Properties of Materials Video – Objects That Stretch

Explore Materials That Can Be Stretched

Sometimes, conducting science experiments in the classroom can feel like more hassle than it’s worth. You have to purchase materials (often using your own money), source the equipment and find a place in your already crowded classroom to set everything up. And then there’s always the post-demonstration clean-up to worry about, too!

Teach Starter has made it easy to include science demonstrations in your repertoire of science activities with our series of videos centred on the properties of materials. Simply sign in to your Teach Starter account, project the video page, and hit play! Instant science lesson!

In this two-minute properties of materials video, your students will observe whether certain objects can be stretched. Some of the objects featured in the video include play dough, springs, plastic and rubber.

As they watch the video, various multiple-choice questions will be presented on the screen for the students to answer. These include:

1. What happens when you stretch playdough?
2. What happens when you stretch a spring and then let go?
3. What material stretches in a similar way to a rubber band?
4. Which of the objects on the screen doesn’t stretch?
5. Which of the objects on the screen does stretch?

We recommend that you pause the video after each question appears and discuss the possible answers as a class. You might even have the students talk in pairs or a small group before sharing their answers (and the scientific reasoning behind them!) with the rest of the class. 

By the end of the lesson, your class should be able to:

• Identify some common objects that stretch
• Identify some common objects that do not stretch
• Identify some materials that are considered stretchy

Activities to Explore Objects That Stretch

Are you looking for more ways to engage your students with bendy objects? Here are some follow-up activity suggestions from our teacher team: 

1. Stretchy Material Exploration – Set up exploration stations with various stretchy materials such as rubber bands, playdough, elastic bands and fabric. Allow students to touch, stretch and manipulate these materials, encouraging them to describe how each one feels and behaves when stretched.
2. Stretchy Material Sorting – Provide a range of objects and materials to the students and have them sort them into categories of stretchy and non-stretchy. They can explain their reasoning for placing each item in its respective category.
3. Stretchy Material Journal – Have students keep a journal where they record their observations and reflections about stretchy materials. They can write or draw pictures to document their experiences with different materials and their properties.

More Properties of Materials Resources

You can revisit this resource as many times as you need with your Teach Starter subscription, allowing you to share it across multiple science classes.

Interested in discovering more fantastic resources on properties of materials for your classroom? Click below to explore a curated selection of our top picks!

teaching resource

What If? Materials Template

A set of 6 templates to use when investigating the properties of materials.