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All rights reservedText copyright © 2000 Nicola Edwards and Jane HarrisPhotographs copyright © 2000 Julian Cornish-Trestrail

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,

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permission in writing from the publisher.

e-ISBN 1-59019-862-XLibrary of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available

ISBN 0-7136-5347-7

Exploring the scienceof everyday materials

Nicola Edwards andJane Harris

Photographs by

Julian Cornish-Trestrail

2

Water is allaround us!

Most ofthe water we use comes from rivers.

Rain makes rivers ow.

3

I’m watering this plant.If I don’t, it will die.

4

Water has to be cleared before itis safe to drink. I got

this water from the tap.

5

It doesn’t really taste or smell ofanything, but it’s nice and cold.

I‛m not thirstyany more!

I can see the water moving up through my straw.

6

This tank is full of water.I can see you on the other side.

7

I’m moving my hands about in the water.

The water’s running down my arms.

It tickles!

We’ve collected all these things tosee if they will oat in the water.

9

This box is madeof wood. It’s heavy,so I wonder if itwill sink.

It oats!

10

Oops! Some waterhas splashed onto my T-shirt andmade it wet.It feels cold anduncomfortable.

11

My plastic apron is waterproof. The water sits on top of the plastic and doesn’t soak in.

12

What will happenwhen I putsugar in waterand stir it?

13

The sugar has disappeared.

But the water tastes reallysweet. Ugh!

14

We’re boiling water in a kettle.Some of the water turns into steam.

Don‛t putyour ngers

near it.

This cold spoon was held in the steam. Look at the beads of water on the spoon.

The steamhas turnedback into

water.

16

I’m pouring orange squashinto a lolly mould.

And I’ve lled this balloon with water.

Now let’s leave them in the freezer for a while.

17

I’ve takenthe balloonout of thefreezer.

Inside theballoon, there’sa huge ball of ice. Wow!

It feels hardand cold.

18

My ice lollyis ready, too.It sticks tomy tongue.

Yummy!

19

The ball of icehas been left in the warm.

The ice is turningback into water.

20

I’m going to mix our and water.

And I’m going to shakethis jar of soil and water.

21

The our and watermake a sticky paste.

The soil doesn’tmix very well.It settles inlayers inthe water.

22

These clothes are dirty. We’re going towash them with water and detergent.

23

Is it easier to wash clothes in warm water than in cold water?

My water‛s warmer than yours.

My T-shirt is clean already.

24

The aim of the Science Explorers series is to introduce children to ways ofobserving and classifying materials, so that they can discover the variousproperties which make them suitable for a range of uses. By talking aboutwhat they already know about materials from their everyday use ofdifferent objects, the children will gain con dence in making predictionsabout how a material will behave in different circumstances. Through theirexplorations, the children will be able to try out their ideas in a fair test.

Notes for parents and teachers

pp 2–3

Water covers 71% of the earth’s surface. The sameamount of water exists on the planet today asduring the time of the dinosaurs. Water is continuallybeing recycled. It evaporates from the earth’s surfaceto form clouds, then cools and condenses into rain andsnow, and falls again to earth to collect in rivers, lakesand oceans. The oceans hold 97% of the earth’s waterand a further 2% is frozen in glaciers and ice caps.Fresh water forms less than 1% of the total supply.

Can the children describe what it is like to be outsidewhen it is raining? How does the rain feel and sound?Discuss where they have encountered water in thenatural environment and in the built environment.

Talk about the vital role of water in the lives of allliving things. If possible, visit a pond with the childrento see how water provides a habitat for a huge varietyof plants and animals. The children could try growingtwo plants, watering one plant and not the other.

p 4

Water has to be treated before it is safe to drink.It is pumped from its source to a treatment plant viaa screen which holds back any debris. Chemicals are

added at the treatment plant. These cling to dirt andgerms, forming cotton wool-like clumps of materialwhich can be removed. The water is then ltered anddisinfected, and stored in tanks and reservoirs.

Discuss the children’s experience of water; in whatkind of ways do they use water during the day atschool and at home? How much water do they drinkeach day? Remind them that water may be ‘hidden’in foods, such as fruit and bread.

pp 5–7

Pure water has no colour, smell or taste. It oftencontains tiny bubbles of gas which re ect the colourssurrounding the water. The children could explore themany ways in which water can be made to move, suchas by splashing, dripping, pouring, pumping, squirting,sprinkling and making ripples. The children could talkabout their experiences of oating in and movingthrough water in a swimming pool.

pp 8–9

Ask the children if they can think why some things oat while others sink. Can they predict how arange of differently shaped objects made of differentmaterials will behave?

25

pp 10–11

The children could investigate a range of materials totest which absorb and which repel water. Explain thatsome fabrics are coated with a layer of plastic tomake them waterproof.

pp 12–13, 20–21

The children could try a variety of activities to observehow adding water to different substances changesthem. These could include adding water to dilute aconcentrated fruit drink, adding water to dried souppowder, and seeing how bubble bath foams andchanges the colour of the water when poured under arunning tap. If possible, only allow the children to useplastic receptacles. If the children handle glass, ensurethat they are properly supervised.

pp 14–15

The process of water boiling and turning to steam,then cooling and condensing into water droplets is anexample of a reversible change. The children shouldwatch a boiling kettle from a safe distance and bewarned not to approach it; the cold spoon should beheld in the steam only by an adult.

pp 16–19

The process of water freezing into solid ice, thenthawing and turning back into liquid water is anotherexample of a reversible change. The children shouldwear gloves when touching ice. Ice oats in waterbecause water is heavier as a liquid than as a solid.

pp 22–23

The children could compare how effectively stains areremoved using water with and without soap added(check for allergies to detergents), and using waterof different temperatures.

Find the pageHere are some of the wordsand ideas in this book.

boiling water 14

describing water 5, 6, 7

drinking 4, 5

oating 8, 9

freezing water 16, 17, 18

ice 17, 18, 19

rain 2

steam 14, 15

washing clothes 22, 23

waterproof clothing 11

wet clothing 10