Electromagnet

Wind a length of copper wire around a large nail. Attach the two ends of the wire to the opposite ends of a battery. Test various small articles for their attraction to this nail "electromagnet." If you disconnect the wire, is the nail still a magnet?

Make a Compass

Lay a large sewing needle on a magnet for two to three minutes. It is now a magnet. Tie one end of a string to this magnetized needle. Suspend it in a large jar by taping the free end of the string to a pencil, balanced across the jar opening. Watch the needle. It swings and points in the directions north and south. Try and swing it to point in another direction. What happens?