Tutorial for a Magnet Sensory Jar. Isn't Science FUN!?

I made a fun discovery sensory jar. Both Cocoa Puff and Froot Loop have enjoyed playing with this magnetic discovery jar. It was very simple to do! 

Materials needed:

A clean, clear glass jar (a large plastic jar or bottle will work too)

Water

Magnet chips

Magnetic wand

Or you can purchase a magnetic starter kit like I did. 

Optional food coloring

Optional glitter

Optional paper clips

Optional cut up pipe cleaners

Optional nuts, washers, etc.

This project is really simple and really neat. Simply thoroughly clean your jar of choice. We ran an empty glass spaghetti jar through the dishwasher but an empty plastic peanut butter jar or a large water bottle would suffice if you're worried about glass around your kids (totally a legit worry!).

This is so fun because the objects just float through the water.

Once your jar is clean, fill with water. Add your magnetic chips, glitter, food coloring, and paper clips, etc. Put the lid on the jar.

Use the magnetic wand to pick up the magnetic chips and other items. You can use more than one wand if you have multiple kids who want to play at the same time.

If you used multiple kinds of objects in your jar, you can ask questions and do experiments about which ones are the most magnetic, which ones float, which objects take longer to sink to the bottom, etc.

Note: leaving the chips in the jar will cause them to rust. You can either empty and refill the jar with every use, or if you're lazy/busy like me, use baby oil.

The active ingredient is mineral oil, and it prevents the metal from rusting. If you go this route, you can super glue or hot glue the lid on.

Enjoy! I'd love to see or hear about your magnetic discovery jars! 

Note: after using the glass jar, I emptied a large peanut butter jar and transferred the project into it. I’m a little wary about a 3 year old playing with a glass jar.

Do you prefer plastic or glass jars?