Science and Technology K–6 · Years 1–2

Bend, twist, stretch and fold: changing materials without changing what they are

Material World (NSW 2017); Science understanding, Chemical sciences (ACARA v9)

PracticalLow risk

The idea

Physical actions change a material's shape, and some changes spring back while others stay, but the material stays the same stuff.

What you need

Samples per group: a paper strip, a strip of thin plastic (a cut milk bottle), a piece of aluminium foil, a rubber band, a pipe cleaner, a wooden paddle-pop stick, a lump of playdough, a piece of cotton fabric
A recording grid with rows for each sample and columns bend, twist, stretch, tear or break, springs back or stays
For the fold test: five identical paper strips 15 cm long and 5 cm wide, two stacks of books about 15 cm tall standing 10 cm apart on one table top, a paper cup on a string hook, a stack of card sheets on the table top under the cup, and 40 washers

How to do it

Apply each action to each sample gently and record what happened and whether it sprang back or stayed changed.
Fold test: predict which paper shape will hold the most washers. Bridge the 10 cm gap between the two book stacks with a flat paper strip, hang the cup and build the card stack under it until there is a 2 cm gap. Add washers until the cup touches the card stack. Count.
Fold a second strip once lengthwise, a third into a zigzag of four folds running along its length (five panels, each 1 cm wide), a fourth into a tube. Test each the same way and count.
Order the four paper shapes by the washers held.
Say whether any sample is still the same material after the action, and how you know.

What you should see

The rubber band stretches and springs back; playdough and foil bend and stay bent; the paddle-pop stick bends a little and then snaps; paper tears when pulled but folds cleanly; the pipe cleaner twists and stays. In the fold test the flat strip holds few washers or none, while the zigzag and the tube hold many more, because the shape carries the load. Every sample is the same material afterwards: torn paper is still paper, a bent pipe cleaner is still a pipe cleaner. The learner knows it worked when the tube and zigzag counts are well above the flat count.

What changes

What you change: shape of the paper strip (flat, one fold, zigzag, tube)
What you measure: washers held before the cup touches the books
What you keep the same: same paper, strips 15 cm long and 5 cm wide
same 10 cm gap
cup hung from the middle
same 2 cm bend limit
washers added one at a time

Common misconceptions

Each of these ideas is wrong, and the activity is a chance to test it.

Bending a material turns it into a new material.
Folded paper is weaker than flat paper because it has creases.

Safety card

Low riskLearners carry it out

Hazards

Snapped stick splinters; cut edge of the plastic strip

Controls

Stick snapped by the adult; plastic edges taped

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.ST1-6MW-S ST1-1WS-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.ST1-SCI-01 ST1-PQU-01 ST1-DAT-01
Australian Curriculum v9AC9S2U03AC9S2I01AC9S2I02AC9S2I03AC9S2I04AC9S2I06

Sources

The pages the author read to write this activity.

All Concept Studio activities