Ok, we used a monster truck instead of a car, but you get the gist! Car or monster truck, I'm sharing another fun activity with magnets, which my kids ADORE, and another reason to use my favorite ever magnet set. (Amazon)
I see different ways of approaching this engaging activity with your littles.
You could approach this as an inquiry type of activity and say something like "Let's try to race these monster trucks to the finish line WITHOUT touching them with our hands to move them. How can we do this?" Maybe your kids are old enough to think of ideas on their own. If your children are young toddlers and preschoolers you could say instead "How can we do this with magnets?" And then let them explore with some guidance along the way. OR
Just go ahead and tell your kiddos you will be racing the cars using magnets and let them decide how they want to place the magnets. This was the option I chose as my kids are still very young, 2 and 4.
Materials
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Instructions
Attach the ring magnet to either the back, front or top of the vehicle. I used tape to attach the magnet and we played around with all options when placing the magnets during this activity.
Put tape down as "roads" or put a "start" and "finish" line.
Use the forces of the magnetic wands to move the vehicles! Let your kids play around with the attracting and repelling forces on either side of the wand to see which force they prefer when moving the cars. My young kids discovered they were able to move the monster truck best when the magnet was taped to the back and they used their magnetic wand's repelling force to "push" the car forward. Attracting magnets are FAST to connect when they are in close enough range to actually feel the pulling force. My kid's reflexes couldn't keep up and they were unable to pull their hand away fast enough to ensure the car and wand wouldn't connect but that the car would still move forward. However, older kids would be able to "pull" the cars along! And maybe even other preschoolers that don't get as easily frustrated as my kids :) Putting the magnet on top of the car also gives a different level of control. Play around with it and have some fun!
Why I like it
Critical thinking skills
Exposure to force and motion specifically magnetic forces (former science teacher here!)
Kids love playing with vehicles
Kids love a good race
STEM activity
Creativity
Inquiry skills
Option to add variety and differentiation
Check out my other magnet activities and favorite products below
Thanks for stopping by. If you do this activity please share with #hbeforeg
Stay sane mommas! We got this!
Taylor
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