Gears

Hello there. My name is Gear, and I am so happy to meet you. I am round and have lots of little teeth all around me, just like a big, happy smile. I love to spin and dance and twirl all day long. My very favorite thing to do is hold hands with my gear friends. When our teeth link together, we can do amazing things. We can make toys wiggle and clocks go tick-tock. When we spin together, we turn tiny pushes into big, strong power. It feels like magic. We are a team, and we love to make things move. It is the best job in the world and makes me feel so proud and helpful.

I am a very, very old idea. I have been around for a long, long, long time, even before your grandparents were little. In a warm, sunny place called Ancient Greece, smart people discovered how helpful I could be. A very clever man named Archimedes saw me spinning one day around the 3rd century BC. He realized that if I worked with my friends, we could lift heavy things. He used us to lift big buckets of water from the river all the way up to the thirsty gardens. Swish, swoosh, up went the water. The little plants were so happy to have a drink, and I was so happy I could help them grow big and strong.

Even though I am very old, I am still everywhere today. You can find me hiding inside so many things. I am inside the big clock on the wall, going ‘tick-tock’ to tell you the time. I am inside your fun bicycle, helping your legs push the pedals to make the wheels go round and round on an adventure. I am even in your silly wind-up toys, making them hop and dance across the floor. I love being a helper, and I am always ready for a happy spin.