Rubber Bands

A rubber band is a small stretchy circle made of rubber. You can pull it to make it longer, and it snaps back to its size. Rubber bands are used to hold things like papers or pencils together. They were invented in 1845 by a man named Stephen Perry.

How They Are Made

Rubber bands are made from rubber, which comes from the sap of rubber trees. The rubber is shaped into long tubes. Then the tubes are cut into thin rings. This makes the loops we call rubber bands. They can be big or small, thick or thin.

Many Uses

People use rubber bands for many jobs. You can hold a stack of papers together with one. They can tie up a bag of food to keep it fresh. Kids use rubber bands to make bracelets and shoot paper balls. Mail carriers use them to hold bundles of letters.

Fun Facts

• The rubber band was patented in 1845 in England.
• The longest rubber band ball ever made weighed over 9,000 pounds.
• Rubber comes from the milky sap of rubber trees.

Did You Know?

If you keep a rubber band in the freezer, it will last much longer because the cold keeps the rubber from drying out.