Is it Metal?

Chiquita and I had an impromptu science lesson!  I had a little work to do in Daddy's office so Chiquita came in and found a fun toy - a retrieval tool!  It's a pen shaped piece of telescoping metal with a magnet on the end, mainly used to get screws and small tools out of tight spaces they may get dropped while working.

She began testing to see what it would "stick" to (I found out later that Daddy and her had played this game the night before).  I explained that it would only stick to some kinds of metal and that we could test things to see if they were metal by seeing if the magnet stuck to them.

We tested the garbage can, the handles on Daddy's desk, the door handle, and then (after I'd finished my quick bit of work) ventured out to the rest of the house!  All her toys were tested and it was there that she figured out that screws were her best bet for sticking, so our metal search became more of a screw search for a while.  Even the cat was checked for metal!

I could have set up a sensory bin and deliberately taught this concept but I'm grateful to Chiquita for reminding me that anytime can be a good time for learning!