There are many things around us. Some of them are natural while others are man-made. Let us learn about natural things and man-made things.

• Natural things are things which occur naturally. For example, wood, water, air, soil, etc.
• Man-made things are things which are made by man. For example, chair, box, table, etc.

Man-made things are made using various materials. For example, a chair is made using wood. So, wood is the ‘raw material’ for making the chair. Raw material is the thing which is not processed. These materials are present in their natural form. For example, wood, plant fibre, sand, etc. are present naturally.

Raw materials are processed to make different things or products. Raw materials in our environment are used to make products, which are very useful. The process of making any useful product, using raw materials is called manufacturing. Manufacturing is done either by hand or machine. People who manufacture things are called the manufacturers. Let us see some examples.