Science and Technology K–6 · Kindergarten
What is it made of: sorting objects by material and testing stiff or bendy
Material World (NSW 2017); Science understanding, Chemical sciences (ACARA v9)
The idea
Objects are made from materials such as wood, metal, plastic, paper, fabric and rock, and each material has properties you can test.
What you need
- A tray of 15 classroom objects: wooden ruler, metal spoon, plastic cup, paper cup, cotton sock, pebble, glass marble, rubber band, cardboard box, aluminium foil, pipe cleaner, wooden skewer, plastic straw, paper strip, felt square
- Seven labelled sorting mats: wood, metal, plastic, rubber, paper, fabric, rock or glass
- A magnet
- Recording grid with columns: object, material, stiff or bendy, magnet sticks
How to do it
- Pick up each object. Say what it is made of and put it on the matching mat. Some objects are made of more than one material; put them between mats.
- Try to bend each object gently. Record stiff (does not bend) or bendy (bends and springs back or stays bent).
- Touch the magnet to each object and record whether it sticks.
- Look for a pattern: which mat has the most bendy things; which mat has the things the magnet sticks to.
What you should see
The rubber band, pipe cleaner, foil, sock, felt and paper strip bend; the ruler, spoon, marble, pebble and skewer are stiff (the skewer bends a little and then snaps, which the teacher shows). The magnet sticks to the pipe cleaner's steel wire core; whether it sticks to the spoon depends on the kind of steel the spoon is made from; it does not stick to the aluminium foil. The rubber band goes on the rubber mat. Nothing on the wood, plastic, rubber, paper, fabric or rock and glass mats sticks, so every magnetic object is metal but not every metal is magnetic. The learner knows it worked when the grid shows the magnet column ticked only for metal objects (the pipe cleaner sits between the fabric and metal mats).
What changes
This activity lists no variables to change, measure and keep the same.
Common misconceptions
Each of these ideas is wrong, and the activity is a chance to test it.
- All metals stick to a magnet (aluminium does not).
- Something bendy cannot be strong.
- Paper and wood are different materials with nothing in common (paper is made from wood fibre).
Safety card
Hazards
- A snapped skewer has a sharp point; the marble is a choking hazard
Controls
- Skewer bending done by the teacher; marble counted back
Note
No chemicals or heat. Record the activity on the school's risk assessment (Primary School RiskAssess, Ecosolve Australia, riskassess.com.au).
Curriculum references
The NSW syllabus outcomes and Australian Curriculum v9 codes this activity supports. They are references, not a verified or complete curriculum alignment.
- Science and Technology K-6 Syllabus (2017), NESA. Current syllabus; NESA's timeline is 2026 plan and prepare, 2027 start teaching the 2024 syllabus. Code read from the official syllabus document on 2026-09-22.STe-4MW-STSTe-1WS-S
- Science and Technology K-6 Syllabus (2024), NESA. Implementation from 2027, so this code describes the future syllabus. Code read from the outcomes page on 2026-09-22.STE-SCI-01
- Australian Curriculum v9AC9SFU03AC9SFI02AC9SFI03AC9SFI05
Sources
The pages the author read to write this activity.
- www.scootle.edu.au/ec/search?accContentId=AC9SFU03
- www.nsw.gov.au/education-and-training/nesa/curriculum/science/science-and-technology-k-6-2017
- curriculum.nsw.edu.au/learning-areas/science/science-and-technology-k-6-2024/content/early-stage-1
- primaryconnections.org.au/v84-sequences/whats-it-made
- primaryconnections.org.au/teaching-sequences/foundation/shelter-storm