Making Things – Class 3 The World Around Us Chapter 11 Notes & NCERT PDF

Introduction

We use a pot for storing water, a gullak (piggy bank), a birdbath, a kulhad (clay cup) and many other things. This chapter asks: What are these things made of? Who has made them, and how? Children meet a potter's family, learn how clay becomes pots and bricks, look for patterns in nature and pottery, find out how houses are built, and learn about safety at work.

What's in this Chapter

1. A potter's family. In a town by the seaside, Mini watches her Appooppan (grandfather) make a pot:

Mini is too young for the wheel, but she helps make patterns and colour the pots. Her favourite clay item is her piggy bank, which she uses to save money.

2. Make your own clay (with elders). Collect soil from a wet or muddy place. Remove pebbles, sand, leaves and plant parts with a net or sieve. Put the soil in a flat vessel of water, and after a few days throw away the water on top. Make a dough ball, shape two things, and dry them in the sun.

3. Patterns in nature. Patterns are everywhere: spots on a leopard, stripes on a squirrel, the arrangement of leaves on a neem branch, and the markings of a zebra, peacock, cat, tiger, butterfly or fish. Many artists who paint on pots get ideas from nature. Children draw leaf, animal and object patterns, decorate objects, and tick the patterned pieces in pictures of Indian pottery from different parts of the country.

4. Brick by brick. Bricks are also made of mud, like pots. They are shaped in moulds, just as idli, cake, dhokla and kulfi are shaped in moulds, and then baked hard in a kiln. Bricks are used to build houses, schools and hospitals. Rohan in Jaipur loves watching his father and co-workers build. Brick by brick, a wall grows, and after a few months it has become a big building.

5. Different houses. Not all houses are made of bricks. In some warm areas, people build traditional mud houses that stay cool inside, using natural materials like grass and wood. Instead of cement, many people use cow dung for smooth walls and floors, because it keeps heat out and stops insects from entering. Children guess the names and materials of different kinds of houses.

6. Make a wall. Make small bricks from a matchbox mould, small paper boxes, clay or atta dough. Stack them in the two arrangements shown and test which is sturdier and which falls more easily when pushed.

7. Safety first. Rohan's father always wears a helmet with a strap, a safety vest and sturdy footwear at work. Children think about safety rules at home and school.

Key Ideas

Activities from the Book

Words to Learn

Tips for Parents & Teachers

Common Mistakes