What Students Will Do

  • 🔧 Build a Magnetic Wand - Insert a large, safely-enclosed magnet into a 3D printed wand tip and attach it to a wooden handle
  • 🔮 Test the Magic - Touch your wand to objects and watch some jump right to it! Which ones stick? Which ones don't?
  • 🗺️ Magnet Treasure Hunt - Hidden magnetic objects are scattered around the room - can you find them all with your wand?
  • 🤜🤝 Push and Pull - Put two wands together and feel the invisible force! Sometimes they snap together, sometimes they push apart
  • 🎨 Floating Magnets - Stack magnets on a dowel with poles fighting each other and watch them LEVITATE. Hovering magnets with nothing holding them up!
  • 💫 The Slow-Motion Drop - Drop a marble and a magnet into a copper tube at the same time. The marble falls straight through. The magnet... floats... down... in slow motion. WHAT?!
  • 🌅 Magnetic Zen Garden - Move a magnet underneath a sand tray and watch a steel ball trace beautiful patterns on top. Draw swirls, spirals, and mazes without ever touching the ball!
  • 🏠 Take It Home - Keep your wand and go on a magnet treasure hunt at your house!

The Invisible Force

  • 👋 No Touching Required - Magnets pull through paper, through tables, even through your hand! Try it!
  • 🧭 Two Sides to Every Magnet - One side loves to stick, the other side says "NO!" - discover push and pull
  • 🔍 Magnetic or Not? - Pennies? No! Paperclips? Yes! Some metals are magnetic and some aren't - can you figure out the pattern?
  • ⚡ Feel the Snap - That satisfying CLICK when your wand grabs a paperclip from across the table
  • 📊 Sort and Count - Magnetic things go here, non-magnetic things go there - become a sorting scientist!
  • 🪄 Magnets That Float - Stack magnets on a stick with their push-away sides facing. They hover in mid-air with nothing holding them up. Pure magic.
  • ⏰ The Slow-Mo Tube - A marble rockets through a copper tube. A magnet the same size creeps down like it's moving through honey. Same tube, same size, totally different speed. The invisible force strikes again!
  • 🌅 Zen Garden Art - A steel ball sits in a tray of sand. Slide a magnet underneath and the ball follows, carving beautiful patterns you control without ever touching it. Magnets work through things!

What Students Will Learn

Magnets & Materials

Some things are magnetic and some aren't - it's not about what looks metallic!

Invisible Forces

Magnets push and pull without touching. Forces can act at a distance.

Scientific Sorting

Predict, test, and sort - that's what real scientists do every day.

Tool Building

Engineers design tools to help us explore. Your wand is a real investigation tool!

Mind-Blowing Demos

Magnets that levitate on a stick. A magnet that falls in slow motion through a copper tube. Some things have to be seen to be believed.

Designed for Little Makers

  • Swallow-Safe Magnets - Every magnet is sealed inside an oversized 3D-printed enclosure too large to fit in a mouth
  • No Small Parts - Wand handle is a thick wooden dowel, magnet enclosures are chunky and bright colored
  • Pinch Protection - Magnets are strong but the enclosures prevent fingers from getting caught between magnets
  • Counted In, Counted Out - Every magnet is counted at the start and end of every session

Why Schools Love This Workshop

  • Perfect for Pre-K - Designed specifically for 4 to 7 year olds, not simplified from an older program
  • Pure Wonder - The moment a paperclip jumps to their wand, every kid gasps
  • Real Science - Predicting, testing, sorting - it's the scientific method made tactile
  • Take-Home Exploration - The wand goes home and the treasure hunt continues
  • Easy Setup - We bring everything including test objects and sorting trays
  • Low Mess - No liquids, no paint, no cleanup

Workshop Flow

  • Welcome (5 min) - "I have a magic wand!" - demo the wand grabbing things without touching
  • Build (10 min) - Assemble wands from kits with pre-made magnet enclosures
  • Prediction Game (10 min) - "Will it stick? Yes or no?" - test and sort objects
  • Treasure Hunt & Zen Garden (10 min) - Find hidden magnetic objects around the room, draw patterns in the magnetic zen garden
  • Push & Pull (10 min) - Discover attract and repel with partner wands, floating magnets on a dowel
  • Slow-Mo Drop Demo (5 min) - Marble vs. magnet through the copper tube - jaws drop every time
  • Sorting & Wrap Up (10 min) - Fill out sorting cards, discuss discoveries, take wands home

Perfect For

  • Pre-K & Kindergarten Classes - Ideal for the youngest learners
  • Daycare & Preschool Programs - Structured, engaging, age-appropriate
  • STEM Days - A hands-on station the littles can actually do
  • Community Events - Works great as a drop-in activity with guidance