D. Structures and Mechanisms · Materials, Objects, and Everyday Structures

Where Do Materials Come From?

D2.8 D1.2 A3.3About 35 minutes

Learning goals

I can tell where some materials come from in nature.
I can compare objects that have the same job but are made of different materials.
I can tell what can happen to an object when it is worn out.
I can describe how some First Nations and Inuit have used natural materials.

Words to know

natural
Comes from nature: from plants, animals, rocks or the ground.

source
Where something comes from.

worn out
Too old, broken or used up to do its job well.

recycle
To break down a used object so its material can be made into something new.

reuse
To use an object again, maybe in a new way.

Where did your T-shirt come from?

You might say, "From the store!" That's true. But before the store, your T-shirt was... a plant!

Many T-shirts are made of cotton. Cotton grows as fluffy white puffs on cotton plants. People spin the fluff into thread and weave the thread into cloth.

All materials come from somewhere in nature first.

Fluffy white cotton bolls growing on cotton plants in a field. — Cotton grows as fluffy white puffs on cotton plants. This fluff can be spun into thread to make T-shirts. AI-generated image

Material	Where it comes from in nature
wood	trees
paper	wood from trees (and old recycled paper)
cotton	cotton plants
wool	the hair of sheep
leather	the skin of animals, such as cows
metal	rocks dug out of the ground
glass	sand, melted at a very high temperature
plastic	oil and gas from deep under the ground
natural rubber	the sap of rubber trees

Sources of common materials

🌳🐑🪨🏖️

Trees give us wood and paper. Sheep give us wool. Rocks give us metal. Sand is used to make glass.

Every material starts in nature. Wood from a tree becomes a chair. Fluffy cotton becomes thread, then cloth, then a T-shirt.

Learning from First Nations and Inuit

First Nations and Inuit peoples have used materials from the land around them for a very, very long time. They know a lot about which material is right for each job.

Many First Nations, such as the Anishinaabe, made birchbark canoes. The outside is bark from birch trees, which is light and keeps water out. The frame inside is made of wood, such as cedar. Pieces of bark were sewn together with spruce roots, and the seams were sealed with gum (sap) from spruce or pine trees to keep water out.
Inuit in the Arctic have built snow houses called igloos (in Inuktitut, iglu means house) from blocks of hard-packed snow. Snow keeps the cold wind out, so the inside stays much warmer than outside.

These are clever ways to choose materials for a job!

Same job, different materials

Some objects have the same purpose but are made of different materials. Look at cups! All cups hold a drink. But they can be made of paper, plastic, glass, metal or ceramic. Each one is good at something different.

Cup	Material comes from	Good thing	When it is worn out or not needed
paper cup	trees	light, used once	often goes in the garbage or recycling (check your town's rules)
plastic cup	oil	does not break if dropped	can be recycled in many places, or becomes garbage
glass cup	sand	see-through, can be washed and used many times	broken glass is wrapped and thrown out safely
metal water bottle	rocks from the ground	strong, can be used for years	metal can be recycled into new metal things

Comparing cups

Worked example

Let's compare two shovels

A snow shovel can be made of plastic or metal. Let's compare them.

Same purpose: Both shovels move snow.
Plastic shovel: The plastic comes from oil. It is light, so it is easy to lift.
Metal shovel: The metal comes from rocks in the ground. It is strong and can scrape hard ice.
When worn out: A cracked plastic shovel often becomes garbage. A bent metal shovel can be taken to a metal recycling place.

Both shovels do the same job. Plastic is lighter; metal is stronger. When they are worn out, metal can often be recycled into new metal things.

Worked example

Let's trace a wooden chair back to nature

Where did the material in a wooden chair come from?

The chair is made of wood.
Wood comes from trees.
People cut the tree, saw it into boards, and build the chair.
When the chair is worn out, it could be fixed, given away, or the wood could be reused to make something new.

Chair → wood → tree. A chair's material comes from a tree.

Just for fun

What if your wool sweater could talk? Ask it where it came from, and it would say: "Baaa!" (Wool comes from sheep.)

Hands-on activity

Back to nature hunt

You need: paper, crayons, and a grown-up.

Fold your paper into 4 boxes.
Find 4 objects at home: something wooden, something made of cotton or wool, something metal and something plastic.
In each box, draw the object, then draw an arrow to where its material came from in nature (a tree, a cotton plant, a sheep, rocks in the ground, oil underground).
Pick two objects with the same job, like two cups or two bowls made of different materials. Tell your grown-up: Which one would last longer? What could happen to each one when it is worn out?

Your turn

Where does wood come from?

Where does wool come from?

What natural material is glass made from?

Paper comes from trees. Name one paper object.

Plastic and metal spoons both have the same purpose. What is it?

What did the Anishinaabe and other First Nations use to make the outside of a canoe?

What is a worn-out object?

More practice: warm-up

Where does cotton come from?

Where does metal come from?

What material is a wooden block made of?

Which animal gives us wool?

What did Inuit build igloos out of?

More practice: on your own

Match: paper, glass, plastic → oil, sand, trees.

A plastic bottle and a metal bottle both hold water. Which is better for using for many years? Why?

Name two things you could do with a T-shirt that is too small instead of throwing it away.

Why was birch bark a good material for a canoe?

Why is snow a good material for an igloo?

Challenge

Your table is made of wood. Tell the story of the table from nature to your kitchen.

A paper plate and a ceramic plate do the same job. Give one good thing about each.

Plastic comes from oil under the ground. Is plastic a material from nature? Explain.

Check your understanding

Quiz

Where does paper come from?

Glass is made mostly from...

Which material comes from sheep?

A paper cup and a metal cup have the same...

Many First Nations, such as the Anishinaabe, made canoes using...

What is a good thing to do with a worn-out metal pot?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: All materials begin in nature (D2.8). Objects that do the same job can be made from different materials, and each choice affects how long the object lasts and what happens when it is no longer needed (D1.2).

How to help: Trace items back to nature: "Sweater, wool, sheep." "Window, glass, sand." Compare things with the same purpose (paper vs. cloth napkins, plastic vs. metal water bottles) and ask which makes less garbage.

Indigenous perspectives: The examples (Anishinaabe birchbark canoes; Inuit snow houses) are presented as real knowledge and technology, both historical and continuing today. Avoid suggesting all Indigenous peoples lived the same way: different nations used the materials of their own lands. If you can, visit a local museum, cultural centre or library to learn about the First Nations, Métis or Inuit communities near you.

Common difficulties:

Thinking materials come from "the store". Ask, "And before the store?"
Thinking wool hurts sheep. Shearing is like a haircut.
Plastic's source is abstract. "Oil from deep underground, changed in a factory" is enough at this age.