Year 2 science · Key Stage 1 · Uses of everyday materials
Year 2 everyday materials: choosing them and changing their shape
In Year 2, children look closely at the materials all around them, such as wood, metal, plastic, glass, brick, rock, paper and cardboard. They learn to say why one material suits a particular job better than another, and they find out which materials can be squashed, bent, twisted or stretched into a new shape. The big idea is that a material is chosen for a job because of its properties, such as being waterproof, stiff or see-through, not just because it is the first one that comes to mind.
Uses of everyday materials, explained
An object is the thing, and a material is what it is made from. A spoon is an object; it might be made of wood, metal or plastic. Teachers go back to this difference again and again because young children often use the two words as if they meant the same thing. Children in Year 2 sort a wide range of objects by material, and notice that some materials are used for many different things (metal makes coins, cans, cars and table legs), while one job can be done by several materials (spoons can be wood, metal or plastic, but not glass).
The key word is suitable. To decide whether a material is suitable for a job, children describe its properties: is it hard or soft, stiff or bendy, rough or smooth, shiny or dull, waterproof or does it soak up water, see-through or not? A window needs to be transparent and hard, so glass is a good choice even though it can break. A bin needs to be strong and waterproof. A tea towel needs to soak up water, so a waterproof material would be a poor choice. Children are encouraged to use sentences with “because”, such as “Plastic is suitable for a rain hat because it is waterproof and light.”
The second half of the topic is about changing shape. Children find out that some solid objects can be squashed (a sponge), bent (a strip of card), twisted (a dishcloth or a pipe cleaner) or stretched (an elastic band). Some materials spring back afterwards and some stay in the new shape, like modelling clay. Others, such as glass, brick and rock, don’t change shape in these ways and may break instead. This is a good place to talk about why we want some materials to change shape (a sock needs to stretch over a heel) and others to stay rigid (a brick in a wall).
Some schools add stories about people who invented or improved useful materials. Examples the curriculum suggests include John Dunlop, who developed the air-filled rubber tyre; Charles Macintosh, who made a waterproof cloth for raincoats; and John McAdam, who found a better way of surfacing roads with layers of broken stone. Which people and examples are used is the school’s choice. Children also think about creative uses, such as new jobs for old materials. Children may also compare the materials used in their classroom with those used in other places, for example a playground surface compared with a field. What matters at this stage is that children can compare materials, give reasons, and test their ideas with simple practical work.
Words your child will hear
- Material
- What something is made from, such as wood, metal, plastic, glass, paper or cardboard.
- Object
- A thing that is made from one or more materials, such as a spoon or a window.
- Property
- A way of describing how a material looks, feels or behaves, such as hard, flexible or waterproof.
- Suitable
- Good for a particular job because of the material’s properties.
- Transparent
- You can see clearly through it, like the glass in a window.
- Absorbent
- Soaks up liquid, like a sponge or a paper towel.
- Squash, bend, twist, stretch
- The four ways children test whether a solid object can change shape.
What the National Curriculum says
In Year 2, pupils should be taught to:
- Identify and compare the suitability of a variety of everyday materials, including wood, metal, plastic, glass, brick, rock, paper and cardboard, for particular uses
- Find out how the shapes of solid objects made from some materials can be changed by squashing, bending, twisting and stretching
Objectives from the National Curriculum in England, © Crown copyright, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Try it: a coat for a teddy bear
Teddy needs a coat for a rainy day. Which of these four materials is most suitable: paper, cardboard, plastic bag or kitchen foil?
- Predict first. Children say what they think will happen and why, for example “I think plastic will keep Teddy dry because it’s smooth and won’t soak anything up.”
- Make it a fair test. Cut a square of the same size from each material. Place each one over a small cup and use the same spoonful of water on each, poured from the same height.
- Observe carefully. The paper goes soggy and then tears. The cardboard darkens and turns floppy. The foil and the plastic both let no water through, so the water stays on top.
- Test a second property. A coat has to wrap round a bear, so bend and twist each square. The plastic folds easily and stays in one piece. The foil crinkles and splits along the folds.
- Make a decision and give a reason using “because”, comparing each material, not just naming the winner.
Plastic is the most suitable material for Teddy’s coat because it is waterproof and also bends and twists without tearing. Paper and cardboard are not suitable because they soak up water and go soft. Foil is waterproof but it crinkles and tears when it is bent, so it is not as good.
Common mistakes and how to help
Using “material” and “object” to mean the same thing
Some words name both an object and a material: “a glass” is a cup to drink from, and glass is what it is made of. Children may also think an object is only ever made from one material.
What helps: Look at one object together, such as a spade or a chair, and ask “What parts is it made of? What is each part made from?” Say the two words correctly whenever you can.
Thinking a material can only be used for one job
Children tend to link a material with the first object they think of: glass with windows, wood with furniture.
What helps: Go on a hunt for one material, such as metal, around the house. Collect a long list: pans, cutlery, tins, keys, taps, car parts. Then do the reverse and list every material that could make a spoon.
Believing a material is unsuitable because it can break
Children often equate “good” with “strong”. Glass breaks, yet it is the right choice for a window, a jar or a lens.
What helps: Ask what the job needs. A window needs to let light through, so being transparent matters more than being unbreakable. Talk about why a mug is not made of paper.
Saying that every solid can be squashed, bent, twisted or stretched
After playing with sponges, clay and elastic bands, children generalise. Hard materials such as brick and glass do not change shape in a useful way, and may snap or crack instead.
What helps: Sort things into those that change shape and those that don’t, and ask which words describe what happens: squash, bend, twist or stretch. Notice that some things spring back and some stay changed.
How to help at home
- Material hunt in the kitchen. Pick a material, such as plastic or metal, and find as many objects as you can made from it. Then pick an object, like a cup, and think about different materials it could be made from. Ask which would be the best and why.
- Squash, bend, twist, stretch. Gather a sponge, a sock, a piece of card, an elastic band and a ball of modelling dough. Try each action on each item and talk about which spring back, which stay changed and which can’t be changed by that action at all.
- Which is best for a bag? Offer scraps of different materials, such as paper, cloth and a plastic bag, and ask your child which would make the best shopping bag. Test it by loading the bags with a few tins from the cupboard, held over a cushion, with an adult watching.
- Spot the choices on a walk. Notice the materials in the street: the brick walls, metal railings, glass windows and wooden gates. Ask why each was chosen. Which would be a poor choice for the same job?
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