Eight-year-old Karin Barka observes a levitating paperclip at the New Ulm Public Library’s Wacky Wonders STEM program.

NEW ULM — Area youth received a hands-on lesson in engineering and magnetism at the New Ulm Public Library on Thursday.

The library hosted its monthly Wacky Wonders program that teaches STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) projects to students in seconnd through fifth Grade.

This month’s project was dedicated to making a paperclip levitate.

Youth Service Librarian Kathryn Tatnall led students in the problem-solving project. First, she provided the necessary materials which included Lego bricks, string and tape, then asked the students what additional material they would need to levitate a paperclip.

Fifth-grader Odin Howk figured out they would need a magnet to suspend a paperclip in the air.

Howk regularly attends the Wacky World of Wonder program. He attended the first program a few years ago.

“It was really fun so I kept coming back,” he said. Of all the STEM projects they have done at the library, Howk liked the pumpkin volcano the best.

Tatnall explained that last year they created a volcano by combining vinegar and baking soda in a pumpkin. All the pumpkin innards came out with the chemical reaction.

Howk was also a fan of the robotics project they tried. He said it was challenging because of the extra parts, but was a fan of programming.

However, the paper levitation problem required engineering over programming. The students went to work designing a structure that could hold the metal clip in the air. The team quickly found out a bridge or arch structure was the best option. A series of magnets were placed under the arch to pull the clip up, while a string was tied to the table to hold it down.

The paperclip achieved levitation when it was perfectly balanced between the pull of the magnet and the pull of gravity.

Once the paperclip was suspended between the two forces, third-grader Karin Barka added to the experiment by attaching additional clips to see how many could be held at one time. Barka found three clips could be attached before disrupting the balance.

Barka was also a regular of the Wacky Wonder’s programming. She said she liked the STEM projects, but her favorite project was making homemade ice cream.

The library will host another Wacky Wonders program next month. The dates of the next Wacky Wonders will be announced at a later time but will be held at 3:30 p.m. on a Thursday. The event is free to the public, but registration is required.

Tatnall said she likes to keep the projects a surprise, but hinted next month would again use pumpkins.