9781422284933

Try it Yourself

What is your clothing made of? It is made of a plant? Or worm spit? Or was it made in a lab? Have you ever wondered about it? Perhaps it is worth a closer look.

Materials: • one article of clothing, with the tag • Internet access • poster board • markers, pencils

1. Identify a piece of clothing you would like to investigate. It could be your fa- vorite pair of jeans, a warm jacket, or a fashionable pair of basketball socks. Be sure that the clothing still has the tag attached inside telling what it is made of, or that you still have the original packaging.

2. What materials is it made of? Many items of clothing today are made of more than one type of fabric, and the relative percentages are usually listed.

3. Use the Internet to find out more about each of the fabrics in your clothing. Where was it made? How was it made? What products go into the fabric? Were there any surprises? 4. Share what you have learned with the world! Create a poster tracing the fab- rics to your item of clothing. Discuss any environmental concerns that may be as- sociated with the fabric. Would you buy this clothing again?

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