Year 1 Science: Bendy, stiff and stretchy
Part of the Year 1 Science properties of materials chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page · Download worksheet (PDF) · Answers (PDF)
Bendy, stiff and stretchy
A bendy thing bends easily when you push or pull it. A plastic straw is bendy. A stiff thing does not bend much. It keeps its shape. A piece of card is stiff. A stretchy thing gets longer when you pull it, and then goes back to its shape. A rubber band is stretchy.
Key ideas
- Bendy things bend when you push or pull them.
- Stiff things do not bend much.
- Stretchy things get longer when pulled, then go back.
- A stretchy thing is usually bendy too. A bendy thing is not always stretchy.
Key words. Bendy means it bends easily when you push or pull it.
Method. Test the plastic straw, then choose the word that fits it.
- Test the plastic straw. Try it gently, or look at the picture.bends easily
- Choose the word that fits. It bends easily when you push it, so it is bendy.bendy
- Write the answer. bendy
Check. Test it again the same way, and the word stays the same. ✓
Watch out. Test first, then choose the word. Do not guess from the name.
Key words. Stiff means it does not bend easily.
Method. Test the piece of card, then choose the word that fits it.
- Test the piece of card. Try it gently, or look at the picture.does not bend much
- Choose the word that fits. It does not bend much, so it is stiff.stiff
- Write the answer. stiff
Check. Test it again the same way, and the word stays the same. ✓
Watch out. Test first, then choose the word. Do not guess from the name.
Key words. Stretchy means it gets longer when you pull it, then goes back to its shape.
Method. Test both things, then find the one that is stretchy.
- Look at both things. Test each one in the same way.plastic straw or rubber band
- Find the one that is stretchy. It gets longer when you pull it and then goes back, so it is stretchy.rubber band is stretchy
- Write the answer. rubber band
Check. The other one is not stretchy, so only rubber band is stretchy. ✓
Watch out. Test both things before you choose. Do not choose by the name or the colour.
Watch out
Watch out: a bendy thing is not always stretchy. A straw bends, but it does not get longer and then spring back.
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. Let your child bend a straw and then a piece of card. Ask: “Which one bends more?” Stretch a rubber band a little, then let go. Ask: “What happened to its length?”
Try it at home (with a grown-up)
Bend a plastic drinking straw. Then try to bend a piece of card. Stretch a rubber band a little, then let go. Keep the band away from faces, and do not stretch it until it snaps.
Exercise 8D Bendy, stiff and stretchy
Key words. Bendy means it bends easily when you push or pull it.
Method. Test the plastic straw, then choose the word that fits it.
- Test the plastic straw. Try it gently, or look at the picture.bends easily
- Choose the word that fits. It bends easily when you push it, so it is bendy.bendy
- Write the answer. bendy
Check. Test it again the same way, and the word stays the same. ✓
Watch out. Test first, then choose the word. Do not guess from the name.
Key words. Stiff means it does not bend easily.
Method. Test the piece of card, then choose the word that fits it.
- Test the piece of card. Try it gently, or look at the picture.does not bend much
- Choose the word that fits. It does not bend much, so it is stiff.stiff
- Write the answer. stiff
Check. Test it again the same way, and the word stays the same. ✓
Watch out. Test first, then choose the word. Do not guess from the name.
Key words. Stretchy means it gets longer when you pull it, then goes back to its shape.
Method. Test the rubber band, then answer Yes or No.
- Test the rubber band. Try it gently, or look at the picture.gets longer, then goes back
- Answer yes or no. It gets longer when you pull it and then goes back, so it is stretchy.Yes
- Write the answer. Yes
Check. Test it again in the same way, and your answer is the same. ✓
Watch out. Answer from the test, not from what you think it might be.
Key words. Stretchy means it gets longer when you pull it, then goes back to its shape.
Method. Test the rubber band, then answer Yes or No.
- Test the rubber band. Try it gently, or look at the picture.gets longer, then goes back
- Answer yes or no. It gets longer when you pull it and then goes back, so it is stretchy.Yes
- Write the answer. Yes
Check. Test it again in the same way, and your answer is the same. ✓
Watch out. Answer from the test, not from what you think it might be.
Key words. Not stretchy means it does not get longer when you pull it.
Method. Test the plastic straw, then answer Yes or No.
- Test the plastic straw. Try it gently, or look at the picture.does not stretch
- Answer yes or no. It does not get longer when you pull it, so it is not stretchy.No
- Write the answer. No
Check. Test it again in the same way, and your answer is the same. ✓
Watch out. Answer from the test, not from what you think it might be.
Key words. Not stretchy means it does not get longer when you pull it.
Method. Test the piece of card, then answer Yes or No.
- Test the piece of card. Try it gently, or look at the picture.does not stretch
- Answer yes or no. It does not get longer when you pull it, so it is not stretchy.No
- Write the answer. No
Check. Test it again in the same way, and your answer is the same. ✓
Watch out. Answer from the test, not from what you think it might be.
Key words. Bendy means it bends easily when you push or pull it.
Method. Test the rubber band, then answer Yes or No.
- Test the rubber band. Try it gently, or look at the picture.bends easily
- Answer yes or no. It bends easily when you push it, so it is bendy.Yes
- Write the answer. Yes
Check. Test it again in the same way, and your answer is the same. ✓
Watch out. Answer from the test, not from what you think it might be.
Key words. Stiff means it does not bend easily.
Method. Test both things, then find the one that is stiff.
- Look at both things. Test each one in the same way.plastic straw or piece of card
- Find the one that is stiff. It does not bend much, so it is stiff.piece of card is stiff
- Write the answer. piece of card
Check. The other one is bendy, so only piece of card is stiff. ✓
Watch out. Test both things before you choose. Do not choose by the name or the colour.
Key words. Bendy means it bends easily when you push or pull it.
Method. Test each thing for this property, then put it in the right group.
- Look at each thing. Ask: does it have this property?piece of card, plastic straw, rubber band
- Put each thing in one group. Each thing goes in only one group.Bendy: plastic straw, rubber band. Stiff: piece of card.
- Write the groups. Bendy: plastic straw, rubber band. Stiff: piece of card.
Check. Count the things in the groups. There are 3 in all. ✓
Watch out. Test each thing first. Do not sort by colour or size.
Method. Think about what stiff means.
- Look at what Sam says. Sam says a rubber band is stiff because it is hard to bend.Sam: stiff
- Test the rubber band. A rubber band bends easily and it stretches, so it is not stiff.band: bends easily
- Write the answer. No. A rubber band bends easily, and it stretches.
Check. Bend a rubber band. It is easy to bend. ✓
Watch out. Stiff things do not bend much. Test before you agree.
Method. Make a prediction first, then plan a fair test.
- Make a prediction. A prediction is a sensible guess before you test.The band will get longer, then go back to its first length.
- Plan the test. Test each thing in the same way, so the test is fair.Stretch the band a little, let go, and look at its length each time.
- Write the answer. The band will get longer, then go back to its first shape. Stretch it a little, let go, and look.
Check. Stretch it a little and let go. It goes back. ✓
Watch out. Make your guess before you test. Then check what really happens.
Method. Think about which word fits a thing that gets longer and then goes back.
- Read the sentence. A rubber band can be pulled longer and then spring back.pulled longer, then back
- Find the word. A thing that gets longer and goes back is stretchy.stretchy
- Write the answer. stretchy
Check. Stretch a rubber band a little. It is stretchy. ✓
Watch out. Stretchy means it gets longer and goes back, not only that it bends.
Method. Think about what a straw does when it bends, and when it is pulled.
- Test the straw. A plastic straw bends when you push it.straw: bends
- Pull it gently. It does not get longer and then go back, so it is not stretchy.straw: not stretchy
- Write the answer. It bends when you push it, but it does not get longer and then go back when you pull it.
Check. Bend the straw, then pull it gently. It bends, but it does not stretch. ✓
Watch out. Bendy and stretchy are not the same. A straw is bendy, but not stretchy.