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Hello everyone, I was wondering what was a good trick to engage the kids into the concepts of magnets. Many of them already know what magnets are, so how could I get them to be engaged and excited? They are in Kindergarten! 

Hi! 

I feel with magnets there are some fun ways you can get your students exctied! Since they are magnets you can definitley pull some real world connection with your students. Asking them where can we find magnets? what shapes are magnets? are magnets big or small? where do magnets go? can a magnet go on just anything? Centers would be fun for them as well! giving them each a couple objects and a magnet to see which ones stick to the magnet and which ones do not. You could provide a graphic organizer for them to sort their findings or a small cute anchor chart! Then come back to whole group for a discussion about what each table found out about magnets. You could also provide magnets that are all different so they can see again that magnets are all around us in different shapes, sizes, and colors! 

This sounds like a great idea. Magnets can be very fascinating to young students. I am a student at the University of Norther Iowa studying elementary education. I think that exploring what is magnetic could be really fun. If could get your hands on one magnet for each student and then for the first part of the lesson just let them explore the room with the magnets. Let them stick them to their desks, the board, the door and attempt to put them on all kind of thing. This should allow the student to learn an awful lot. They may notice that they can’t stink them to windows, or they may find out that if they turn it a curtain way they can get their magnet to stick to another student’s magnet. Kindergarteners love to explore their world. So your classroom is all you will need! Good luck. If you try this let me know how it goes!

Hello,

I found everyday fun activities to do different science experiences using magnets.  A great resource is Science Experience for the Early Childhood Years: An Integrated Affective Approach by Jean D. Harlan And Mary S. Rivkin.  Although the tiltle says early childhood years, the experiences can be used for kindergarden as well.

In this book, chapter 11 (Magnetism) list the following concepts:

a. Magnets attract some things but not others.

b. Magnets vary in strength.

c. Magnets pull through some materials.

d. One magnet can be used to make another magnet.

e.  Magnets are strongest at each end.

f.  Each end of a magnet acts differently.  

Im sure there will be ideas you can choose and use with your students.  I hope this helps!