Zoom, zoom around the DIY magnetic race track

Leading up to our big Indianapolis 500 race day event, I wanted to add a touch of racing ideas throughout the classroom so I added a racetrack to my magnetic board and tossed in a few craft stick race car magnets too…

To make our race cars, I simply hot glued two magnets to each craft stick for the wheels of the car and then added a number and  some stripes to each craft stick race car…

I used black painter’s tape to add a track to our magnetic board. This is what the magnetic board looked like as the children arrived to preschool…

And this is how the children actually played with the board.  This little girl sat and put all the cars in order by the number on each car….

And this little guy decided the track needed parking spaces and so he asked me if he could use the tape…

And then he added more tape to the magnetic board…

But no one actually raced around the track! I am not so sure my students actually knew what this was supposed to be…

So, my super great idea for creating a magnetic racetrack didn’t get used quite as I had expected but we still had some interesting skills being developed. The children found the board interesting enough to work on number recognition, fine motor skills, and creative expression…

Next time, I might just lay the magnet board flat and give the children real toy race cars:)  But for today, the magnetic board did invite some creative thinking and engineering so that made it all worthwhile….

The magnetic board

For those of you who have not seen this magnetic board before, it is a large, silver, metal oil pan that can be purchased in the auto supply section of places like Walmart or other Auto Supply stores.  I painted my metal pan white on one side and red on the other…

Available on Amazon

Links to Grow On

The parts of a car from Teach Preschool

Car painting on a highway from Teach Preschool

DIY Magnetic Craft stick Shapes from Teach Preschool

Deborah J Stewart

Deborah J Stewart

Every time I think I know everything I need to know about teaching young children, God says, "Hold on a minute!" and gives me a new challenge.

Let me tell ya...

With each new challenge that you overcome, you will find yourself better equipped and more passionate about teaching young children.

God didn't call wimps to lead, teach, or care for His children. Nope, he has high expectations, so get ready. You will have to give your very best but after teaching for over 30 years, I can tell you that it is a wonderful and rewarding journey.

Whenever your calling feels hard, just remember, 'He who began a good work in you (and in the children you serve) will be faithful to complete it.'

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