Magnet painting is science and art wrapped up in a colorful package. And it’s a super simple set-up project too. STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Math) at its easiest :)
Magnet Painting Supplies Needed
For this project, you’ll need a few items that you can easily pick up online or ask around the school to see if anyone has some magnet wands you can borrow.
- Magnet wand
- Various metal items like ball bearings, springs & screws
- Various non-metal items like marbles
- Paper
- Plastic tray or box (I used an old 9″ x 13″ food container)
- Tempera paint
- Cups or palette to dip the metal pieces in
- Spoons to get the painted covered pieces into the tray
Magnet Painting How-To
To begin painting, pour your paint into something deep enough to drop your metal pieces into. I have this awesome cup palette {affiliate} but an egg carton works well too. Then cut your paper to fit your tray and place a piece inside. Now it’s time to paint! Dip a metal piece in paint and drop it into the tray. Then take the magnet wand and move it around under the plastic tray as this keeps the metal pieces rolling smoothly.
See Magnet Painting in Action
We love this project so much that we whipped up a video for it!
Time for Experimentation
One of the best parts of this project is that kids can learn a little science while magnet painting. You can use all metal pieces or you can throw in some things that the magnet can’t move like glass marbles. Even all of the metal pieces moved differently. Some were too heavy and some like the metal bead chain stopped moving when they got covered in paint. Our favorite was the springs because they rolled around and left cool stripes.
More Art and STEAM Projects and Ideas
Check out some of our other favorite art and STEAM ideas!
40 of the Best Art Projects for Kids (lots more integrated art ideas here!)
Looking for some more STEAM inspiration that you can use right now? Instant gratification style? Check out STEAM Explorers!! The coolest creative experience for kids is here! It's a digital book of the month club filled with tons of fun stuff for the kids to do and learn. All engineer, teacher, and mom-approved. And most definitely KID APPROVED!
What’s included?
- A monthly digital magazine with cool themes that are fun to read
- Hands-on, exciting projects the kids will love.
- Science, tech, engineering, art, and math learning YOU’LL love.
- Delicious recipes the kids can make.
- Fun printables and games
Get ready to have some festive fun in this month's Space issue!
Join us as we explore the weather all around us for the STEAM Explorers Weather EBook Unit Study!! Kids will love creating weather in a jar, capturing the daily forecast in an art journal, and becoming a meteorologist with DIY tools. You'll love the helpful standards-based learning, printables, and tools that make STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, & math) exploration easy!
We’ve split the STEAM Explorers Space issue into four weekly themes:
WEEK 1: Earth & Moon
WEEK 2: Space Travel
WEEK 3: Solar System
WEEK 4: Starry Skies
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