Personal care in the past: perfume and toothpaste
People in every country care about being clean, and people did this long ago too. We call it personal care. In Ancient Egypt, people made perfume from flowers and oils. They cleaned their teeth with twigs and powders. We still use many of these ideas today, but our products are different. Words in our text come in groups. Fruit: lemon, fig. Herbs: mint, rosemary. Spices: cinnamon, pepper, cardamom. Minerals: salt, copper. Facts today use the present simple: we brush our teeth. Facts about long ago use the past simple: they made perfume. Remember, we brush our teeth twice a day.
| Group | Words |
|---|---|
| fruit | lemon, fig, apple |
| herbs | mint, rosemary |
| spices | cinnamon, pepper, cardamom |
| minerals | salt, copper |
Long ago in Egypt, people liked to be clean and to smell nice. They made perfume from flowers, herbs and oils, and they kept it in small jars. To clean their teeth, they chewed twigs and used powders made from natural things. They also used herbs such as mint to make their breath fresh. Today we brush our teeth twice a day with a toothbrush and toothpaste, and a dentist helps us to keep our teeth strong.
Sort the words. Write fruit, herbs, spices and minerals as four headings on a sheet. The grown-up reads ten words (lemon, mint, salt, cinnamon, fig, rosemary, copper, pepper, apple, cardamom). The child writes each under the right heading.