In week six, students in grade 2 were “Stuck on Magnets”. This week in science, students enjoyed learning all about magnets.

We started off the week reviewing their prior knowledge. They remembered the magnets’ poles – North and South, and that they could attract or repel each other. Students were also reminded that magnets are strongest at the poles. Then, we got into the fun stuff. Students saw a demonstration showing which objects magnets could attract. They found out that magnets can attract objects that contain nickel, iron, and cobalt. That’s when we made our own magnets called “NIC” to remember those materials. Students demonstrated how magnets attract and repel other “NIC” magnets depending on how their poles are placed next to each other.

Next, students discovered that magnets come in all shapes and sizes. We tested the strength of different magnets by seeing how many paper clips a magnet could hold. Students were amazed by the strength of the magnetic field. Finally, we learned that Earth is a giant magnet. Students discovered that Earth’s core contains iron and nickel, and that Earth’s magnetic field actually extends past the Earth. Finally, we looked at compasses and learned that a compass’ needle always points towards the Earth’s North Pole. Then, we talked about how all magnets can be compasses because the north pole of a magnet also points to the Earth’s North Pole when it is hanging.

It was a busy week with a lot of new discoveries.

（Written by Kirsten Franks         Pictures by Gu Jingyang）