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Magnetic Discovery Bottles

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May 15, 2014 by Katie T. Christiansen 13 Comments

I love it when I find a new sensory bottle to tantalize my preschoolers. My two newest discovery bottles are magnetic, and my class is over the moon for them! They are a cinch to make, and they are absolutely entertaining for older kids and safe for toddlers as well.

I’ve made magnetic sensory bottles in the past, but the magnetic attraction wasn’t as strong as I would like. So I came up with some extra powerful magnetic discovery bottles.

Here’s the first one.

Magnetic Discovery Bottles ~ Preschool Inspirations-5

Magnetic Discovery Bottles ~ Preschool Inspirations-8

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I just love how the chips flow and gently glide through the bottle with the help of a magnetic wand!

Magnetic Discovery Bottles ~ Preschool Inspirations-13

 

Magnetic Discovery Bottle

Want to see it in action? Here’s an awesome video about it!

 

Here’s what you need:

  • Baby oil or mineral oil
  • VOSS plastic water bottle or sleek water bottle from the grocery store
  • Magnet Chips and wand
  • Hot glue or super glue

I used my entire pack of magnetic chips from the Super Magnet Kit Lab, so there are about 100 chips in my bottle. I’ve probably misplaced a few along the way, so maybe not quite 100, but close! Add as much oil as desired, then super glue or hot glue the lid on for little ones who could choke on the magnet chips.

Here’s how magnetic chips work without any liquid:

Magnetic Discovery Bottles ~ Preschool Inspirations-11

Now here’s how much stronger the magnetic attraction is between the magnet wand and magnetic chips with the liquid:

Magnetic Discovery Bottles ~ Preschool Inspirations-12

Since magnetic chips are lightweight, they are the perfect magnet to go inside the sensory bottle! I’m sure these would look awesome with some glitter mixed in or on a light table too!

Update: We have now found a way to make a long term, rust resistant magnetic discover bottle. You can read it about it here.

Rust Resistant Magnetic Discovery Bottle - Preschool Inspirations

Now for the second discovery bottle. I like to think of it as a bottle of swirly, whirly, striped goodness!

Magnetic Discovery Bottles ~ Preschool Inspirations-9

Just make the bottle with the directions from above and swap out the magnetic chips. For this discovery bottle, I added some chenille stems also known as pipe cleaners. I curled them around a pencil and cut them in half or in thirds. Don’t you love the stripes? This is my ultimate favorite pattern on pipe cleaners! You can get striped pipe cleaners at Amazon or any craft store or school supply store.Magnetic Discovery Bottles ~ Preschool Inspirations

This one was so much fun to play with too! When we experimented without water, they hardly even budged at this size. I love how the liquid makes this so magic and so “floatable.” Yes, I definitely just made that word up.

Magnetic Discovery Bottles ~ Preschool Inspirations-10

 

 

.Magnetic Discovery Bottles by Preschool Inspirations

Here are some more great sensory bottles:
6 Ways to Make a Calm Down Jar

6 Ways to Make a Calm Down Jar by Preschool Inspirations-34

Alphabet Sensory Bottle

Alphabet Discovery Bottle by Preschool Inspirations-7

Follow Katie | Preschool Inspiration’s Discovery Bottles board on Pinterest.

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Katie T. Christiansen
Katie T. Christiansen
Creator at Preschool Inspirations
Katie has spent 17 combined years in the Early Childhood field as a teacher, preschool owner, and educational writer. She has worked in profit and non-profit programs, high-risk schools, and started an in-home preschool and outdoor collaborative preschool program. She adores being a mom to three children, and her youngest is currently in preschool.
Katie T. Christiansen
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Filed Under: Calm Down Bottles, Science, Sensory Tagged With: magnet and water bottle, magnetic chips, pipe cleaner bottle, sensory bottle

Comments

  1. Fun at Home with Kids says

    May 19, 2014 at 5:42 am

    LOVE! Remind me that I want to share these on FB next weekend! 🙂

    Reply
    • Katie says

      May 19, 2014 at 12:51 pm

      Thank you, Asia!!! They seriously are so mesmerizing and addicting :). I look forward to seeing them on your awesome facebook page soon!

      Reply
  2. Samantha @ Stir the Wonder says

    February 1, 2015 at 11:39 pm

    This is great! I need to get some of those magnet chips! Thanks for linking up at the Thoughtful Spot Weekly Blog Hop! We hope you join us again next week!

    Reply
  3. Jacki says

    February 25, 2015 at 3:09 pm

    Where can I get the handheld magnets?
    I bought some at Ikea a few years ago but can’t find them anywhere!
    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Katie says

      February 26, 2015 at 8:38 pm

      If you live in the US, you can get them through Discount School Supply:
      Mag-Wands – Set of 6
      . Otherwise I see them occasionally at school supply stores. And of course Amazon has nearly everything. I hope you find some great ones!

      Reply
  4. Ashley says

    February 28, 2015 at 10:10 am

    I saw that you have a link to put letters in a sensory discocery bottle as well. I would think those would work as a magnetic discovery bottle as well if yoy got the refrigerator letters. I don’t have any experiance with the particular magnetic wand you are using but I would assume and currently my boys (2 & 3) love anything thats magnetic letters and goes in water so itd be perfect. These are wonderful.
    Thank you so much for everything you share Im using it at home and Ive started a binder to brainstorm off of your ideas once I complete school.

    Reply
  5. Samantha says

    July 17, 2015 at 8:07 pm

    These are great! Do you think you could use oil instead to avoid the rust issues?

    Reply
    • Katie says

      July 17, 2015 at 11:16 pm

      Thank you, Samantha! There definitely is a solution to the rust!! I plan on posting it next week, and I’ll link to it in this post as well :).

      Reply
  6. Tanya says

    March 4, 2017 at 2:07 am

    Do you mix the water & oil together, & how much do you use?

    Reply
    • Katie says

      March 4, 2017 at 9:31 am

      Tanya, it needs to be 100% oil. Take all of the water out :). Enjoy!

      Reply

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I'm Katie, and I'm a veteran preschool teacher, child development research junkie, and mom of three who lives on little sleep and turns my kitchen into an art and science laboratory.

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