Magnet Town STEM Activity – Preschool Inspirations
Preschoolers love to create towns and neighborhoods to drive their cars around. This magnet town activity is stimulating, science-based, and interactive! It’s definitely a preschool crowd-pleaser! It’s a great sensory and science experience!
Interactive Small World Play
Invite your preschoolers to build a city powered by magnetic buildings and cars! Magnets are a fascinating science material for young children as they explore the push/pull of magnetic poles.
Magnets have two opposing invisible fields, the North Pole and the South Pole. When children try to bring the magnets with the same pole together, the magnets move away from each other or repel. When magnets with opposite poles are put near one another, they attract and come together.
How to Create a Magnet Town
This magnetic activity helps children discover which objects are magnetic and which ones are not. While using a magnet wand or a large magnet, preschoolers can hover the magnet over many different materials. Do they feel the magnetic field with a pom-pom or a favorite animal figure? How about with a paperclip? Grab your favorite magnets and start discovering!
This simple but fun science activity is featured in my book, The Best Preschool Learning Activities.
Materials Needed
Steps
- Invite the children to build a magnetic town by putting together magnetic houses, buildings, and cars. Small cars, such as matchbox cars, can be used by attaching a magnet to them. Optionally, add roads to the town.
- Bring in objects that are not magnetic such as people or animals. Add small magnetic objects that can go along the road or be placed on the houses.
- Have the children explore the Magnet Town with a magnetic wand by finding objects that are magnetic and nonmagnetic. Explain that they will know if it is magnetic if it sticks to their wands or cars.
- Help children learn more about magnets by encouraging them to see if they can get their cars to move without pushing them with their hands. What happens when they bring a magnet towards it? Is the car easier to move by being repelled or attracted to magnets? Encourage children to think more about how magnets work together or move apart while using the terms “repel” and “attract”.
Veteran Teacher Tip: Some magnets that attract can pinch. If there are strong magnets that might do this, be sure to explain this beforehand or consider avoiding them altogether.
More Magnet Science Ideas
Looking for more fun science fun! Check out this awesome Color-Changing Volcano Experiment!
Yield: 3 color-changing eruptions
Easy Color-Changing Volcano
Materials
- Plastic Cup
- 12-14 oz water
- 4-6 TBSP baking soda
- 1 tsp dish soap
- 1-2 oz washable paint or food coloring
- 24 oz vinegar, divide
Instructions
- Place a plastic cup in a mound of dirt or rocks.
- Fill the cup 2/3 with water
- Add 4-6 tablespoons baking soda
- Add 1-2 oz paint or food coloring, depending on the intensity of the desired color
- Stir well to combine
- Add approx. 8 oz vinegar, or until the “lava” starts foaming over
- Enjoy the eruption!
- Add another color of paint or food coloring and mix well
- Pour on another 8 oz vinegar to erupt avain
- Add a third color and mix well
- Add the remaining vinegar to erupt a third time
- For clean-up, wash away with a garden hose
Notes
This works best with primary colors of paint or food coloring, but experiment to see what combinations you like best!
I am an educator, book enthusiast, and a stay at home momma to a precious and long-awaited little boy and girl. My degree is in Early Childhood Education and Curriculum and Instruction and I have spent the last 15 years working with littles. I feel very fortunate to have this time to watch my babies grow and I can’t wait to share my passion for learning and reading with you!
