Dowling Magnets Alnico Magnet Science Kit. Magnets for Kids Including 2 Horseshoe Magnets, 1 Bar Magnet, Iron Filings and Iron Shapes for Fun Science Experiments. Item 731009. Ages 8+

I purchased this for a science fair project my first grader is working on. Like other reviewers, I agree that the quality of the magnets is good, and the magnets are durable. The kit comes with a two inch horseshoe-shaped magnet, a one-inch horseshoe-shaped magnet, a two inch bar magnet, and also a tube of iron filings, as well as a tube of very tiny steel pieces.I also agree that a basic book on magnets would have been very helpful. I purchased several titles to give my daughter basic information on magnets, presented in an interesting manner:What Magnets Can Do (Rookie Read-About Science)What Makes a Magnet? (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science 2)Janice VanCleave's Magnets: Mind-boggling Experiments You Can Turn Into Science Fair Projects - contains simple to slightly more complex experiments

This is a great set -- it comes with two horseshoe magnets, a bar magnet, a vial of iron slubs and a vial of iron filings. The magnets are durable -- despite being dropped on tile floors and outside on the concrete. Recommended for anybody.We use it with two magnet books:1) What Makes a Magnet? (Let's Read and Find Out)2) Magnets (All Aboard Science)It's perfect for a summer homeschool science unit or just fooling around.MAGNETS ARE REAL -- they are not for kids who might eat them.

The magnets are quite strong and well made. My boys ( 9 and 5) were very interested in them for a couple of days and then lost interest. This is not a toy they come back to again and again. Getting the filings off the magnets can be a bit of a bother. And if the filings get mixed up with the steel bits, you'll need to get a sieve out to separate them.

These magnets are strong and a lot of fun. They are definitely a little fragile. Don't drop one onto a hard surface. We had one break when it fell onto a tile floor from about 2-3 feet high. Maybe it just hit the tile in the perfect way to break. But once broken, they aren't super useful.I like the tube of little bits of metal (the steel shapes). In the other tube I expected iron shavings but in reality it is more like a very fine iron powder. Be careful with this one. I'd keep a sheet of paper or something between your magnet and the iron dust. It is super hard to get off of the magnet.All that said, my son LOVES playing with these magnets.

Good quality magnets. I bought these for my after school program because I can't stand the cheap plastic coated ones. The tubes filled with metal granules are not sealed. They are meant to be opened and dumped out so you can manipulate them with magnets. Not ideal for a classroom or busy after school program, but rather better suited for 1 or 2 children to play with at home in that way.

I bought the set for the science project I'm doing with my kid. The magnets are way too small to do actual science experiment. It's a nice toy if your kid just wants to play around. I couldn't make a compass out of it. We tried to make needle magnet, but it didn't last more than one and half minutes.

We got this for our sons 9th birthday. He loves magnets and fiddles with things he has used the small metal pieces to pull and drag around the floor and on paper. I like the magnets are sturdy and duriable. This is not a cheap set, it is very well made. He uses the package it came in for storage also.

As soon as it came out of the package, and my son started to play with it, a piece of the magnet broke off. Returned it ASAP.