Cow Magnets

Using cow magnets while I teach electricity/magnetism is something I have done since my earliest days of teaching. (I think the idea originally came from Pam Green.) Today, we had a morning of Science, and one of the activities was learning about cow magnets and why they are needed.

Lacie C. helped me introduce the topic as she lives on a farm and knows what cow magnets are used for. (Although her family has no cows and uses them as refrigerator magnets!)

The tripe came from the grocery - some of the kids were incredulous that you could buy cow stomach at the grocery!

 I showed the students the honeycombed texture of the inside of the stomach.

 Then I spread it all out in the pan...

 ... and added paper clips, staples, and iron filings. 

 The kids grabbed the magnets and got to work!

Even those who professed squeamishness got into the activity and had fun!