"Make Your Own Compass" Science Experiment

This science experiment can help kids think about God being their internal compass and the force that guides them. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

Materials

– Metal sewing needle
– Glass bowl
– Magnet (With north and south ends)
– Wax paper
– Water-resistant marker
– Water

Instructions

1. Rub the end of the needle with the hole on the north end of the magnet about 50 times. Mark that end with the marker.

2. Magnetize the opposite end of the needle by rubbing it on the south end of magnet 50 times.

3. Cut a one- or two-inch circle out of the wax paper

4. Affix the needle to the wax paper so it is running through one side and out the other, with an end sticking out both sides.

5. Place the needle and wax paper into a bowl of water, with the ends of the needle on top of the wax paper.

6. Watch the needle rotate so that the marked end of the needle points north.

Explanation

When you rub the needle on the end of the magnet, it magnetizes it with the polarity of that end. The earth has magnets in it too. The ends of the magnet are drawn to the earth’s magnetic poles, which is what makes the compass point north.

Application

Trying new things and taking risks for God can be scary. The truth is, however, that God wants to guide us to the good things he has in store for us. He’s like the compass in our hearts that Christopher Columbus surely heeded!

Proverbs 3:5-6 describes how we should use our spiritual compass: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

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