Magnets are very helpful if you work as a science teacher in a school and want to provide your students with a hands-on method to increase their knowledge of how the world works. Children are usually intrigued by magnets since they seem to work in mysterious ways. They are unlike anything that can be found in the world because of the way they attract metal through the air without any chains, strings, or any other type of connections. Experimenting with magnetism is a great way to teach children the importance of learning about the world around them. You will want to keep a large range of magnets in the classroom to increase the choices of the students. These could include rod, plate, or disc magnets.
Rod magnets are straight and tall and are typically used for presentations where the magnet is kept still and things move toward it. The rod magnet could stand upright on a table and the children could practice releasing small metal items like paperclips to watch them move clear across the table to the magnet. Because of the rod’s circular nature, metal items can move in from all sides.
Disc magnets are flat and circular, just as the name suggests, and they are most valuable when you want the children to move them around. The magnets come in various sizes and the design makes them simple to carry and manipulate. You could use them to scatter small metal items -- again, paperclips are easiest to use because they are small and inexpensive -- across the table. Then the students could move the magnets over the table to see the paperclips leap up into the air.
Plate magnets are typically used inside of the tables -- you can purchase a table with a magnet already attached to the top. These tables are very heavy and difficult to move around, but they can contribute to a fun experience for the children. Students do not have to use another magnet, but can use the surface of the table itself. One way to show the potency and allow the students to have fun in the process is to have them toss paperclips over the magnet into the table. The paperclips will fly briefly, then immediately drop down, and attach to the surface of the table in a sighting that does not appear at all natural.
In summary, magnets are very functional for classrooms. Children will have a great time using them, which makes your job as a teacher much simpler. You can conduct countless experiments with them and learn a valuable new lesson every time. Using disc magnets, rod magnets, and plate magnets will provide you with a lot of different options.
