Natural or Human-Made?

It’s fun to play or relax outdoors, surrounded by natural things like mountains, lakes, trees, flowers, and animals! But even at a park or out in the country, you’re likely also to see many human-made objects. At this picnic, the trees, grass, and watermelon are natural objects, while the house, table, and plates are human-made. Some things are made by humans from natural materials, such as bread made from wheat, water, and yeast, or shirts made from cotton. What other natural and human-made objects can you find?

Activity

1. Look around your home or school to find natural and human-made items. Count anything that people built or modified as a human-made object, even if it was made from natural materials.
   
   
2. Click the Activity button to access the Natural or Human-Made worksheet. List at least 10 natural objects and 10 human-made objects. (You might find some things that combine a natural item with a human-made item, such as milk in a plastic jug--the milk comes from a cow, so it is natural, while the container was made by people. List these as two separate items.)
   
   
3. For each human-made object, think about why people made that object. Was it to help people get from place to place (like a car or a bicycle), to help them eat (like a cup or a fork), to entertain them (like a jump rope or a television), or some other reason? Write your answers on the worksheet.