How to Make Truck Magnets

There are many kinds of trucks that interest children.

Children are slates just waiting to be filled with knowledge and learning experiences. The natural fascination for magnets combined with a child’s love of trucks can provide an excellent incentive to create magnets at home while teaching about the properties of magnets. Printable magnet sheets with one side featuring matte-coated paper make truck magnet-making simple if you own a computer and printer. Download your own or other images of trucks, and print them onto the magnets. Include the child in the image selection process to encourage ownership of the craft project.

Things You'll Need

• Printable magnet sheets - white
• Truck images
• Computer with Internet access
• Computer printer with color ink
• Clear self-adhesive paper
• Scissors

Instructions

1. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for loading the magnet sheets into your computer printer for the brand of printable magnet sheets that you have purchased. Use this time to discuss with your student/child some magnet facts.

2. Search online for images of trucks or select digital photographs you have taken and saved. If your child/student has a certain brand of truck he or she is most fond of, try locating the websites for those trucks. There are many popular television shows and movie dedicated to certain car and truck characters. These car and truck characters and their shows/movies often have entertaining websites where you can save and print colorful images for your magnets.

3. 

   Explore the magnet sheet's brand website for magnet templates.

   Print the photographs onto the printable magnet sheets in the size and arrangement you desire. Many of the different brands of magnet sheets have company websites that provide free templates you can utilize for magnet design or you can simply print the image by itself.

4. Cut a piece of clear self-adhesive paper large enough to cover your truck image. If you made an entire sheet of truck magnets, cover the entire sheet with a piece of self-adhesive clear paper.

5. Remove the paper backing from the self-adhesive paper and press it firmly over your truck image/magnet.

6. 

   Cut the truck magnet from the magnet sheet.

   Cut the truck magnet from the printable magnet sheet. According to My Schoolhouse, magnets stick to anything containing iron, but “scientists have developed and discovered materials that are non-ferrous (no iron) that will act as magnets and be attracted to magnets.”

Tips & Warnings

• If you don’t have color ink, you can print black and white images of trucks, and allow the child/student to color the trucks with colored pencils, markers, or crayons before putting the self-adhesive clear paper over the magnets. Children like to color; it gives them a sense of participation in the magnet-making process. Printable magnet sheets are available wherever computer printer paper and supplies are sold.

References

• United States Department of Energy: Ask a Scientist How Magnets Work
• My Schoolhouse: Magnets Lessons

Resources

• Power Block TV: Truck Images