5 things to do in a blizzard - revisited

A while back, I posted about some fun things to do in blizzard. You can read them here. There are some fun ideas there but with temperatures hovering around 5' here, time outside with a little one is limited.

What is a simple and fun thing to do inside on a snow day?

Magnets - this is such a classic fun science topic. Magnets are one of the unseen forces of nature we can really explore with preschoolers. There are rule to learn like magnets have poles and you can only put opposite poles together. They have force meaning they can push or pull something without touching it. And we can learn these rules because they don't change.

You probably have more magnet toys than you realize. (These photos are from Amazon and Fatbraintoys.com)

• Thomas and other wooden trains are magnetic. So are some Bob the Builder toys from the same company.
  
• Magna doodles 
  
• Magna formers 
  
• Guidecraft - better builder sets - this is one of my favorites with kids
  
• Melissa and Doug - magnetic paper dolls - they have both girls and boys to dress
  
• Magnetic fishing games - wind up travel sized and battery operated larger versions
  
• Magnetic maze games
  
• Wooly Willy - this uses a magnet to move around contained iron filings
  

Magnets again

I forgot one of the most fun things you can do with magnets! If you have a budding artist and want to encourage them to embrace creative science, try painting with magnets.

• Grab your paint - I usually stick with two primary colors, but you go with as many as you like.
• You will need a thin paper plate for those of you with a low mess threshold or paper set inside a box top (try a shoe box top) for those of you who don't mind a little extra clean up.
• One paper clip per color of paint is a good place to start, but if you have more than one scientist working together, you might need more.
• One magnet - button magnets are fine for this project.

Dip one end of the paper clip into the paint and from below the plate (or paper), move the clip around with the magnet. Remove that clip and try another color.

Can you blend the colors? If so, what new color do they make? Try making designs or letters. Can you move the clip really fast or does it work best slowly? Why? What could you do to make the paper clip move faster? What else could you paint with?

What else would you like to know about magnets? Can you write that as a hypothesis - a question that can be tested? Post your hypotheses here!