Aya has actually performed a number of experiments this year; obviously, I haven’t had enough time to update the experiment blogs. But we have been continuously working on our experiments and having fun discovering new things together. It is such a joy to teach science to a kid – the wonders in their eyes would surely be worth the effort. And besides, it doesn’t really take that long to do one experiment. To parents out there, try devoting half an hour or so a week to sit down with your children and do these stuffs together. Promise, enjoy yan!

This is an experiment to teach children about magnetism. You will need the following:

1. 2 bar magnets and/or horseshoe magnets
2. Objects to test, e.g., objects made of plastic, spoon, coins, pencil, paper clips

*Bar magnets can be purchased at 100-yen Daiso stores.

First, Aya tested how the bar magnets behaved by making the north and south poles face each other.

Uy, nagdikit!

Aya then tried picking up the objects laid before her using the bar magnet.

The spoon sticked to the magnet! Amazing!

Uhm, it doesn’t seem to work here…

Nope, not even on the pen…

Aha, it worked on the can’s lid.

Variation: I made Aya rub the bar magnet on the hair pin.

Magnetized, the hair pin now picked up the screw.

Aya rubbed the hair pin with the bar magnet again, and this time tried picking up the paper clip. It worked again!