Exploring the properties of materials.

We had such a fun afternoon experimenting. Using the context of The Three Little Pigs each group had to undertake the challenge of building a house for one of the pigs. Each group had different materials that they could use.

Group 1 had sugar cubes.
Group 2 had straws and elastic bands.
Group 3 had marshmallows and straws.

The children worked well as a team exploring different ideas. Then we tested each house with the 'wind'. As a class we decided how we would be able to ensure it was a fair test. We decided that we would:
* Use the same fan speed on the hairdryer.
* Ensure the time duration (60 seconds) was the same for each one.
* Make sure that the hairdryer was the same distance away from all of the houses.

 The finished straw and marshmallow house.

 The finished sugar cube house.

The finished straw house.

Next we had to test them all....

We had a great discussion about the properties of each material and the children had lots to contribute about which materials were good and why. We thought it would have been fun to test what would happen if it rained, but unfortunately we ran out of time. Maybe another day....