Environmental Education - Reuniting Kids w/ Nature

Reuniting Kids w/ Nature – Compass Creation

Where does a compass find it’s magic? Science! This simple activity not only gives a glimpse into the natural world, but it’s also a useful tool that everyone would benefit from knowing how to make!

MATERIALS:

A bowl, water, a needle, a piece of buoyant material (craft foam, a small piece of cork or a small piece of wax paper), a magnet


TIME FRAME:

15 – 60 minutes


PROCEDURE:

  1. Carefully run your needle back and forth across your magnet to magnetize it (at least 50 times).
  2. Fill your bowl with about 1 inch of water.
  3. Push your needle through your buoyant material so that it lies in the middle of the needle, then place it into the bowl.
  4. Your needle will face due north!  You have created a compass!


REFLECTION:

How can you test your compass to ensure it is pointing in the right direction?  How could a compass be helpful in your daily life?  Who might use a compass as a part of their career?


CONNECTIONS:

A compass is a precision instrument designed specifically for navigation. The compass uses a magnetized pointer to determine directions in relation to the earth’s magnetic poles.


TIDBITS:

Written records indicate that the first magnetic compasses were used by the Chinese as early as 1100 a.d.  Early compasses consisted of a piece of lodestone on a piece of wood, a cork, or a reed floating in a bowl of water.


TIPS & IMAGININGS:

    • Create a scavenger hunt using your compass that you can then implement with your friends or family (take 5 steps north, then 13 steps west, etc.).  The prize at the end can include anything you’d like!
    • Imagine what it used to be like before compasses…how do you think people found their way without getting lost all the time?

xoxo,

M
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4 Comments on “Reuniting Kids w/ Nature – Compass Creation

  1. I have to do this with my son!! Great idea!

    1. Glad you like it! It really is a fun activity to complete! You can see children’s little wheels turning as they begin to understand how it all works!

  2. This is great! I have to do this with my kids. Thanks.

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