Horrible Science: Wrong material fairy tales

What are some of the uses of everyday materials?

Everyday materials are the things we use that are all around us. Each one has special properties that make it good for certain jobs.

Material	Properties and uses
Wood	It is strong and comes from trees. It’s great for building houses, furniture and pencils because it’s sturdy but not too heavy.
Metal	It is strong and can be shaped into lots of things. It is used in for cars, tools and bridges because it doesn’t break easily. Metal is also shiny and can be used for mirrors.
Plastic	It is light, waterproof and can be made into almost any shape. It is often used in bottles, toys, umbrellas and containers because it doesn’t rust or rot like wood and metal.

Each material helps make our lives easier. Choosing the right material means things work better and last longer.

Watch: Wrong Material Fairy Tales

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Classic fairy tales might well be a bit different if you used alternative materials…

How do you compare and group together everyday materials?

A girl in a raincoat holding an umbrella in the rain.

Everyday materials can be compared and grouped by looking at their properties. These are the special features that show what materials are like and how they behave.

*Grouping**means sorting materials into similar properties.Comparing means looking at how materials are the same or different.

Testing the properties of materials helps us group them into sets of similar materials. This helps scientists, engineers, and designers choose the right material for every job!

Here are some examples of materials and the properties that make them useful:

Wood is hard, light and doesn’t let water pass through it easily**. This makes it great for furniture and doors.
Metal is usually shiny, strong and a good conductor of heat and electricity. That’s why it is often used to make cars, pans and wires.
Plastic is flexible, waterproof, and sometimes transparent. It’s sometimes used to make clear bottles, raincoats and umbrellas.

Horrible Science fact

Scientists and inventors are creating new materials made from plants to replace plastic and help the environment. One example is bioplastic which can be made from corn, potatoes, or sugarcane instead of oil.

Other eco-friendly materials, like seaweed packaging or paper made from bamboo, are also being used for food wrapping and straws. They’re strong like plastic but much kinder to nature!

Find out more about testing materials.