Activity overview

Run the activity

1. Begin to discuss the question Who Is..? by introducing Charles Macintosh as a scientist and asking children what they think he did. Working in a small group or pair, can they look for clues about him in the photographs. These prompts may help you:
   1. Do you think he does his work now or did he live and work in the past?
   2. Is there anything in the photographs which gives you a clue about the type of science he was involved in?
   3. Charles Macintosh developed new fabrics. How do you think he helped people?
2. Share your ideas with the class. Did everyone agree?
3. Read the Background Science (you could do this as a class) to find out more about his life.

Background science

Charles Macintosh was born in Glasgow, in Scotland in 1766. He worked as a clerk but in his spare time he studied science. Because he loved science, he left his job and went on to manufacture chemicals. He experimented with different ways to make new materials.

Whilst Charles was investigating, he found that rubber could be dissolved in naphtha (a chemical) and turned into a liquid. This made the rubber flexible and soft as well as waterproof. Charles wanted to make rubber spreadable so that he could paint it onto fabric. He was then able to add another layer of fabric and create a ‘sandwich’ with rubber in-between two layers of cotton. Charles realised that he had made a flexible waterproof fabric that could be used for clothes.  

Charles started to use this fabric to make waterproof coats called Mackintoshes. In 1830, his company merged with Thomas Hancock’s clothing company, and they began to produce coats that were supplied to the British Army, railways and the police force. You can still buy a Mackintosh or Mac today (as you can see in the photograph above) and many people still use these raincoats.

Take it further

Watch

Watch this video to learn more about Charles Macintosh. This BBC film looks at the properties of materials.

Activities

Working with a partner, can children discuss the question, Who is Charles Macintosh?

Children could describe the types of clothes that they wear in wet and rainy weather and think about the properties of these clothes. Who needs a waterproof coat for their job? They could test a range of fabrics to see whether they are waterproof by placing pieces of fabric over a beaker and dropping water on to them with a pipette. How much water goes through to the beaker? To make it easier to measure, add food colouring to the water.

Charles Macintosh used the idea of a fabric sandwich to make his waterproof fabric. Children could explore placing different materials like glue and oil between two pieces of fabric. This Primary Science Teaching Trust (PSTT) resource explains how to run the investigation.

Children could learn about the latest fabric technology. These two videos look at recent innovations in fabric and jacket design. If the children could design their coat of the future what would it do?

Or children could find the best material to fix a leak using this video.

Find out about other diverse scientists, in science-related jobs, using A Scientist Just Like Me resource.

Linked Explorify activities- our recommendations: 

Fit For Purpose provides a general discussion about materials. Dressed for the weather can be used to discuss why different materials are more suitable in different weather conditions. Gear Up looks at the properties of three different types of footwear.