Make a Levitating Pencil Holder

Make your pencil magically balance on its tip with this floating Levitating Pencil Holder craft!

 

Materials Needed

• Jumbo craft sticks (popsicle sticks)
• Scissors
• Hot glue gun and glue sticks
• Small disc magnets
• Pencil with an eraser
• Pencil topper decoration

 

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Cut the rounded edges off 3 craft sticks, leaving flat rectangular pieces.

Step 2: Cut 1 craft stick in half widthwise.

Step 3: Cut one of the flat rectangular sticks in half.

Step 4: Hot glue one half-width piece vertically at a right angle onto a full flat stick base, then attach a half-flat piece diagonally to brace the joint.

Step 5: Glue another full flat stick to extend the vertical height.

Step 6: Attach a half-width piece at the top to create an overhanging arm, supported by a diagonal half-flat stick brace beneath it.

Step 7: Hot glue the flat stick with rounded ends to the bottom to finish the stable base structure.

Step 8: Glue 1 disc magnet to the underside of the top overhanging arm.

Step 9: Glue the second disc magnet to the top of your pencil topper.

Step 10: Attach the pencil topper onto the eraser end of your pencil.

Step 11: Stand the pencil point down on the base, position the top magnet beneath the upper magnet, and watch your pencil hover in place!

Learn More 

This hovering trick works because of magnetic attraction and gravitational balance! Magnets have invisible force fields that pull on magnetic materials. The top magnet pulls upward on the pencil's magnet with magnetic force. At the same time, gravity pulls the pencil down toward the table. When the upward magnetic pull perfectly balances the downward pull of gravity, the pencil stays balanced right on its sharp point without tipping over!

Love experimenting with invisible forces and balance? Explore even more levitating builds with the Levitating lantern Kit from the KiwiCo Store!