Glass float

Hi there little one. Have you ever been to beach and found a pretty piece of glass that was really smooth and round? Well, some people actually make those pieces of glass on purpose! They call them "glass floats". A glass float is a special kind of ball made out of glass that is used for something called "fishing".

You see, a long time ago, fishermen used to use big nets to catch fish in the ocean. These nets would float on top of the water, but sometimes they would sink too deep and get damaged. So, someone had an idea to make these glass balls to help keep the nets afloat. They would attach the glass floats to the bottom of the nets so they wouldn't sink too deep.

Now, fishermen don't really use glass floats anymore, but some people like to collect them because they are pretty and remind them of the ocean. The glass floats are still made today by special artists who melt glass and shape it into a ball. Then, they cool it down slowly so that it gets really hard, smooth and shiny.

So, there you have it! Glass floats helped fishermen catch more fish by keeping their nets afloat, but now they are just colorful and pretty decorations for you to find at the beach. How cool is that?