Chapter 11 — Making Things

Chapter 11 of the Class 3 The World Around Us (EVS) NCERT textbook (Our Wondrous World), "Making Things", teaches children how everyday objects like clay pots and bricks are made by hand, introduces patterns found in nature and Indian pottery, and explores the different materials people use to build houses.

• Making Pots from Clay — Mini's grandfather (Appooppan) shows how a potter prepares clay by wetting, pounding, and kneading it like dough, then shapes it on a spinning stone wheel. The shaped pot is dried and then baked in a hot oven called a kiln to make it hard and ready for use.
• Bricks and Construction — Bricks are made from mud just like pots, but they are pressed into moulds to get their rectangular shape and then baked in a kiln to become hard. Bricks are used to build houses, schools, and hospitals, and construction workers like Rohan's father follow safety rules such as wearing a helmet, safety vest, and sturdy footwear on site.
• Patterns in Nature and Pottery — Patterns are found all around us in nature, for example the stripes on a zebra, spots on a leopard, and the arrangement of leaves on a neem tree. Artists who paint pots get ideas for their designs from these natural patterns, and many traditional Indian pottery styles use such patterns to decorate their work.
• Different Kinds of Houses — Not all houses are made of bricks; in some warm parts of India, people build traditional mud houses using natural materials like grass, wood, and cow dung, which keep the inside cool and stop insects from entering. Children are encouraged to observe and compare the materials used in houses in their own neighbourhood.

1. 01Clay is made ready for pot-making by wetting, pounding, and kneading it until it is neither too wet nor too dry, then shaping it on a spinning potter's wheel.
2. 02The potter's oven used to bake and harden clay pots and bricks is called a kiln.
3. 03Bricks are shaped using moulds and then baked in a kiln; they are used to construct buildings such as houses, schools, and hospitals.
4. 04Patterns in nature, like the stripes on a zebra, the spots on a leopard, and leaf arrangements on a neem tree, inspire artists who decorate pottery.
5. 05In warm areas of India, traditional mud houses are made using natural materials like grass, wood, and cow dung to stay cool and keep insects out.
6. 06Construction workers must follow safety rules, including wearing a helmet with a strap, a safety vest, and sturdy footwear.
7. 07Children can make their own clay at home by collecting wet soil, removing pebbles and leaves through a sieve, soaking it in water, and shaping the settled mud into objects to dry in the sun.