Fit-Together Friendship Magnets
[30 Minutes]
Magnetite, which occurs in a natural magnetic material called lodestone, is thought to have been found first in Ancient Greece and China. Today the largest natural deposits are found in northern Sweden. In the United States, large deposits are located in the Adirondacks of New York, parts of Minnesota, and Utah. You and your child can use magnetic tape and make a friendship magnet to keep or share.
You'll need:
• discarded magnetic business cards (or magnetic tape available at craft stores) • wallet-sized photos of your child and a friend • pencil • scissors • fabric or wallpaper scraps • glue
What to do:
- If possible, print out these directions. Read them through with your child before you begin.
- With your child, gather everything you'll need.
- Together, choose the photos.
- Let your child glue photos to magnetic business cards.
- Using a pencil, show her how to draw a wavy or zigzag line down one vertical edge of one photo (but not so it cuts into the subject in the photo). Cut along this line.
- Invite your child to place this cut photo right beside the other photo. Move the cut photo so that the cut edge slightly overlaps the edge of the other photo.
- Challenge your child to use a pencil to trace the cut line onto the second photo. Cut along this pencil line.
- Display photos on the refrigerator so the cut edges fit together. Encourage her to make additional sets of fit-together magnets for other friends and family members. Try cutting photos so that more than two fit together in the same arrangement!
Let's Talk: Ideas to Explore Together.
- Why did you choose the photos you did?
- Why do you think the magnets stick to the refrigerator?
- What else could we use to decorate refrigerator magnets?
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