The Little Scientist Learns – How to Make a Compass [GALLERY]

I have loved every age that my son has been, but five is my favorite so far. I love all of the questions my son asks and I love researching the answers with him.

We live on ten acres of wooded land and my son always takes his wilderness backpack with him whenever he runs out the doors, even if he's only going to the swing in our front yard because you just never know when you might need to grab your mama and take a walk through the woods.

John's wilderness pack contains a bottle of water, a magnifying glass, jar to collect bugs or plants, a compass, a butterfly net, a flashlight, and a whistle. This last weekend, John was inspecting his compass and started asking questions. He wanted to know what to do if we were in the woods and our compass broke and if we could make our own. So, we did!

The reason this compass works is that when you magnetize the needle, it aligns itself with the earth's magnetic field and points to the north. So, if you ever find yourself lost in the woods, as long as you've got a needle, water, and a magnet, you can make a compass to find your way home. If you don't have a bowl, you can magnetize a needle and find a big leaf, pour water on the leaf and then put the needle on the leaf. If you don't have a cork, you can use a bottle cap, but be very careful inserting the needle!

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