Plastic (Science Explorers)

Plastic Electronic book published by ipicturebooks.com 24 W. 25th St. New York, NY 10010 For more ebooks, visit us at: http://www.ipicturebooks.com All rights reserved Text copyright © 1999 Nicola Edwards and Jane Harris Photographs copyright © 1999 Julian Cornish-Trestrail No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. e-ISBN 1-59019-860-3 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available ISBN 0-7136-5064-8

Exploring the science of everyday materials

Nicola Edwards and Jane Harris Photographs by

Julian Cornish-Trestrail

Lots of things are made from plastic.

Look at all the things we‛ve collected!

2

Don‛t forget your bracelet. That‛s made of plastic.

3

Let’s sort these things into two groups.

I‛ll collect the hard things.

4

I‛ll collect the soft and bendy things.

5

My plastic toy box is strong and hard. It stays in the same shape.

I can ll it with my toys.

6

It‛s too heavy to lift now!

7

This plastic bag is thin and stretchy.

I can scrunch it into a ball.

8

The handles are stretching… …it feels like the bag is going to break.

9

I wonder what happens when these toys get wet.

The water runs off them. They are waterproof.

10

My plastic raincoat and umbrella are waterproof. They keep me dry in the rain.

Hey, Adam, look at me!

11

I wonder if this plastic ball will oat?

12

Let’s try some other things.

I‛m making a chart of which toys oat and which toys sink.

13

This plastic ball is very light.

I can throw it into the air. 14

And when I drop it . . .

…whoops!

. . . it doesn’t break, it bounces!

15

This Plasticine is soft and bendy.

I can mould it into lots of different shapes.

16

Look, I‛ve made a face!

When I‛ve nished, I can squash it up and make something new.

17

We’re making biscuits for tea.

These biscuit cutters are strong and sharp.

They cut through the mixture easily.

18

How many different shapes can you see?

This looks like a heart!

19

Look what’s inside our ‘feely’ box. We’ve got to try and nd the plastic things.

20

This feels smooth and squashy. I think it‛s made of plastic.

21

Time to tidy away. Look at all these empty plastic bottles. We can collect them for recycling.

22

The plastic can be used to make new things.

A sign on the label shows that the bottle can be recycled.

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Notes for parents and teachers The aim of the Science Explorers series is to introduce children to ways of observing and classifying materials, so that they can discover the various properties which make them suitable for a range of uses. By talking about what they already know about materials from their everyday use of different objects, the children will gain condence in making predictions about how a material will behave in different circumstances. Through their explorations, the children will be able to try out their ideas in a fair test. pp 2/3, 20/21

Plastic is an extremely versatile and varied factorymade material. There are many types of plastic, and most are made from chemicals found in oil. Plastics can be sorted into two groups depending on the way they act when heated. Thermosetting plastics, such as silicone and polyester, can be heated only once and cannot be reshaped. Thermoplastic materials, such as nylon and polystyrene, can be melted and reshaped many times. Ask the children to think of everyday things which are made from plastic. How would the things be different if they were made from other materials? What are the advantages of them being made from plastic? Introduce the children to objects they might not have thought of as being made from plastic, such as contact lenses, vinyl wallpaper and toothbrush bristles. pp 4/9

Encourage the children to investigate the properties of a variety of plastic objects using hearing, touch and sight. Are the objects rough or smooth, thin or thick, shiny or dull, warm or cold? Do the objects have a

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xed shape or can you alter their shape? If you can alter their shape, do they stay in their new shape when you release them, or revert to their original shape? Encourage the children to imagine what the objects would be like if they were made out of a different type of plastic, e.g. a garden hose made out of tough, inexible plastic. The children could experiment with different plastic bags. Can they devise a test to nd out which is the strongest and which is the weakest? Before they do the test, ask the children to predict the results. How do their predictions compare with the results? (Remind the children of the dangers of plastic bags and the need to use them responsibly.) pp 10/11

The children could make a list of outdoor objects that need to be waterproof and are usually made of plastic, e.g. ground sheets and guttering. Raincoats contain a plastic material to make them waterproof. Investigate objects that are covered in a thin layer of plastic, e.g. book covers, fabric shopping bags and vinyl wallpaper. What are the benets of covering these objects in plastic?

pp 12/13

Ask the children to separate plastic toys into two groups depending on whether or not the toys oat. Can they see any similarities between the objects in each group? Are the toys that oat lighter than those that don’t? Are the toys that sink solid or hollow? pp 14/15

The children could investigate what happens when they drop a variety of plastic objects. Do they all bounce? Some types of plastic are quite brittle and will chip or crack if dropped. Many things that were once made of glass, such as bottles, jars and windows are now made of plastic. Why do the children think this is? pp 16/17

Plasticine is a special type of soft, malleable plastic. It can be cut and moulded without the use of heat.

Find the page Here is a list of some of the words and ideas in this book

bouncing 15 describing plastic 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 21 oating 12, 13 hard 4, 6, 7, 18 heavy 7 light 14 moulding plastic 16, 17

pp 18/19

recycling plastic 22, 23

Many kitchen implements, such as storage boxes and measuring jugs are made out of plastic because it is durable, non-absorbent and easy to clean. Some kitchen equipment, such as toasters and kettles have handles and other parts made of heat-resistant plastic. Electrical ttings are made from plastic materials because they do not conduct electricity.

stretching plastic 8, 9, 16

pp 22/23

strong 5, 18

Plastic rubbish such as discarded packaging is not easily broken down by microorganisms and is difcult to dispose of. The children could investigate types of packaging that use less plastic (such as the containers and rell pouches in which washing liquid is sold), and which can be used more than once. Discuss the importance of collecting waste plastic for recycling.

sinking 13 soft 4, 16

water 10, 11, 12, 13 waterproof 10, 11

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