Clothes and fibres - Class 4 Notes & Olympiad Questions

Clothing

a) Clothes are important for us, just like food and a place to live. They help protect our bodies from things like dirt and bad weather.
b) When we wear clothes that fit well, are neat, and feel comfortable, they make us look nice and improve our appearance.
c) Clothes also protect us from different things like heat, cold, rain, snow, insect bites, strong sunlight, and dust.
d) When we wear clean clothes, they help us avoid getting sick because germs can't touch our skin easily.
e) We choose our clothes based on the weather and climate where we live, so we can feel comfortable and protected.

Summer/Spring

a) In the summertime or spring, we wear light-coloured and loose-fitting cotton clothes.
b) These clothes are great because they keep our bodies cool and allow air to move around freely through tiny holes in the fabric.
c) Cotton is also good at soaking up sweat, which helps us feel cool and comfy even when it's hot outside.

Winter

a) During winter, when it's cold outside, we wear thick clothes made of wool, like sweaters and coats, to keep ourselves warm.
b) These clothes help us trap our body heat inside, so it doesn't escape and keeps us nice and warm.

Rainy/Monsoon

a) When it's rainy or during the monsoon season, we wear clothes that help us stay dry.
b) We use raincoats made of a material called polythene, which doesn't absorb water. These raincoats are like a shield that stops the water from getting through, so we can stay nice and dry even when it's raining.
c) We also wear rubber shoes called gumboots to keep our feet from getting wet in the rain.

Fibre to Fabric

a) Fibres are thin, long, and flexible structures that are similar to hairs or threads.
b) These fibres serve as the raw materials that can be transformed into yarns.
c) Yarns, in turn, are long, continuous threads that can be woven together to create fabrics.
d) Fabrics are the materials or pieces of cloth that are used for making clothes.

Fabrics are created from yarns using two main methods: weaving and knitting.

1. Knitting

a) Knitting is a process used to make items like socks, sweaters, and mufflers.
b) It involves using special tools to interlock loops of yarn together. This creates a fabric that is stretchy and cosy.
c) Knitting can be done by hand or using machines.

2. Weaving

a) Weaving is a way to make cloth using long sheets of fabric.
b) It happens on special machines called looms. The process involves arranging two sets of yarns together. This creates a fabric that we can use for making clothes and other things.
c) After the fabric is woven, it goes to a dyer. The dyer gives the clothes different colours by using dyes. Then, beautiful patterns are printed on the cloth to make it look pretty and attractive.

Types of Fibres

There are two types of fibres: natural fibres and artificial fibres.

1. Natural Fibres

a) Natural fibres are those that come from living things, like plants and animals.
b) For example, cotton is a natural fibre that comes from the cotton plant, and linen fibre is obtained from the flax plant.
c) Jute fibres are another type of natural fibre that comes from the jute plant. It is a tough and long-lasting material that is frequently used for creating bags, ropes, mats, and other objects.
d) Silk is a special natural fibre that is made by caterpillars called silkworms. They weave cocoons around themselves, and the silk is obtained from these cocoons.
e) Wool is another natural fibre that comes from animals like sheep. Other animals, such as goats, camels, and yaks, also provide wool fibres.

2. Artificial Fibres

a) There is another type of fibre called man-made, artificial or synthetic fibre.
b) These fibres are created in laboratories using different chemicals. Some examples of artificial fibres are nylon, rayon, dacron, terylene, and polyester.
c) Clothes made from these fibres have some special properties. They are easy to wash and dry quickly. They don't get wrinkled easily, so we don't need to iron them as often.
d) Some artificial fibres are made by using natural fibres as the starting material. They go through chemical processes to change and modify them.
e) For example, rayon is made by processing natural fibres, and artificial wool is also created by modifying natural fibres.

Advantages of Natural Fibres over Synthetic Fibres

Natural fibres have some advantages over synthetic fibres. Some reasons why natural fibres are better are:

a) Natural fibres can easily break down and become part of the environment again. This is called biodegradable.
b) Even though natural fibres are lightweight, they are still strong.
c) Natural fibres are good at resisting electricity.
d) When we wear clothes made of natural fibres, they feel nice on our skin and don't cause irritation.
e) Making natural fibres doesn't need a lot of energy, and it's better for the environment.
f) Natural fibres are good at keeping us warm because they have good insulation properties.

Care of Clothes

Taking care of our clothes is important to keep them clean and in good condition. Here are some things to remember:

a) When washing clothes, use good soap or detergent to remove sweat, dirt, dust, and stains.
b) Be extra careful with woollen and silk clothes. These materials can be easily damaged by small insects like moths and silverfish. To protect them, you can use mothballs or dried neem leaves when storing them. This will help keep the insects away.
c) Woollen clothes, trousers, and silk sarees should be dry cleaned instead of washing them with plain water. This is because they can get spoiled if not handled properly.
d) Check the care labels on your clothes to follow any specific washing instructions.

By following these tips, we can take good care of our clothes and make them last longer.