Everything is made from materials — wood, metal, plastic, glass, fabric, rock and more. Each material has properties, like being hard, bendy, see-through or waterproof, which make it right for some jobs and wrong for others.
What your child will learn
- Name common materials and what objects are made from
- Describe properties such as hard, soft, bendy, waterproof and see-through
- Choose a suitable material for a job and explain why
- Know that some materials are natural and some are made by people
The right material for the job
A chocolate teapot would melt, and a paper umbrella would get soggy! Scientists and engineers choose materials by testing their properties: glass for windows because it is see-through, metal for pans because it lets heat through, and rubber for tyres because it is bendy and grippy.
Example questions
Here are a few questions like the ones in the first quest. Can you solve them?
1. Which material is hard and used to build walls?
🧱- Rubber
- Stone
- Wool
- Paper
Show answer
Answer: Stone. Stone is hard and strong, so it’s great for walls.
2. What are most spoons made of?
🥄- Paper
- Glass
- Metal
- Wool
Show answer
Answer: Metal. Metal spoons are strong and easy to clean.
3. True or false? Glass is see-through.
Show answer
Answer: True. Glass lets light through, so we can see through it.
Tips for grown-ups
- Go on a materials hunt at home: find something wooden, metal, plastic and glass.
- Test which materials are waterproof by dripping water on paper, foil, fabric and plastic.