Long ago people began observing animals, birds, insects and plants. Many things that they saw surprised them. They wondered how to make use of what they saw.
They saw the sharp teeth of the tiger, the huge curved tusks of the elephant, the powerful claws of the bear, and the sharp long beak of the woodpecker.
People can think much well than animals. So they thought that they could perhaps make claws, tusks, pointed beaks and sharp, teeth.
By chipping off bits, a stone was shaped into a pointed knife. This stone knife was tied onto a long stick. And it became the longest claw. This was the primitive spear.
A few sharp pieces of stone fitted in a row onto a stick were the primitive saw. Stone, bone and shells were flattened and sharpened to make cutting tools, much were flattened and sharpened to make cutting tools, much like the sharp front of rats.
Nearly three thousand years ago, the Greeks observed rams fighting. The ram with his strong, broad forehead and curling horns comes charging and hits hard with his head!
So the Greeks made a ram’s head out of metal and fixed it onto a thick long wooden beam. This was a battering ram. It was used to break down the gates of the enemy’s fort.
You must have seen a spider’s web the thin threads are really very strong. A big fly may fall into it or the wind may blow head, but nothing happens to the web. It goes on swinging, bending and rocking. It does not break.
A hanging bridge looks like a web. But it is made of a steel, rope and chains.
The seeds of some trees have two curved blades or wings. They are carried by the wind. They go round and round. This gave people the idea to make the propellers of airplanes.
Dry, yellow leaves fly about smoothly in the air. Perhaps people made kites looking at these leaves flying.
Look carefully at all the tools we use every day- forks, knives, spoons, needles, spades, nails, axes, saws, hammers, chisels, tongs, blades.
Try to see which part of an animal, bird insect or plant they look like.