---
title: "Where Things Come From"
description: "Some things are made or grown nearby and others come from far away; bananas, toys and clothes travel by ship, truck and plane; places trade with each other because no place can make everything it need"
canonical: https://lightmysky.com/learn/civics-and-economics/where-things-come-from-mt_9v5-1k236E
source: https://lightmysky.com/learn/civics-and-economics/where-things-come-from-mt_9v5-1k236E.md
retrieved: 2026-11-12
---

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# Where Things Come From

Some things are made or grown nearby and others come from far away; bananas, toys and clothes travel by ship, truck and plane; places trade with each other because no place can make everything it needs

Subject: Civics & Economics · Area: Economics · Ages 5 to 7
Page: https://lightmysky.com/learn/civics-and-economics/where-things-come-from-mt_9v5-1k236E

## Ready when they can

- Sort familiar items for Mia's cold town into 'made or grown near there' and 'comes from far away' (e.g., bread from a nearby bakery vs. bananas from a hot place far away)
- Explain simply why we get some things from other places (e.g., 'bananas need hot weather to grow')
- Trace how an item reached them (e.g., 'the toy was made in a factory, went on a ship, then to the shop')

## Lesson: Where Things Come From

In a cold town, some things are made or grown near home. Other things come from far away. Bananas need hot weather to grow, so they come from hot places far away. Mia's town has a bakery near her home, and the bakery makes fresh bread there. Mangoes grow in hot places far away, like bananas.

In this example, a banana from a hot place is grown far away. It is put on a ship, then driven by truck to the shop shelf.

**Example.** In this example, Mia's toy was made in a factory. It rode on a ship, then a truck, then reached the shop.

Bananas need hot weather to grow. To trade means to give something in return to get something else. That something can be food, money, or work. Mia's cold town can give fresh bread and get bananas back. Hot places can give bananas and get bread back. Places trade with each other to get what they need, since no place can make everything it needs.

*(drawing: Mia's toy was made in a factory. It rode on a ship, then a truck, then reached the shop.)*

**Recap.** Some things are made near us, some come from far away, and trading means giving something in return to get something back.

## Practice

8 questions on this page, each with its working shown.

## Optional connections

- [Goods & Services](https://lightmysky.com/learn/life-skills/goods-and-services-mt_RgQxPddV8v)

## Opens up

- [Supply chains](https://lightmysky.com/learn/life-skills/supply-chains-mt_tqgZH11cP5)