Look around you! The world is full of many different things. Some things are found in nature, and some things are made by people. We use things every day at home, at school, and outside.
Natural Things and Made Things
- Natural things are found in nature. Nobody made them. Examples:
- Stones, mud, sand
- Water, air
- Trees, leaves, flowers
- Animals, birds, insects
- Sun, moon, stars
- Made things (also called man-made things) are made by people using materials. Examples:
- Table, chair, pencil, book
- Bag, clothes, shoes
- Glass, pot, bottle
Materials Things Are Made From
Every thing around us is made of some material. Let us look at common materials:
- Wood — tables, chairs, doors, and pencils are made from wood.
- Metal — spoons, pots, and locks are made from metal.
- Cloth — shirts, dresses, and towels are made from cloth.
- Plastic — bottles, bags, and toys are often made from plastic.
- Clay / mud — pots and cups are sometimes made from clay.
- Paper — books, notebooks, and bags are made from paper.
- Glass — windows, spectacles, and glasses for drinking are made from glass.
Properties of Materials
- Different materials feel and behave differently:
- Hard or soft — Stone is hard; cotton is soft.
- Heavy or light — Iron is heavy; a feather is light.
- Rough or smooth — Sandpaper is rough; glass is smooth.
- Transparent or opaque — Glass lets light through (transparent); wood does not (opaque).
Grouping Things
- We can sort things into groups:
- Things that are living (plants, animals, people) and things that are non-living (stone, chair, book).
- Things that float on water (leaf, wood, plastic bottle) and things that sink (stone, iron nail).
- Things that are rough and things that are smooth.
Common mistakes
Children sometimes think plastic is the same as glass because both can be transparent. But glass is hard and breaks easily, while plastic is lighter and does not shatter the same way. Also, students may think all natural things are only from the ground — but the sun, moon, and stars are natural things too.
Summary
- The world is full of natural things (from nature) and man-made things (made by people).
- Things are made of materials like wood, metal, cloth, plastic, clay, paper, and glass.
- Materials have properties: hard/soft, heavy/light, rough/smooth, transparent/opaque.
- We can group things by whether they are living or non-living, or by how they behave.