Social Sciences: Class 4 — Chapter 8: How Things are Made

Things around us are made of different materials. Paper, which we use daily in drawing books, newspapers, and school projects, is made from trees.

While regular paper is made from wood pulp (which requires cutting down a large number of trees, water, and energy), we can also make recycled paper to save trees and protect the environment.

We can recycle old newspapers at home using simple ingredients:

1. Collect materials: Old newspapers, some fenugreek seeds (methi), and water.
2. Prepare the paper pulp: Tear newspapers into small pieces and soak them in water. Add fenugreek seeds (used as a binding material) and leave overnight.
3. Blend/Mash: Use a grinder or hands to blend the soaked paper and seeds into a wet mixture.
4. Roll out: Spread the paste on a flat base and roll it into thin sheets.
5. Dry: Leave the sheets to dry to get finished recycled paper.

Paper can be colored using natural or artificial dyes. Natural dyes are safe to use and are made from different plant parts like leaves, flowers, roots, seeds, and stems.

Before modern paper was invented, people used various alternative materials to write:

• Cloth, leaves, and wooden boards.
• In India, palm leaves called talapatra were widely used.
• Environment-friendly materials like banana fibre can also be used to make paper today, saving trees.

Different types of paper serve different purposes based on their texture and strength:

• Tissue paper: Very thin, soft, and absorbs water; used for cleaning.
• Cardboard: Thick and hard; used to make boxes for packing.

To reduce waste and protect our environment, we can follow a 5-step plan called the 5Rs:

• Refuse: Saying 'no' to things that generate waste (e.g., refusing single-use paper cups).
• Reduce: Using things carefully to minimize waste (e.g., writing on both sides of a paper).
• Reuse: Using an item multiple times before discarding it (e.g., reusing a gift bag).
• Repurpose: Using something in a new, creative way (e.g., making toys or decorative items from old newspapers).
• Recycle: Processing waste materials to create something new (e.g., recycling old newspapers into handmade paper).