Pick the best material for a job, spot waterproof, bendy and magnetic things, find what things are made of, and learn fair tests. Six levels, printable.
Material Science builds one skill: choosing and explaining materials by what they are like. A child picks the best material for a job, such as plastic for an umbrella cover, spots which objects are waterproof, see-through, bendy, stretchy or magnetic, names what an everyday thing is made of, and decides whether a change can be undone. The top levels ask how to run a fair test, which is the first rule of doing science. This matches what the Next Generation Science Standards ask of early primary children: describe and classify materials by their properties, use test results to pick a material for a purpose, and argue that some changes can be reversed and some cannot. The game is made for children of about 6 to 8, and every answer ends with one short sentence of why.
Level 1, Best material, shows a job and four materials, such as an umbrella cover with plastic, paper, plain cotton cloth and a sponge. Level 2, Properties, asks which of four objects is waterproof, soaks up water, is see-through, bendy, magnetic, hard, soft, stretchy or hardest to snap. Level 3, Made of, asks what an object is usually made of, or which of four objects is made of glass, rubber, wool, wax, clay, paper, wood, metal, plastic, stone or cotton, and also asks the opposite kind of property question, such as which one is not waterproof. Level 4, Undo it, asks which change can be undone, or which can not, such as melting ice against burning paper. Level 5, Fair test, names an experiment, such as which towel soaks up the most water, and asks what must stay the same, what we change on purpose, or what we measure. Level 6, Scientist, only asks about plans. Either four plans are shown and the child picks the one fair test, or four are shown and the child picks the one that is not fair. Every plan names both things that must stay the same for both materials, such as the size of the piece and the amount of water, and an unfair plan changes one or both of them. Levels 5 and 6 need careful reading, so the speaker button reads the question and every answer aloud.
There are 126 items: 25 jobs, 40 objects with their properties, 25 things with their main material, 23 changes and 13 fair-test setups. Each question has exactly one right answer, and the wrong answers are chosen from the other side of the same fact, so they are wrong by the bank. An object is asked about only when its answer does not depend on the exact kind, which is why the bank says a plain steel screw and an iron nail stick to a magnet, but says nothing about a steel spoon, because some stainless steels do not. Names carry the detail that makes the fact true, such as a dry sponge, a clear glass jar or thin copper wire. Objects with a small part of another material, such as a candle with its cotton wick, are only ever the right answer. In a fair-test plan, a fair plan keeps two named things the same for both materials, using measured amounts such as 1 cup or 10 cm, and each wrong plan changes at least one of them too. Waterproof is only asked about things that keep water out or in, like a boot or a jar, and a change counts as one that can be undone only when the same material really comes back, such as ice and water. The tests run 500 puzzles per level and check every answer against a separate table of facts written apart from the bank, which covers every object, job, material and fair-test setup in it. The sources are listed in the project notes.
By default the game moves up a level after three right answers in a row and down after two wrong in a row, and a child or parent can pick a level. Today's 5 is five puzzles made from the date on your device, so everyone with the same date gets the same five. Print a worksheet makes a page of 4, 6 or 8 puzzles on Letter or A4 paper with new puzzles each time and an answer key at the end. Prints do not rely on colour. The pictures are emoji, so how they look depends on your device.
It is a question game, not a replacement for trying things out. Testing which paper towel soaks up the most water takes five minutes and teaches more than any answer, and the fair-test levels are a good prompt to try it. The facts are about ordinary examples, so a special kind of the same thing can differ, such as a coated paper that is waterproof or a stainless steel that a magnet does not pick up. That is why the game names the plain thing, such as a dry sponge or plain cotton cloth. It does not test reading or spelling, nothing is uploaded, and no account is needed.
It is written for ages 6 to 8. Level 1 is a job with four materials, such as a bucket for water. Level 6 asks which of four plans is a fair test, which many adults enjoy.
A test where only one thing is changed on purpose and everything else stays the same. To find which towel soaks up the most water, use the same amount of water and the same size of towel, and change only the kind of towel.
A change that can be undone. Ice melts into water and water freezes back into ice, so that change can be undone. Burning paper makes ash and smoke, which cannot turn back into paper.
Some stainless steels are not magnetic, so the answer depends on the exact spoon. The game uses an iron nail and a plain steel screw instead, which a magnet sticks to.
Yes. Choose a level, then 4, 6 or 8 puzzles and Letter or A4 paper. Each print has new puzzles and an answer key on the last page, and it works in black and white.
It stays in this browser on this device. Nothing about your child is uploaded, and no account is needed. The page counts visits with Google Analytics, never answers.