DIY Homemade Compass Project

If you are looking for a fun craft for children that can be used as a science lesson, you might want to help your children with this homemade compass project. It is really easy to make a simple compass at home and the homemade compass project won't take you very long. This simple compass project uses very basic materials that can be found around the house. The homemade compass project can be used to teach kids about magnetization and will help to explain some rather tricky concepts to them in ways that are much more effective than a spoken explanation.

Your child could also use this homemade compass project for a science fair presentation, as the homemade compass would be very easy for them to create and set up, and would not make a mess like other science projects tend to do.

Materials:

Waterproof plate

Cork

Magnet

Steel needle

1. To begin the homemade compass project, find a large waterproof plate. Fill the plate about half full of clean water. Set the plate on a sturdy surface such as a table or counter.

2. Stroke the steel needle with the magnet at least 50 times, making sure that the magnet is held the same way and stroked in the same direction along the steel needle each time. You should lift the magnet off the steel needle every time you begin a new stroke. By stroking the steel needle with the magnet, you are magnetizing the steel needle so that it will be able to find the North Pole like the needle in a simple compass.

3. When you have stroked the steel needle at least 50 times, it will be permanently magnetized. Now, push the steel needle through the piece of cork so that the cork can balance evenly on top of the water in the waterproof plate. The water should be completely still and there should be no other magnetic materials near the homemade compass.

4. The steel needle will seek the earth's magnetic North Pole. This will make the steel needle point to the north. The direction the steel needle faces will be the north end of the simple compass. If you wish, you can mark the homemade compass with each direction (north, west, east and south) based off the knowledge that the steel needle will always seek north. You could even create a simple compass rose on your homemade compass project.