Chapter 11: Making Things

Chapter at a Glance

We use many clay things at home, such as pots, piggy banks (gullak), birdbaths and cups (kulhad). In a seaside town, Mini watches her grandfather (Appooppan) make pots. He wets the clay, pounds it and kneads it like dough until it is neither too watery nor too dry. Then he shapes it on a spinning stone wheel. After the pots dry, Mini’s mother (Ammu) bakes them in a very hot oven called a kiln, which makes them strong. The family paints patterns on the pots. Mini helps with patterns and colours, and her favourite clay item is her piggy bank.

Children learn to make their own clay by sieving muddy soil, soaking it in water and kneading it into dough. Patterns are everywhere in nature, such as a leopard’s spots, a squirrel’s stripes, a peacock’s feathers and the arrangement of neem leaves, and artists use these ideas to decorate pottery.

Bricks are also made of mud, shaped in moulds and baked in kilns. Rohan in Jaipur watches his father and co-workers build a tall building brick by brick. Rohan’s father follows safety rules by wearing a helmet with a strap, a safety vest and strong shoes. Houses are made of different materials depending on the place: in warm areas, mud houses with grass and wood keep cool, and cow dung plastered on walls and floors keeps heat and insects out.

Word Meanings

Important Topics

1. How a Clay Pot is Made

1. Take clay and add water to make it wet.
2. Pound the clay well.
3. Knead it like dough; it should be neither too watery nor too dry.
4. Put it on the potter’s wheel and shape it while the wheel spins.
5. Let the pot dry.
6. Bake it in a kiln to make it strong.
7. Decorate it with patterns and colours.

2. Things Made by Potters

• Pots, surahis, kulhads, diyas, piggy banks, birdbaths, flower pots, toys and statues.

3. Make Your Own Clay

• Collect soil from a wet or muddy place.
• Remove stones, sand and leaves with a sieve.
• Soak the soil in water for a few days, then throw away the water on top.
• Knead it into dough, shape two things and dry them in the sun.

4. Patterns in Nature

• Artists get ideas for their designs from patterns in nature.

5. Bricks and Houses

• Bricks are made of mud, shaped in moulds and baked in kilns.
• They are used to build houses, schools and hospitals.
• Mud houses keep cool in warm places; cow dung keeps heat and insects out.
• Other houses: wooden houses, houses on stilts, igloos, tents, cement houses.

6. Safety First

• Workers wear a helmet with a strap, a safety vest and sturdy shoes.
• Bricks laid in an overlapping (staggered) pattern make a stronger wall.

Question-Answers

Very Short Answer Questions

1. What does Mini call her grandfather? Appooppan.
2. What does Mini call her mother? Ammu.
3. What is a potter’s oven called? A kiln.
4. What is Mini’s favourite clay item? Her piggy bank.
5. On what is clay shaped? A potter’s wheel.
6. What are bricks made of? Mud.
7. What gives bricks their shape? Moulds.
8. Where does Rohan live? Jaipur.
9. What does Rohan’s father wear on his head for safety? A helmet with a strap.
10. What keeps heat and insects out of mud houses? Cow dung.

Short Answer Questions

Q1. Why is a pot baked in a kiln?

Baking in the hot kiln makes the soft clay hard and strong, so the pot does not break or melt in water.

Q2. Why should clay be neither too watery nor too dry?

Very watery clay cannot hold its shape, and very dry clay cracks. Clay of the right thickness can be shaped easily.

Q3. Where do artists get ideas for patterns?

From nature: spots on a leopard, stripes on a zebra, peacock feathers and the way leaves grow on a branch.

Q4. How are bricks made?

Mud is filled into moulds to shape it. The shaped bricks are dried and then baked in a kiln to make them hard.

Q5. Why are mud houses good for the environment?

They are made of natural materials like mud, grass, wood and cow dung. They keep cool without fans or coolers and do not harm nature.

Long Answer Questions

Q1. Describe how Mini’s grandfather makes a pot.

Mini’s grandfather takes clay and adds water to make it wet. He pounds it well and kneads it like dough until it is just right. He puts the clay on a spinning stone wheel and shapes it into a pot with his hands. After the pot dries, Mini’s mother bakes it in a hot kiln. Then the family paints beautiful patterns on it.

Q2. Why do workers follow safety rules at construction sites?

At construction sites, bricks, tools or other things may fall from above, and the ground may be uneven. A helmet protects the head, a bright safety vest helps others see the worker, and sturdy shoes protect the feet. Following safety rules keeps workers from getting hurt.

Textbook Exercise Answers

A1. What is the process of pot making? Wet the clay, pound and knead it, shape it on the potter’s wheel, dry it, bake it in a kiln and decorate it.

A2. How do artists get ideas for their art? From patterns and colours in nature, such as animals, leaves and flowers.

A3. What is a kiln? A very hot oven used to bake pots and bricks.

A4. What are houses made of? Bricks, cement, stone, mud, wood, bamboo, grass, cow dung and metal sheets.

B. Draw and colour three kinds of houses, such as a mud hut, a brick house and a wooden house on stilts.

C1. Why do we have different kinds of houses? Because the weather and available materials are different in different places.

C2. Why do people wear helmets at construction sites? To protect their heads from falling objects.

C3. What would happen if there were no patterns in nature? Nature would look plain and dull, and artists would have fewer ideas.

D. Interview a local craftsperson or toy maker and share how they make their products.

Make a wall: The wall with bricks laid in an overlapping (staggered) pattern is sturdier. The wall with bricks stacked straight on top of each other falls more easily when pushed.

Order of pot making (1–6): 1. Collect clay; 2. Add water and knead; 3. Shape on the potter’s wheel; 4. Dry the pot; 5. Bake in the kiln; 6. Decorate with patterns.