Looking for a fun game that lets students experience the effects of magnetism? Try the Yikerz! magnet game.
This kit contains 4 triangular-shaped mats that can be arranged into a variety of configurations – configurations that can affect the difficulty of the game. The instructions contain suggestions, but players can also invent their own.
The Yikerz! game is played using powerful magnetic stones, divided between up to 4 players. The players take turns placing their stones onto the game board, with the goal of getting rid of all of their stones. However, if a player places a stone and the forces of magnetism cause two or more stones to come together, that player has to pick up all of the stones that came together. Removing these stones can have further consequences as well: if removing the stones causes stones still on the board to come together, then the player has to take back those stones as well! Magnetism also affects gameplay in other ways. For example, although players cannot touch any of the stones already on the board, they can use the magnetic field produced by the stone in their hand to “push” other pieces around on the board.
The game includes suggestions for a variety of other game modes, including a solitaire game, a speed game, and a game that continues after the first person has placed all of their stones. Please note that because of the strength of the magnets used, this game is recommended for ages 14+.
The Yikerz! magnet game is currently on display on the ground floor of the OISE Library, next to the Circulation Desk. For more activity kits aimed at developing an understanding of magnetism, try the Magnet Magic activity kit, the Magnetic Wand activity kit, the Iron Fillings activity kit, or check out the OISE Library K-12 Manipulatives Database for still more ideas.
