What are flexible materials?

Flexible materials are things that can bend or stretch without breaking, just like a rubber band.

Imagine you have a sheet of paper, it's easy to tear, and if you crumple it up, it stays crumpled. But now think about a playground slide, when you go down it, the slide bends a little but doesn’t break. That’s because it’s made of a flexible material, like plastic.

Some materials are like silly putty, they can stretch and squish and even bounce back to their original shape. Others, like fabric in your favorite jeans, can bend easily but don’t stretch much.

When you play with a balloon, you’re using a flexible material too. You blow it up, and it stretches, but if you let the air out slowly, it goes back to its normal size, no tears, no breaks!

So, flexible materials are like your favorite toys that can bend, stretch, or squish without getting hurt, just like you when you play!