Children and Plastics, Stages One and Two and Background

This Science 5/13 unit for teachers Plastics for stages one and two is concerned with children’s exploration of the man-made plastics in the world around. It is not concerned with the chemistry or the production of plastics but with the variety and uses of plastics. The unit falls into two main sections. The first section suggests activities for children, giving ideas on how certain themes could be developed and some questions which could lead on to other work. The second section contains background information for the teacher.

Contents
Introduction
Getting help from the Unit
Safety when using plastics

1. Making a start
The initial spark
Making a start from infant play
Making and sorting a collection

2. From talking to doing
The fair test
Thinking about Objectives

3. What plastics will do
Investigations, activities and experiments involving plastics
How strong are plastics?
Breaking plastics
How do plastics bend?
How do plastics creep?
What happens when you stretch plastics?
How can you test the strength of plastics fibres and threads?

4. Plastics in use
Plastics in water
Waterproof plastics
Plastics in building
How plastics can keep things warm
How well do plastics wear?
Plastics and electricity
Looking through plastics
Sticking plastics

5. How can you recognise plastics?

6. Some background information about plastics
What are plastics?
Some common plastics
Some other plastics we come across

7. How things are made from plastics
Making the plastics themselves
Manufacturing plastics articles
A hundred years of plastics

8. Sources of supply and information
Where do we ask and what do we ask for ?
Some useful books
Some proprietary names and manufacturers of plastics

9. Plastics and Objectives
Objectives for children learning science
Index

• URL: http://stem.org.uk/rx4vg