magnetism – by Steve Parker
Electricity and Magnetism FUNdamentals – by Robert Wood
Electricity and Magnets – by Terry Cash and Barbara Taylor
Electricity and Power – by Peter Riley
Experiment With Magnetism and Electricity – by Margaret Whalley
Experimenting with Electricity and Magnetism – by Ovid Wong
Experiments with Magnets – by Helen Challand
Exploring Magnetism – by Neil Ardley
Hands On Science – publisher: Instructional Fair, Inc.
Hands-On-Minds-On-Science: Magnetism and Electricity – Teacher Created by Mel Feigen
How to Do Successful Science Projects – by Norman F. Smith
Junior Science Book of Magnets – by Rocco V. Feravolo
The Magnet Book – by Shar Levine and Leslie Johnstone
Magnet Science – by Glen Vecchione
Magnetic and Non-Magnetic – by Angela Royston
Magnetism – by Peter Riley
Magnetism – by Raymond Holden
Magnetism: A Question and Answer Book – by Richardson
Magnets – by Darlene Stille
Magnets – by Janice Van Cleave
Magnets – by Karen Bryant-Mole
Magnets – by Rena K. Kirkpatrick
Magnets – by Steve Parker
Magnets and Electricity – Carson Dellosa by Karen Siepak
Magnets: Pulling Together, Pushing Apart – by Natalie M. Rosinsky
Magnetude: Hours of Sticky Fun Without the Gooey Mess – by Bill Haduch
Mickey’s Magnet – by Franklyn M. Branley (a cute book for younger readers)
More Easy Physics Projects: Magnetism, Electricity, and Sound – by Rocco V. Feravolo
Mostly Magnets – AIMS Education Foundation
Physics for Kids: 49 Experiments with Electricity and Magnetism – by Robert Wood
The Science Book of Magnets – by Neil Ardley
Science Factory: Magnetism and Magnets – by Michael Flaherty
Science Magic with Magnets – by Chris Oxlade
The Science of Magnets – by Jonathan Bocknek
Science with Magnets – by Helen Edom
What Magnets Can Do – by Allan Fowler
What Makes a Magnet? – by Franklyn M. Branley

Poetry + Music

Experiment Songs (from Ballads for the Age of Science) – It’s A Magnet: https://open.spotify.com/album/08EMJ7QtiK1dOz6krCLni4

Singing Science Records: https://www.acme.com/jef/singing_science/

A science song for teaching about magnets: https://www.songsforteaching.com/intellitunes/magnets.htm

Video and Software Resources

Bill Nye The Science Guy video about magnets: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3B8qy8PYaGo

Games

Create a magnetic properties GeoSafari card. Ask “Is it magnetic?”

Hold a magnet under a table and one on the table and have races as a fun game.

Activities, Worksheets, Lesson Plans, and Pre-existing Units

Grab two magnets and try putting their ends together—do they snap together or push away like magic?
Reading Comprehension Magnets and Electromagnets: https://education.jlab.org/reading/magnets.html
Magnetic Field Activities: 13-Day Unit Plan for High School Students: https://pwg.gsfc.nasa.gov/istp/outreach/ed/
Explore Magnetic Storms: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/teachers/activities/3016_magnetic.html
Make Your Own Generator: https://www.pbs.org/weta/roughscience/series1/challenges/generator/
Converting Mechanical to Electrical Energy: https://www.pbs.org/tesla/tt/tt02.html
Investigate Electromagnets: Research electromagnets: Learn why they work, how long a nail stays magnetic, how much weight it can hold (like paperclips or BBs), and more. Write a short report with illustrations.
Mini Study on the History of Magnets: Do a quick study on the history of magnets and record your findings in your journal.
Magnet Experiments: Perform several experiments with magnets and record your findings in your journal.

Fun Questions for Exploration

Bobby dropped some thumbtacks into a fish tank. How could he get the thumbtacks out without getting his hands wet?
Jill wants to move a paperclip across her desk without touching it. How can she make the paperclip move—almost like magic?
Alice dropped a sewing needle on the couch and can’t see it. What’s a quick and safe way to find it?
Bill’s dad dropped a metal screw in the rain gutter and can’t reach it. How can you help him get it out without damaging the gutter?
Mike’s uncle gave him a jar full of marbles, quarters, and metal washers. How can he separate the metal items without touching them?
Betty taped a magnet to her toy car and moved it with another magnet. How do you think she did that? What made the car move?

Magnetism Resources for Younger Grades

Amazing Magnets (Grade 2): https://www.coreknowledge.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Amazing-Magnets-Constructivism-and-Science-in-the-Core-Knowledge-Sequence.pdf
Marveling in Magnets (Grade 2): https://www.coreknowledge.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/MARVELING-IN-MAGNETS.pdf
May the Force Be With You (Grade 2): https://www.coreknowledge.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/MAY-THE-FORCE-BE-WITH-YOU.pdf
Magnet Word Search, Vocabulary, Crossword, and More!: https://www.thoughtco.com/free-magnets-printables-1832413
Magnetism and Its Properties (Grades K-3): https://www.eduref.org/lessons/science/phs0001
Learn Magnet Basics (Grades 2-3): https://www.eduref.org/lessons/science/phs0203
Magnetism Reading Comprehension: http://www.myschoolhouse.com/courses/O/1/33.asp
Magnetism Web Quest: https://www.angelfire.com/scifi/dschlott/magwebq.html
Magnetism History Fundamentals: https://physics.info/magnetism/
Planetary Magnetism: https://www.astronomynotes.com/solarsys/s7.htm
How Compasses Work: https://www.mapquest.com/travel/outdoor-activities/hiking/compass.htm
Create experiments to show how magnets work. Test which materials are attracted and whether magnets affect non-metals. Highlight their “magic” and real-world uses in your display. https://www.scienceproject.com/projects/intro/elementary/EP010.asp
Magnetic Properties (Gr. 2) https://teachers.net/lessons/posts/3652.html
The Girl Scout Brownie Try-it Science Wonders Magnet Hunt: Magnets pull some things to them. Most magnets are made of iron and come in many different shapes. Get a magnet and find out what will stick to it. https://scoutshonor.fandom.com/wiki/Science_Wonders_(Brownie_Try-it)#Magnet_Hunt
Magnetic Poetry: Try using magnetic poetry with your spelling words.

More Magnet Fun

Magnetic Motor: https://simplemotor.com/assembly-instructions/reed-switch-motor-made-with-household-materials/

How a Metal Detector Works: https://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/electromag/java/detector/

How Electromagnets Work: https://science.howstuffworks.com/electromagnet.htm

Science Fair Projects and Experiments: https://www.juliantrubin.com/topicprojects/magnetprojects.html

Famous People in Energy & Science: https://www.eia.gov/kids/history-of-energy/famous-people/

Online Activity

Interactive Plasma Physics Education Experience: https://ippex.pppl.gov/

Online video with review questions and activities about the Electromagnetic Spectrum: https://www.brainpop.com/topic/electromagnetic-spectrum/

Experiments

Make Your Own Compass: https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/dyw-make-compass.html | https://www.amnh.org/explore/ology/earth/create-a-compass2 | https://www.nps.gov/articles/compass.htm

Experiments you can do with permanent magnets and electro-magnets: https://www.coolmagnetman.com/magindex.htm

Make iron filings (file an old iron nail) and then use fridge magnets to demonstrate the magnetic fields. Watching the filings jump is also such fun.

A series of experiments about electricity and magnetism (Gr. 4): http://web.archive.org/web/20040603203002/www.galaxy.net/~k12/electric/

Exploratorium Science Snacks Magnets: https://www.exploratorium.edu/snacks/tag/magnet

How to Make Liquid Magnets – Things to Do with Ferrofluid: https://www.thoughtco.com/how-to-make-liquid-magnets-606319

Art and Craft Ideas

Make Magnetic Crafts that work with your other units.

Use magnetic paint on your file folder games to take them in the car.

Coffee Filter Fridge Magnets: https://kinderart.com/art-lessons/crafts/coffee-filter-tissue-butterflies/

Magnetic Dolls: Create and decorate magnetic dolls from magnet sheet with outfits that can be attached to magnets and stored in metal tins or on the fridge.

Information

NASA Magnetics – Exploring Earth’s Magnetic Fields for grades 3-12. This book encourages curiosity about the Sun-Earth connection, focusing on how Earth’s magnetic field responds to solar activity. It blends hands-on experiments with online satellite data to give students a well-rounded view of current Sun-Earth research: https://science.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Exploring_Earth_s_Magnetic_Fields.pdf

This educator guide offers hands-on activities with built-in math challenges to explore magnetism and magnetic fields: https://science.nasa.gov/learn/heat/resource/magnetic-math/

Magnets, including a history: https://www.tooter4kids.com/Magnets/Index.html

How Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) works: <a href=”https://science.howstuffworks.com/mri.htm”>https://science.howstuffworks.com/mri.htm</a>

The Compass and Other Magnetic Innovations: https://www.thoughtco.com/compass-and-other-magnetic-innovations-1991466

Commercial Sites

https://sciplus.com/

Worksheets:

Make your own worksheets with these worksheet creation tools:

SchoolHouseTech https://www.schoolhousetech.com/ This company gives away two free software worksheet factories one for Basic math and one for wordsearch utility that will make wonderful complements to this unit when you include the clipart listed in the clipart section.
Start Write – This program makes nice reports and handwriting worksheets for the unit. https://www.startwrite.com/
TeachNology has several online worksheet makers and a ton of Rubric makers. Rubrics work great with Homeschool Tracker because they give you total points and you count up exactly how many points your child gets. https://www.teach-nology.com/worksheets/
Online Crossword Puzzle Maker to use with your vocabulary words or locations or even dates from the timeline. https://www.happychild.org.uk/wks/english/ssm/crosswords01.htm

Evaluation Ideas:

Assemble a three ring binder and please include:

A copy of this unit
Course Description (Highschool Students)
Write a summary about books read for the unit
Write an essay on the various topics discussed
Your Lapbook created for the unit (K-8 Students)
Any worksheets or activity books created with SchoolhouseTech Software https://www.schoolhousetech.com/
Your journal and its contents
Your Log of activities from Homeschool Tracker https://www.homeschooltracker.com/free-homeschool-tracker-basic-edition Its Free!
Your Timeline

Affiliate Links

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Kids Learn Magnet Science

Unit Safari Magnets Unit was originally compiled July 29, 1999, with revisits November 2004 and May 14, 2007.