Materials
A material is what something is made of. There are 5 basic
materials. Most things are made with these materials. Some things
are made of metal. Some things are made of glass. Some things are
made of wood. Some things are made of cloth. And some things are
made of plastic. There are some other materials. But they are not
used as much as these 5 materials.
Let’s talk about metal first. Metal is very heavy. And it is
very hard and strong. It usually feels cool if you touch it. We use
metal to make lots of things. We use it for forks and knives. We use
it for keys. We use it for cars. We use it for these things because it
is very strong.
Next, let’s talk about glass. Glass is very smooth. It feels cool to touch. It is not as heavy as
metal. It is hard. But it is not strong. It breaks very easily! Then why do we use it? We use it because it is
clear! You can see through glass! That’s why we use it for windows. That’s also why we use it for glasses.
Now, let’s talk about wood. Wood is lighter than metal and glass. It is not as strong as metal. But
it is much stronger than glass. We use wood to make lots of things. Things made from wood are usually
light and hard and strong. Chairs and tables are made from wood. Pencils are made from wood.
Now let’s talk about cloth. Cloth is very light. It is much lighter than wood. And it is very soft. We
use cloth to make lots of things. For example, it is used to make clothing. And it is used to make blankets.
Last, let’s talk about plastic. Plastic is also very light. But it is different from cloth. Sometimes it is
soft. And sometimes it is hard. Plastic can be used to make thin plastic bags. These are light, soft, and
strong. But plastic can also be used to make bicycle helmets. These are light, hard, and strong. A helmet
and a bag seem different. But they are both made from plastic.