MyLeoNes™

Making things needs resources — Economics, 4–6 years

A thing does not appear by itself: people use materials, tools, time and effort to make it.

Things are made

Many objects we use are made by people or machines. Making them can need materials, tools, time and careful work. A wooden chair needs wood and tools; a loaf of bread needs ingredients, an oven and someone's time.

Why notice the making?

The problem is that we may imagine an object costs nothing to make because we only see it when it is finished. Looking at the materials and work helps explain why people need tools, time and payment. It also helps us care for things instead of wasting them.

Making a fruit salad

To make fruit salad, first collect 2 apples, 1 banana and a bowl. Next, wash the fruit and cut it with a safe knife. Then put the pieces in the bowl and mix them. The result used ingredients, tools, time and someone's work.

It was not made by magic

A reasonable mistake is to notice only the finished object and forget everyone and everything behind it. A toy may seem to have appeared on a shelf, but someone chose materials, used machines and checked the work. The mistake is natural because the earlier steps are hidden from view.

Where do we see making?

You can see production when someone bakes bread, grows vegetables, builds a table or makes a cup from clay. At home, making a sandwich shows the same idea on a small scale. Each finished thing has a story of materials and work behind it.

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