Magic Materials

Note for parents: In year 1, children will have learnt about the most common materials in everyday use including; wood, metal, plastic, fabric, rock and glass. They also learned some of the properties of these materials, such as if it was hard/soft, rigid/flexible, transparent/opaque, shiny/dull, waterproof or strong. In year 2, this knowledge is extended by asking children to think about why materials are used for particular uses.

Find the following objects around your home. For each object, write what material it is made from, and one property of that material which makes it suitable for this object. Use the words from the key vocabulary box below.

Challenges

• Think of another property for each of these materials. For example, ‘A window is made from glass because it is waterproof.’
• Find six new objects and put them on a tray. Describe two properties of the material each one is made of and see if your helper can guess which object you describing.
• Look in your toy box or around your bedroom. Can you find a toy made out of each material you have learnt about? Why is each material used?
• How many objects can you find around your home that are made of two or more materials? Can you talk to your helper about why this is?
• Plastic is a very popular material, as it can have lots of different properties. How many different forms of plastic can you find in your home?
• Ask your helper to talk to you about recycling. Have a look at what goes into your recycling bin at home. Find out why we recycle lots of materials.
• Make a poster encouraging people to recycle. Explain why we do this and what can be made by recycling different materials.
• Can you find examples of the same material having different properties, for example rigid/flexible, transparent/opaque? Hint: try metal, plastic and glass.
• Use books or the Internet to find out where paper comes from.
• Use books or the Internet to find out how glass and plastic are made.
• Investigate which materials would be best to make a cage for a hamster, who is trying to escape. Which materials will stand up to being nibbled by a hamster’s teeth?
• Which materials are best for making a mirror? Look at a window on a dark night, can you see your reflection? Investigate backing a piece of clear plastic with different materials to see which would make the best mirror.
• Investigate objects which can be made of different materials- for example, can you find spoons made of metal, plastic and wood? Find out and talk about why the same object might be made from different materials.