--- title: "Nursery - Geography - Properties Of Natural Materials" url: "https://darwenstjames.co.uk/news/2025-10-15-nursery-geography-properties-of-natural-materials" school: "Darwen St James’ C of E Primary Academy" --- # Nursery - Geography - Properties Of Natural Materials ![](https://files.schudio.com/darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy/images/news/0686c128-1dc7-475d-a709-04178db0d2ea.jpg) 15 October 2025 ![](https://darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy.schudio.com/images/news/0686c128-1dc7-475d-a709-04178db0d2ea.jpg)Nursery class have been exploring the properties of foraged natural materials—pinecones and conkers. The activity began with practicing anticipation skills using a clear "Ready, Steady, Go!" cue to release the objects down the pipes. The children quickly discovered a key difference, the conkers rolled down the entire length of the pipe, but the pinecones stopped short and got 'stuck'. This led to a discussion about the physical characteristics of the materials. The children were prompted to feel each item, noting that the conker was smooth, while the pinecone was spikey, which stopped it from rolling. The experimentation then moved to exploring cause and effect by adjusting the slope of the drainpipes. The children used blocks to make the pipes higher or lower, observing how the incline affected the speed of the rolling objects. Then they raced the two materials, further working on their understanding of how a material's shape and texture influence its movement. This was a rich, hands-on lesson about the physical world around them. [Nursery](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/news/tag/nursery) [Early Years Foundation Stage](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/news/tag/early-years-foundation-stage) [Science](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/news/tag/science) [Geography](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/news/tag/geography) [![](https://files.schudio.com/darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy/imagecache/100x100c/news/24108bad-915b-48ea-bcd8-dc2eafc55df0.jpg)](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/news/2025-10-14-year-4-science-presenting-data) Previous ### [Year 4 Science - Presenting Data](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/news/2025-10-14-year-4-science-presenting-data) [![](https://files.schudio.com/darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy/imagecache/100x100c/news/Collage_2025-10-15_14_54_23.jpg)](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/news/2025-10-16-year-6-history-writing-a-viking-saga) Next ### [Year 6: History: Writing a Viking Saga](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/news/2025-10-16-year-6-history-writing-a-viking-saga) ### Academy Life - [News](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/news) - [Events](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/events) - [Clubs](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/academy-life/basc) - [School Council](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/academy-life/school-council) - [Attendance](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/academy-life/attendance) - [Charities and Fundrasing](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/academy-life/charities-and-fundraising) - ![School Games Gold](https://files.schudio.com/darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy/images/partners/Gold_Logo_25-26(1).png) - ![Healthy school](https://files.schudio.com/darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy/images/partners/healthy_school.png) - ![Picture News](https://files.schudio.com/darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy/images/partners/6_Years_of_Picture_News.png) - ![AP smilestar](https://files.schudio.com/darwen-st-james-c-of-e-primary-academy/images/partners/Screenshot_2026-07-27_10.26.27.png) ##### Location St James Crescent Darwen Lancashire BB3 0EY ##### Contact Us 01254 703260 ##### Stay Connected - [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/Darwenstjames) - [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/darwenstjames/) © Copyright 2021–2026 Darwen St James’ C of E Primary Academy School & Trust Websites by [ ![Schudio logo](https://darwenstjames.co.uk/img/logo/light.png) ](https://www.schudio.com/)