Changing the shape of materials song (PART OF A 10-SONG COLLECTION)

“''Excellent video and lovely clear information in the song. This makes for a very useful teaching tool for home learning. Thank you!'' ” - Eviklyn [Year 1 Teacher]

— reviewed resource from our original Year 1 collection via TES

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“This a fun way to help students remember some basic concepts. We all know the benefits of music in relation to learning. Thank you.” - Andrea C. [K-3 Teacher]

— Teachers Pay Teachers [Comment on our Year 1 Science Bundle]

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Incorporate inclusive teaching methods into your science lessons with this unique, multi-sensory resource.

This song is featured in our live school assemblies and interactive STEM workshops. Every booking includes full post-performance classroom activity sets mapped to the KS1 and K-1 science curriculum, giving your teachers ready-to-use resources to continue the learning in class.

Lyrics: Changing Shape of Materials Song

I stretched a rubber band
Let it go and watched it land
It's flexible and elastic
and not easy to break
Next, I dropped a china plate.
Oh no, it was too late!
It fell to the floor
And it shattered
Oh no, nooooooo ……..

I squash things
I bend them
I twist them
And stretch them
That's why they call me
The shape changer

Then I squeezed, a foam ball.
I squashed up really small
And when I released my grip
It sprang back to shape.
I tried the same thing with clay.
I squeezed it, the same way.
It became a funny new shape,
And it stayed that way.

Squeezing  squashing bending, twisting and stretching
Squeezing  squashing bending, twisting and stretching
Squeezing  squashing bending, twisting and stretching
Squeeze squash bend twist stretch

I crept into the kitchen
Where a huge tomato lay
I squeezed it really hard
To see what would happen
That was the end of my fun
'Cos along came my mum
She didn't want to hear about
All the science I'd done

Name on YouTube is The Shape Changer

Curriculum Alignment: England & US

English National Curriculum 
The song is perfectly aligned with the Key Stage 1 (KS1) statutory requirements for the study of materials, while providing a clear foundation for later concepts.

Core KS1 Focus: Year 2 Science

Directly addresses the objective: "Find out how the shapes of solid objects made from some materials can be changed by squashing, bending, twisting, and stretching." (Rubber band, clay, foam ball).

Foundational Concept: Year 1 Science

Supports the objective to identify and name materials and describe their simple physical properties (e.g., flexible, elastic).

Extension Value: Higher KS2 Science

Introduces the concepts of irreversible change (breaking the china plate) and reversible change (squashing the foam ball) which are statutory requirements in the Year 5 Properties and changes of materials topic.

NGSS Standards (K–2 Focus)

The song is perfectly aligned with the Disciplinary Core Idea of Matter and Its Interactions (PS1.A), focusing on how materials can be changed by forces.

Core PS Focus: Grade 2 (G2)

Targeted Alignment (G2-PS1-1): Directly supports the requirement to analyze data obtained from testing different materials to determine which materials have the properties that are best suited for an intended purpose. The lyrics provide examples of changing shape (squashing, bending, twisting) that demonstrate different properties.

Extension Value: This song provides a simple, accessible introduction to Forces and Motion, concepts formally taught in Grade 3 and Grade 4 (G3-PS2-1).

 

Global Suitability Note: The concepts in this song align with foundational Life Science standards used across Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and other English-speaking curricula.