Magnet Explorers - Maker Lab Kids

👶Ages 4-7

⏱️60 minutes

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦Up to 20 students

🏆Students keep their magnetic wand!

Build your own magnetic wand with safely-enclosed magnets!

Then go on a treasure hunt to discover what's magnetic and what's not.

What Students Will Do

Build a Magnetic Wand - Insert a safely-enclosed magnet into a 3D printed tip and attach to a wooden handle
Test the Magic - Touch your wand to objects and watch some jump right to it!
Magnet Treasure Hunt - Hidden magnetic objects are scattered around the room - find them all!
Push and Pull - Put two wands together and feel the invisible force!
Floating Magnets - Stack magnets on a dowel with poles fighting each other and watch them LEVITATE
The Slow-Motion Drop - Drop a magnet into a copper tube and watch it float down in slow motion. WHAT?!
Magnetic Zen Garden - Move a magnet under a sand tray and watch a steel ball trace beautiful patterns on top

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!

Designed for Little Makers

Swallow-Safe Magnets - Every magnet is sealed inside an oversized 3D-printed enclosure
No Small Parts - Thick wooden handles, chunky bright enclosures
Pinch Protection - Enclosures prevent fingers from getting caught between magnets
Counted In, Counted Out - Every magnet is counted at the start and end of every session

What's Included

Safely-enclosed magnets
3D printed wand parts
Wooden dowel handles
Sorting cards & test objects
Copper tube + marble demo
Floating magnet dowel demo
Magnetic zen garden station
Students keep their wands!

Workshop Flow

Welcome (5 min) - "I have a magic wand!" - demo grabbing things without touching
Build (10 min) - Assemble wands from kits
Prediction Game (10 min) - "Will it stick? Yes or no?"
Treasure Hunt & Zen Garden (10 min) - Find hidden objects, draw patterns in sand
Push & Pull (10 min) - Attract/repel with partner wands, floating magnets
Slow-Mo Drop (5 min) - Marble vs. magnet through the copper tube
Sorting & Wrap Up (10 min) - Fill out sorting cards, take wands home

Perfect For

Pre-K & Kindergarten Classes
Daycare & Preschool Programs
STEM Days - A station the littles can do
Community Events - Great as a drop-in activity

Space Needed

Classroom or multipurpose room
Tables for building and sorting
Open floor space for treasure hunt

Why Schools Love This Workshop

Perfect for Pre-K - Designed specifically for 4-7 year olds, not simplified from an older program
Pure Wonder - The moment a paperclip jumps to their wand, every kid gasps
Mind-Blowing Demos - Floating magnets, slow-motion drops, and invisible-force zen gardens
Real Science - Predicting, testing, sorting - it's the scientific method made tactile
Take-Home Exploration - The wand goes home and the treasure hunt continues
Low Mess - No liquids, no paint, no cleanup