This half term, we have been learning all about materials and their properties.
Firstly, we identified and described lots of different materials all around us making sure we knew the difference between the object and the material.
For example, this is a table. The material it is made from is wood. Hard, smooth and opaque are some of its properties.
Here’s the vocabulary we have been learning and using in this topic.
Are all objects made out of the same material?
We thought about an object (spoons) that can be made out of different materials – wooden spoon, metal spoon and plastic spoon. We discussed the properties and uses of each spoon and why that material had been used. This made us think about other objects that can be made from different materials – chairs, clothes, bags, shoes and lots more!
Is all paper absorbent?
After an initial prediction, this comparative investigation involved dropping water onto different types of paper to see how much water was absorbed by the paper.
The children made some great observations reflecting back to their predictions.
Alongside this learning about materials, we are using our working scientifically skills to observe over time. Every week, we measure the temperature using a thermometer and record the weather and later in the year we will use this data to look for any patterns.
This deciduous tree is in our front playground and we are taking weekly photos to observe how the tree changes over time across the different seasons.
Help at home: ask your child how they think the tree will change and when those changes might happen.
