Magnetic bottles are a perfect science, sensory and calm down activity. As Educators, you would also love this because on one hand it's very easy to make and on the other, it has several benefits. Children are going to love these magnetic discovery bottles as they will be surprised to see the objects inside the bottle dance to the tunes of the magnet that they will be operating from the outside. Once you make it, seal the lid and store it on your shelf for using it over a period of time.
Materials Needed:
- Wide-mouthed water bottle
- Mineral oil
- Some colourful paper clips, nuts and bolts, pins, anything that is a magnet
- Magnetic wand
What to do:
- Empty the water bottle and make sure it's dry without a single drop of water.
- Now put the metallic items into it. Make these items as colourful as possible.
- Pour in the mineral oil into it.
- Close the bottle and glue the lid to ensure it doesn’t open up when children handle it.
- Use a magnetic wand from the outer surface of the bottle and see the metal clips and other items get attracted to it.
- Let the kids have a lovely time observing this.
Hints and Tips
- You can substitute mineral oil with baby oil.
- You can use water instead of oil for this activity but this will rust everything. Instead, if you use mineral oil, you could keep the bottle safe for future use.
- Involve children in making the discovery bottle. This is a great fine motor activity.
- Also, as the children put in the materials into the bottle, they have a lot of hand-eye coordination taking place.
- A kind of STEM activity, that kindles the little scientist within the kids. Be prepared to answer questions like - why are the pins sticking together when I use this magnetic wand? Why do they disintegrate later?
- To make the activity more interesting you could add some non-metallic items also into the bottle. Let the children ponder why these objects do not get attracted to the magnetic wand.
- This activity builds the kid’s knowledge of the scientific concept of the magnetic field.
- It’s a good activity that builds the focus and concentration capacity of a child.
- Above all, it’s a soothing and calm down activity for restless toddlers.
Reference:
- Play To Learn Preschool
- Preschool Inspirations