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35 topics · Preschool to Grade 8

How everyday things are made

How is a pencil made, and how does sand become a window? These topics go inside the factories, workshops and studios that make everyday things. Children follow paper from wood pulp to a finished sheet, watch glass glow and stretch, mix concrete, fire pottery in a kiln and see steel poured and rolled. Newer machines are here too: 3D printers, laser cutters, waterjet cutters and computer-controlled mills that carve parts to a fraction of a millimeter. Every topic shows the steps in an animation, lets children try a step themselves and ends with a challenge and a short quiz, at three reading levels from preschool to middle school.

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35 topics in Making everyday things

Making everyday things

#11 Making everyday things How is paper made? Turn wood or recycled paper into pulp, spread it into a sheet, press out water, dry it, and cut it in a miniature paper mill. #12 Making everyday things How are books made? Arrange words and pictures, print pages, fold sheets, bind them, and add a cover. Create a small digital book while exploring the manufacturing stages. #13 Making everyday things How are pencils made? Follow the graphite mixture and wooden pieces through shaping, assembly, painting, and sharpening. Look inside a pencil and test different writing cores. #14 Making everyday things How are crayons made? Mix virtual wax and pigments, fill molds, cool the crayons, and add wrappers. Use the finished colors to complete a drawing. #15 Making everyday things How is glass made? Follow raw materials through melting, shaping, and controlled cooling. Compare how a bottle, windowpane, and decorative glass object are formed. #16 Making everyday things How does cotton become clothing? Follow cotton from the plant through spinning, weaving or knitting, dyeing, cutting, and sewing. Design a shirt and inspect its fabric up close. #17 Making everyday things How are plastic toys made? Design a simple toy, explore an injection mold, and watch the material fill its shape. Cool, assemble, and decorate the finished pieces. #18 Making everyday things How are bricks made? Prepare virtual clay, shape bricks, dry them, and fire them in a kiln. Compare brick shapes and arrange them into different wall patterns. #19 Making everyday things How is pottery made? Shape clay on a virtual pottery wheel. Explore drying, kiln firing, and glazing, and see how each stage changes the object. #20 Making everyday things How does a 3D printer make an object? Turn a simple digital design into layers. Watch a filament printer build it layer by layer and explore why some shapes need temporary supports. #301 Making everyday things How is steel made? Follow iron through a simplified steelworks and shape finished steel into useful products. #302 Making everyday things How are aluminum drink cans made? Form a metal disc into a can, then trim, coat, decorate, and attach a lid. #303 Making everyday things How are rubber tires made? Assemble rubber layers, reinforcement, and tread before shaping and curing in a mold. #304 Making everyday things How are shoes made? Assemble upper pieces around a foot-shaped form and attach the sole. #305 Making everyday things How is paint made? Combine pigments and binders and compare how different mixtures cover surfaces. #306 Making everyday things How is sticky tape made? Coat a backing with adhesive, roll it onto a core, and cut different widths. #307 Making everyday things How are plastic bottles made? Watch a heated starter piece expand against a mold using compressed air. #308 Making everyday things How are balloons made? Dip molds into liquid latex, dry the coating, and remove finished balloons. #309 Making everyday things How is concrete made? Mix cement, water, sand, and gravel and explore filling molds and curing. #310 Making everyday things How is plywood made? Alternate thin wood sheets' grain directions and press the glued layers together. #311 Making everyday things How is lumber prepared for building? Follow logs through sawing, drying, grading, and planing into construction boards. #312 Making everyday things How is wooden furniture made? Turn a design into measured pieces, assemble joints, and choose a finish. #313 Making everyday things How is rope made? Twist fibers into yarns and strands and compare different arrangements. #314 Making everyday things How are carpets made? Watch yarn enter a backing and compare looped and cut-pile surfaces. #315 Making everyday things How are metal objects cast? Fill a virtual mold, allow cooling, and remove and finish the casting. #316 Making everyday things How is sandpaper made? Coat backing with abrasive grains and compare the resulting surfaces on virtual wood. #317 Making everyday things How does welding join metal? Watch a simplified joint form and inspect the connection after cooling. #318 Making everyday things How does electroplating coat an object? Follow preparation and plating as a thin metal layer forms on a surface. #319 Making everyday things How do laser cutters cut shapes? Draw a pattern and guide a simulated laser along the cutting path. #320 Making everyday things How do waterjet cutters cut tough materials? Guide a simulated jet through different samples and compare the cuts. #321 Making everyday things How do computer-controlled machines carve precise parts? Follow a cutting tool as it removes material along planned paths. #322 Making everyday things How is leather made? Follow prepared hides through tanning, drying, softening, and finishing. #323 Making everyday things How are screws manufactured? Shape a head, roll threads into the shaft, and inspect the fastener. #324 Making everyday things How are foam cushions made? Watch bubbles form inside material and compare different foam structures. #325 Making everyday things How are coins made? Prepare metal blanks, press designs onto both sides, and inspect the results.

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