Materials can change — Science, 4–6 years
The same material can look or feel different after heating, cooling, mixing or bending. We can notice some changes and sometimes change them back.
Things do not always stay the same
A material is what an object is made from, such as ice, water, paper, clay or wood. A change happens when it becomes different in shape, temperature, texture or state. Melting ice is one change; bending paper is another.
Why notice changes?
People needed to know what would happen when they cooked food, made tools or stored water. Watching materials change helped them choose the right action and avoid waste. It also showed that a change can be useful without creating a new material.
An ice cube
Place one ice cube on a plate and leave it on the table. At first it is hard and keeps its shape. After ten minutes, it has become partly liquid and the plate is wet. The water is still the same material, but its state and shape have changed.
A change is not always a new thing
When ice becomes water, it looks so different that it is reasonable to call it a new substance. But melting only changes solid water into liquid water. If the water freezes again, the ice returns, showing that some changes can be reversed.
In the kitchen
Cooking uses material changes all the time. Butter melts in a warm pan, water boils, and dough changes as it bakes. These changes can make food easier to spread, safer to eat or different to chew, but a hot pan must always be handled by an adult.
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