Plastic
    We use plastic wrap to protect our foods./We put our garbage in plastic bags or plastic cans./We sit on plastic chairs, play with plastic toys,/drink from plastic cups, and wash our hair with shampoo from plastic bottles./
    Plastic does not grow in nature. It is made by mixing certain things together./We call it a produced or manufactured material./Plastic was first made in the 1860s from plants, such as wood and cotton./That plastic was soft and burned easily./
    The first modern plastics were made in the 1930s./Most clear plastic starts out as thick, black oil./That plastic coating inside a pan begins as natural gas./
    Over the years, hundreds of different plastics have been developed./Some are hard and strong. Some are soft and bendable. Some are clear. Some are many-colored./There is a plastic for almost every need. Scientists continue to experiment with plastics./They hope to find even more ways to use them./