Magnet Bookmarks
An “attractive” way to mark your place!
Topics: Magnets and
Magnetism
Materials List
 Thin, flexible sheet
magnet, adhesive
backed preferred
(also sold as
business card
magnets)
 4 to 5 cm x 28 cm
(1½” to 2” x 11”)
pieces of heavier
weight paper or
very thin cardstock
 Items to use to
decorate the paper
strips such as
colored pens and
stickers
 Glue or tape
(double stick or
regular) if sheet
magnet is not
adhesive backed
This activity can be used
to teach:
Next Generation Science
Standards:
 properties of materials
(Grade 2, Physical
Science 1-1, 1-2)
 Electric or magnetic
interactions between
objects not in contact
with each other
(Grade 3, Physical
Science 2-3)
 Magnets (Grade 3,
Physical Science 2-4)
Fold
Make a bookmark that stays put even if the book is opened or turned upside down!
Assembly and Use
1. Decorate one side of a strip of paper using pens, crayons, stickers, or other
suitable materials. Choose items that will not bleed color onto a book’s pages.
2. Cut a flexible magnet sheet to make two magnet pieces for each bookmark (size
required will depend on magnet strength.)
3. On the end of the blank side of the paper strip position a magnet with the most
magnetically attractive side upward, as shown above. Stick or glue in place.
4. Place the 2nd magnet over of the first with the most magnetically attractive side
downward. Rotate the top magnet until the magnetic attraction to the bottom
magnet is the strongest. Add glue to the top magnet, if not adhesive backed.
5. Fold the blank side of the strip of paper in half by first matching the ends
together. Smooth the strip toward the fold and then crease the fold.
6. Press the strip and magnets together to from a bond. Let the glue dry, if used.
7. Bookmark a page by positioning and sandwiching the selected page between the
two magnets as shown above.
The Science Behind the Activity
A pair of magnets will either attract or repel each other depending on the position of
the magnets’ poles. The opposite poles, north (N) pole and south (S) pole, of two
magnets will mutually attract each other. The like (same) poles of two magnets will
repel each other: N repels N; and S repels S. The magnetic attraction or repulsion
happens at a distance, becoming stronger as the individual magnets’ poles are moved
closer together. The magnetic attraction can pass through non-magnetic materials
such as the paper in the pages of a book.
Flexible sheet magnets are manufactured by squeezing a mixture of
ferrite (iron) powder and a plastic binder between rollers. The sheets
are later magnetized to create many parallel rows of tiny magnets,
effectively tiny horseshoe magnets. A bar magnet has the strongest
attraction at the poles, often located at the ends. A horseshoe shaped
magnet brings the magnet’s ends closer together. The ends of a
horseshoe magnet will have a greater attraction to a magnetic
surface than the farther apart ends of an equally strong bar magnet.
The attraction of a horseshoe magnet will be very weak on the side
opposite the ends. Sheet magnets, with essentially rows of tiny
horseshoe magnets, will be very attractive on one side and weakly
attractive on the other. Two sheet magnets will attract each other most strongly when
the rows of north and south magnetic poles are aligned over each other.
Web Resources (Visit www.raft.net/raft-idea?isid=199 for more resources!)
Sheet magnets - http://mrsec.wisc.edu/Edetc/background/fridgemag/index.html
Developed and written by Michael Pollock (RAFT)
Copyright 2015, RAFT