Are your pennies magnetic? 
Do you have a jar full of pennies? Ever wondered if they are magnetic? Magnetic pennies? Wait a second… pennies are made of copper which is not magnetic. Why are we talking about magnetic pennies?
Because some of them… wait for it… are!
Yes, some pennies are magnetic.
Which Pennies are Magnetic?
Some years for pennies and even some random batches within years have been made with more steel than copper which means those pennies are magnetic and will stick to a magnet.
Want to try it?
Grab a handful of pennies and run a magnet over them. See what sticks.
We found that it wasn’t consistent which pennies stuck and even which years would stick. Of our Canadian pennies, approximately half of them were magnetic pennies.
Make a Penny Chain
Can you make a chain of pennies? In other words, find the magnetic pennies and see how many you can dangle in a chain off your magnet. Does the magnet size and strength make a difference? Can you spin some of the pennies in your chain?
How about you? Do you have some magnetic pennies hanging out at home?
For more penny fun, check out this post on how to clean pennies.
[divider]
Want great travel games so your kids can play in the car? Get your free ebook!
[divider]
Find out if and why some of your pennies are magnetic. Hint: Copper isn't magnetic. http://t.co/sBV8ZpQG
— Jean Oram (@KidsPlay) September 28, 2012
Well, the picture kind of says it all on this one (a capillary action experiment for kids to try at home).
How to Change the Colour of Daisies Using Capillary Action
First you will need a couple of white daisies (ones that have just bloomed are a bit better than ‘old’ daisies). Then, grab a couple of glasses, some water, and some food colouring.
Pop a couple of drops of food colouring into the water (see above–we used quite a few drops) and then place the daisies in the water. If it has been awhile since you picked the daisies, you might want to trim the ends of the stems so it can suck up the water a bit better. (The ends of the stems heal over time making it difficult for them to ‘drink.’)
Now… you just have to wait, wait, wait while capillary action sucks the coloured water up through the stems and into the petals–changing their colours. That’s a fun capillary action experiment for the kids that is super easy!
Have you tried any capillary action experiments? What did you do? Did it work? Share your experiments or thoughts in the comment section.
[divider]
Sharing made easy:
How to change the colour of a daisy. A fun and easy capillary action science experiment for kids. http://t.co/YRwAPHcz
— Jean Oram (@KidsPlay) August 7, 2012
