Materials

MATERIALS

Which material matters most? Everything around you is made of something. Those somethings are called materials. If you are sitting on a chair- what is it made of? It might be wood and foam, or wood and plastic, or plastic and metal, or something else. If you decide to make a chair, you need the RIGHT materials. A chair made of jelly, for example, would be funny... ...and possibly delicious... Is it strawberry? Raspberry, I think. ...but not much use for sitting on. SPLAT! Some materials are more useful than others- but does one matter more than all the rest? Let's ask some and find out. Rubbish chair. Nice jelly, though.

Wood Material from trees I'm glad I'm first, because through history I've been the MOST important material there is. It already makes a perfect chair. I wonder what they'll use this for? Just think- if you cut down a tree, you can do all kinds of things with the wood. Thick, strong pieces of wood can be used to support a house roof. Together we are mighty! Thin squares of wood can be used as a covering for the roof. We're lightweight, and we keep out rain! Wood can be made into lots of other things, of course: A bendy bow. Not THAT bendy. A beautiful surf-craft. Woo-hoo! Even bicycle handlebars, wheels and frames can be made of wood! If I can do all those jobs, I think I MUST be the most important material.

Paper Endlessly useful Yes, my friend wood can do a lot of different jobs- but is it as useful as me? I'm made from plants -mostly trees. This is how... 1 Trees are chopped down. 2 The bark is removed. 3 The wood is chipped 4 The woodchips are mixed with water to make pulp, which is squashed, rolled and dried to make paper. Although I'm usually made from trees, there are lots of things I can do that trees cannot. I can easily be folded, so I'm good for wrapping up things like presents, or groceries. And once they're unwrapped, you can use the paper again- unless it got wet! Of course, being absorbent is actually sometimes useful. I'm also useful for writing on and reading from. Maybe the best thing about me is that after use, I can be recycled to make... more paper!

Rock Material from the earth Paper is a lightweight! The only time paper is better than ME is in a game of rock-paper-scissors. Let me tell you about all my good qualities. You don't have to make me You just cut me out of the earth. (True: this can be quite hard work.) 1 Scrape away the surface soil. 2 Drill holes in the rock. 3 Either drive wedges into the holes to split off the rock, or use explosives. I can do all kinds of job Flat slate makes good roofs or floors. Soft (for a rock) sandstone makes good walls. Hard, tough granite is good for castle walls, floors and worktops. Rough pumice scrubs dead skin off your feet. There must be a better way to earn a living. Smooth marble makes good sculptures. Don't I look nice? Without me, most buildings would fall down or leak. I OBVIOUSLY matter more than paper!

Concrete Rock you can pour I'm as hard as rock (harder than some rocks, actually)- and you can make me fit into any shape you want. 1 Get some cement That is powdery. Cement is a powdery mixture that includes crushed rocks, clay and sand. The concrete dome of the Pantheon in Rome is almost 2,000 years old. How is that possible? Let me explain. 2 Mix Mix it with water, sand and gravel to make a liquid sludge. 3 Pour The liquid will spread out as much as it can in the container, filling all the little spaces. 4 Wait Over time, the liquid will go hard. Then you can see how your concrete has turned out. So, I'm as hard as rock, but you can make me any shape you like. That MUST mean I'm more useful and important.