Defying gravity can be an amazing sight to see. Your kids will love this cool gravity trick that is easy to perform. Kids Activities Blog hopes your kids are inspired by this cool experiment to learn more about gravity and magnets.
Paperclip Trick to Defy Gravity
My four year old son is fascinated with magnets and this simple experiment was a fun way to introduce the concept of gravity and magnetic force. I began by talking to him about gravity, and asked him questions like “If you jump into the air, what happens?” He jumped on the spot and answered “I fall back down to the ground”.
I handed him the roll of adhesive tape that we would be using for the experiment and asked him to make a prediction about what would happen if he threw it in the air. He then threw the tape to test his prediction. Right again! Finally, I asked him “Do you think we could make this paper clip defy gravity and not fall back down to the ground?” Here’s how we did it.
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Supplies Needed for Gravity Trick
Instructions for Experiment with Gravity
Step 1
Start by securing the magnet to the inside of the shoe box using the adhesive tape. Then stand the shoe box up, so that the magnet is now at the top.
Step 2
Next, tie the thread or string to the paper clip.
The length of thread that you need will depend on the size of your shoebox. Start by holding one end of the thread at the base of the shoe box. Slowly move the paper clip up to the magnet and when it reaches the point where the paper clip will stay in mid air by itself, secure the thread to the bottom of the shoebox.
Paperclip Defies Gravity
Since the magnet is hidden inside the top of the shoe box, it really looks like the paper clip is defying gravity. My four year old had so much fun with this experiment. He enjoyed moving the box around and watching as the thread stayed perfectly straight and the paper clip remained suspended in mid air no matter which direction the box was being held.
You could try concealing the magnet under a layer of paper. With the magnet completely hidden from view, kids can perform a magic trick for their friends, and really defy gravity!
Can you think of other ways to appear to be defying gravity? Do you know any cool gravity tricks?
More Gravity & Science Experiments from Kids Activities Blog
Did your kids have fun with the paperclip trick that defies gravity?
