Year 1: Everyday materials
Everyday materials
Curriculum Requirement
- distinguish between an object and the material from which it is made
- identify and name a variety of everyday materials, including wood, plastic, glass, metal, water, and rock
- describe the simple physical properties of a variety of everyday materials
- compare and group together a variety of everyday materials on the basis of their simple physical properties
Pupils should explore, name, discuss and raise and answer questions about everyday materials so that they become familiar with the names of materials and properties such as: hard/soft; stretchy/stiff; shiny/dull; rough/smooth; bendy/not bendy; waterproof/not waterproof; absorbent/not absorbent; opaque/transparent.
Pupils should explore and experiment with a wide variety of materials, not only those listed in the programme of study, but including for example: brick, paper, fabrics, elastic, foil.
Pupils might work scientifically by: performing simple tests to explore questions, for example: ‘What is the best material for an umbrella? ...for lining a dog basket? ...for curtains? ...for a bookshelf? ...for a gymnast’s leotard?’
National Curriculum in England: primary curriculum, Section: "Everyday materials", pp. 149-150.
What's it Made Of?
Let's figure out a tricky question! What's the difference between an object and a material?
- An object is a thing. It's something you can use. (like a door, a cup, or a book)
- A material is the 'stuff' that the object is made from. (like wood, glass, or paper)
So, a cup (the object) could be made from glass (the material). A door (the object) could be made from wood (the material).
Common Materials
Wood
This is a super useful and natural material that comes from trees. It's the strong stuff that makes up the trunk and branches, helping the tree stand tall so its branches can spread its leaves out so they can drink in the sun for energy.
If you look closely at wood, you can often see beautiful lines and patterns called 'grain'. This shows how the tree grew! We use wood to make all sorts of things.
Objects:
Pencils, tables, chairs, fences, paper, bookshelves. Some houses are also made of wood.
Properties:
Wood is usually...
- Hard (not squishy)
- Stiff (it's not bendy)
- Opaque (a fancy word that means you can't see through it)
- It can feel rough to touch, but it can be sanded to feel smooth
💡 Fun Facts
- Wood floats on water, which is why people have used it to make boats for thousands of years!
- If you look at the end of a log, you can often see rings. You can count these rings to find out how many years old the tree was when it was cut down.
- Long before plastic was invented, most toys, like spinning tops and dolls, were carved from wood.
- Some wood, like pine, can have a lovely, fresh smell.
- Wood is strong, but it is not waterproof. It soaks up water, which makes it feel damp and can make it swell up. We sometimes paint or varnish wood to make it waterproof.
Plastic
This is a man-made material. It can be made into almost any shape or colour.
Objects:
Toys, drink bottles, bags, lunch boxes.
Properties:
Can be stiff OR bendy. It is usually waterproof and often smooth and shiny.
💡 Fun Facts
- The word "plastic" means it can be easily shaped, which is why we can make so many different things from it.
- Some plastics can be see-through (transparent), like a water bottle.
- Other plastics are opaque, like a toy building brick.
Metal
This material is often dug out of the ground.
Objects:
Spoons, coins, cars, paper clips, gates.
Properties:
It is strong, hard, and shiny.
💡 Fun Facts
- Most metal is magnetic, but not all of it. A metal paperclip will stick to a magnet, but an aluminium drinks can will not.
- Metal feels cold to touch because it pulls heat away from your hand very quickly.
- Metal can be melted down and reshaped into new objects.
Glass
This material is made from melting sand at a very, very high temperature.
Objects:
Windows, drinking glasses, marbles, jars.
Properties:
It is hard, stiff, smooth, and waterproof. It is usually transparent (you can see right through it).
💡 Fun Facts
- Even though glass is hard, it is also brittle, which means it can smash easily if you drop it.
- Glass can be recycled over and over again and it will not lose its quality.
- Some glass, like in sunglasses, isn't fully transparent, but it's not opaque either.
Rock
This natural material is found all over the Earth.
Objects:
Walls, houses, gravestones, roads. (A small piece of rock is a stone or pebble!)
Properties:
It is very hard, stiff, and rough.
💡 Fun Facts
- Brick is a man-made block, but it is made from heating a natural material called clay, which is a type of soil.
- Rock is so hard that it is used to build things that need to last for a very long time.
- Some rocks, like chalk, are soft enough to write with.
Fabric
This material is made from threads. It can be natural (like wool from sheep or cotton from plants) or man-made.
Objects:
Clothes, curtains, teddy bears, towels.
Properties:
It is soft, stretchy or bendy, and absorbent (it soaks up water).
💡 Fun Facts
- A towel is good for drying you because its material (fabric) is very absorbent.
- A coat is good for rain because its material (fabric) is often waterproof.
- A gymnast's leotard is made from a very stretchy fabric so they can move and tumble easily.
Activities & Reflections
Activities
Material Sorting Hunt
Give each group of pupils a set of hoops or large sheets of paper labelled 'Wood', 'Plastic', 'Metal', and 'Fabric'. Ask them to go on a hunt around the classroom to find one object for each category. (Safety: Ask them to point to glass objects, not touch them).
Properties Testing
Give groups a tray with different materials on it (e.g., a rubber band, a lolly stick, a stone, a piece of foil, a sponge, a plastic toy). Ask them to test each one: Is it bendy or stiff? Is it rough or smooth? Is it waterproof? A simple test for 'waterproof' is to put a drop of water on it and see if it soaks in.
What's the Best Material?
Hold up an object, like an umbrella. Ask the pupils: What material is this part made of? (Fabric) Why is that a good material? (It's waterproof, it's bendy). What if the handle was made of fabric? (It would be too floppy). What if the top was made of glass? (It would be too heavy and would smash!).
Reflections
Self-Reflection (Exit Ticket)
On a sticky note, ask pupils to draw their favourite toy and write down what main material it is made from.
Paired Reflection (Think-Pair-Share)
Ask pupils to turn to their partner and name one object and one material. Their partner must then use them in a sentence, for example: "The object is a window, and the material is glass."
Whole Class Share-Out
As a class, look at the classroom door. Ask: What objects can you see on the door? (Handle, hinges, window, door itself). What materials are they made from? (Metal, glass, wood). Why is the handle made of metal? (It's strong). Why is the window made of glass? (So we can see through it).
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