Insect Collector's Backpack Kit   :   Rubber Stoppers   :   Iron metal filings, 30 g

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 -  Saturday, December 20, 2008
Requires caution
Reviewed By: Suzanne Mallery 
Loose iron filings allow a lot of flexibility in types of experiments, but they are not a great idea for younger children, particularly without close supervision. For elementary aged kids, I recommend getting the iron filings in a sealed case or using these to make your own sealed apparatus. In addition to being "messy," loose iron filings can be a health hazard if they are inhaled or if they get into eyes. We do have a container of these, but the adults use them to make experiment set-ups for the kids (e.g. iron filings in oil in a sealed bottle, iron filings in a CD jewel case that is well-sealed around the edges, etc). We don't let the kids have a jar of them to use on their own. If you're trying to decide whether your child is ready to work with loose filings, read the MSDS (link above) about necessary precautions. Having said that, there are some types of experiments and demonstrations that you can't do unless you have loose filings, and using loose filings to give "hair" to a magnet is a crack-up. I simply recommend knowing the safety precautions and making informed decisions about how much supervision any given child needs when working with iron filings.