Make a DIY compass
You’ll need
- Bowls
- Access to water
- Compass
- Scrap card
- Pens or pencils
- Scissors
- Metal needle
- Corks or wax paper
- Magnet
Before you begin
- Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. There's additional guidance to carry out your risk assessment, including examples.
- Make sure all young people and adults involved in the activity know how to take part safely.
- Make sure you’ll have enough adult helpers. You may need some parents and carers to help if you’re short on helpers.
Planning and setting up this activity
- You could run this activity as part of two or more bases.
- If you’re doing more than one experiment, make sure you have enough adult supervision for each one.
- Cut out the discs from a cork, or pieces from a sheet of wax paper. The cork should be about 0.5cm tall or the wax paper 2.5cm in diameter. Each group doing the activity will need one disc of either.
Make your compass
- Everyone should get into pairs or small groups.
- Give each group a needle and a magnet.
- Groups should rub their magnet against their needle, but only rub it in one direction.
- Give each group their disc.
- If using cork, the needle can be carefully pushed through the centre of the disc, horizontally from the top of the circle to the bottom.
- If using wax paper, thread the needle horizontally into the paper, so that it lies flat on top. An adult can help if this is a bit fiddly.
- Needles could also just be laid horizontally on top, providing they’re balanced.
- Give each group a bowl of water.
- Put the disc with the needle in the water. It should float. Try to make sure the needle stays clear of the sides at both ends.
- The disc should move in the water, moving to face a different direction. Wait and watch as this happens.
- See what direction it ends up pointing in by comparing it with a normal compass. If the experiment’s worked, the needle should be pointing north.
- Next, groups should move their magnet toward their homemade compass in the water. See what happens as the magnet gets closer to your new compass. You could also try holding other small metallic items close to the new compass.
- Gather back together to discuss how compasses. There’s information on this page.
Maps can help you find your way by showing directions, but a compass helps you know which way you're actually facing. A compass has four main points:
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North (N)
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East (E)
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South (S)
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West (W)
It’s also fun to remember the directions using phrases, such as ‘Never Eat Shredded Wheat’ or ‘Naughty Elephants Squirt Water.’
Inside the compass, there’s a small magnetic needle. The red end always points to north. Even if you turn the compass, the needle keeps pointing the same way. Once you match the ‘N’ on the compass dial with where the red needle points, you’ll be facing north—and then you can figure out the other directions too!
But how does it work?
A compass works because Earth is like a giant magnet. Deep inside the Earth is a lot of hot, melted iron moving around, and that movement creates something called a magnetic field. This invisible force stretches all around the planet. The needle in your compass is also a magnet, and it lines up with Earth’s magnetic field. That’s why it always points north - it's following the direction of the field.
People use compasses when exploring, hiking, or sailing, especially if they can't see the sun or stars. They’re super handy because they work in any weather, even in the dark or fog.
🌍 Fun fact: Earth’s magnetic north is not exactly the same as the North Pole, and it slowly moves over time!
The needle is being affected by the Earth’s magnetic field. One end points towards magnetic north and the other end points south. You can use a compass to check which direction each end is facing.
The Sun is in the South at about midday, so you can also check your compass is working if one end points in that direction. The other end of the needle will be pointing north, away from the Sun.
(Source: BBC Bitesize, 2025)
When it is dark or foggy, ships need to know they are sailing in the right direction. A ship’s navigator uses a compass to check that they are still on course. Explorers also use a compass to help them find their way and avoid getting lost.
(Source: BBC Bitesize, 2025)
To watch in full screen, double click the video
Reflection
This activity explores the science behind navigation and hillwalking. In Scouts, a compass is a really important tool for navigating when out exploring. Are there other materials you could use to make a compass out in the wild? What could you use instead of the cork/wax paper? A hint: it floats and it grows on trees!
In some places, magnetic compasses might not be 100% accurate. The Earth’s ‘magnetic field’ doesn’t run exactly along the Earth’s axis, it’s skewed slightly off centre. This is called the ‘declination’ and good maps usually show this in different areas where it changes little by little around the planet. How might this affect your homemade compass?
Safety
All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.
You must run your activities in line with the Safeguarding Code of Conduct for Adults (Yellow Card) and report any concerns to the UK HQ Safeguarding Team.
- Scissors
Supervise young people appropriately when they’re using scissors. Store all sharp objects securely, out of the reach of young people.
- Science
Supervise young people, and only do science activities that are advised and age appropriate for your section. Test activities first, to make sure you’re confident you can lead them safely. Use protective clothing where necessary.
- Sharp objects
Teach young people how to use sharp objects safely. Supervise them appropriately throughout. Store all sharp objects securely, out of the reach of young people.
Upgrade your makeshift compass so that you could use it to take a bearing on a map. Have the pairs or groups draw some ideas for designs of how this could work. They could use a standard compass for inspiration.
If there’s time, you could challenge the groups to complete a navigational challenge using the compasses they’ve just made. Hide an item due north of your meeting place and see who can find it first.
Make sure everyone has the necessary help to perform the experiment. Bear this is mind when splitting off into groups.
All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.
In the past we used stars to navigate and the magnetic compass was invented around 1,000 years ago. Today more people use the Global Positioning System (GPS), which uses a network of satellites instead of stars.
Young people were free to test their compasses and change things to try to make them work better.