This is the second in a series of ideas with magnets. To add a magnet activity to the sensory table, fill the table with rice. Mix in some non-magnetic plastic beads (such as colorful pony beads), magnetic marbles, and colored metal paper clips. Include a magnet wand for each child. Children explore with the magnets in the sensory table, discovering which items are magnetic and which are not, and using the magnet wands to find buried magnetic treasure. They can also see how many paper clips and magnetic marbles they can attach to the wands before they fall. (Note: These items could be a choking hazard for very young children.)
Where to find these items:
Pony Beads: Can be found in craft stores and discount stores.
Magnetic Marbles: Can be purchased from school supply stores.
Magnet Wands: Can be found in fabric shops or in the party supply dept (used for bingo games).
About Karen Cox
I love this idea thanks so much!!!!!
I’ve done this with my moms club for a science day at the park. I took the magnet fishing pole from a fishing puzzle and had the kids go through the park/play equipment and find what was magnetic and what was not. It was good for them also discussing what type of matter the other objects were that were not metal, such as wood, plastic, grass, etc. My kids love to do this at home as well and explore the house to see what is magnetic and what is not. Thanks for the idea to put it in a sensory table.
Thanks! Glad you like it!
I love this idea! Since I do home visits I do a miniature version of it by using a large plastic cereal type container (not sure how else to describe it!) travel size version. I put rice into the container, then put in magnetic letters, paper clips….and etc. The kids use the magnetic wand and push down into the rice to go fishing for the items. We sort by name letters, sort by color, count, and talk about what they find.
LOVE this idea. Thanks so much for sharing!
What a great idea! We have played a lot with magnets, but I never thought about combining it with our sensory bin!! I added this activity to my tumblr page, http://givinguponacleanhouse.tumblr.com/ Thanks!!
What I really like about this is how easy it is to separate the metal from the rice when you’re done: just sweep the magnet wands through it and it’s all cleaned up. We’ve even dumped iron filings into our rice and used magnets to clean it out.
Our sensory table has a galvanized steel basin, so it’s really interesting to use magnets in it! =)
What a great way to introduce magnetic/non-magnetic! I love that your idea can be used at home with a smaller container or in a school setting with a sensory table. I featured your post at the Living Montessori Now Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/LivingMontessoriNow
Ah, love this idea! I’ve done sensory play and magnet play with my girls, but never have combined the two.
Teacher Tom, I envy your sensory table! Not that I would have room for it here at home, but still! So great!
Thanks for your comments, everyone!
I was inspired by your magnetic table and created one in our sand table. Thanks for the idea.
sandi
Thanks for visiting, Sandi! Yes, that actually is our sand table as well.