Look at your toys. What are they made of? Many toys are made of plastic. Plastic is easily shaped, and it lasts a long time. Hard plastic helmets protect us when we ride bikes or play sports. Rubber-like plastic is used to make balls. Soft plastics are used to make dolls. And plastic can be recycled to make long-lasting benches and picnic tables.
Plastic is not dug from the ground like metal ore. It is made from chemicals in crude oil. The chemicals in plastic can be heated so that they soften or melt. Then they are shaped into different items.
Sometimes, the chemicals are poured as liquid into moulds. Once they cool, the plastic becomes solid.
A softer, movable plastic called vinyl is used to make some toys. The moulds used to make these parts are spun around so that the vinyl clings to the inside walls. The parts harden as they bake in an oven.
Picture Credit : Google
