There’s nothing like jingle bells to get into the holiday spirit. If you like the charming tinkling and jingling of sleigh bells, you’ll love this project. With this easy DIY project, you can create Christmas music while exploring the power of magnets. Here’s how to get started:

Supplies:

Directions:

  1. First, select a variety of rare earth magnets of different shapes and sizes. The more variety you have the more you can learn about how size and shape affects the power of each magnet.
  2. Next, glue different magnets to the end of each popsicle stick. You can glue two ring magnets or four small disc magnets or even one large bar magnet to the end of a popsicle stick.
  3. Once the glue has dried, you can start your jingle bells experiment by seeing how many of the colorful bells stick to each magnetic stick.
Here are a few questions you can answer to get started:
  • How many bells stick to the ring magnets compared to the bar magnet?
  • What happens when you shake your magnetic jingle bell instrument? Do the magnets fall off?
  • Which magnets appear to be stronger? Is it based on size or shape?
When you’re done experimenting, you can start making music! These magnetic instruments are great for teaching rhythm as well as learning about magnets. With enough magnets and bells, you can have a whole band playing the bells along to holiday music. Image by Zephyris