Exploring Living Things
1. What are Living Things?
Living things are organisms that have life. They can grow, reproduce, and respond to their environment. Examples include plants, animals, and humans.
2. Characteristics of Living Things
Living things share several key characteristics:
- Growth: Living things grow and develop over time. For example, a baby plant grows into a tall tree.
- Reproduction: Living things can make more of their own kind. For example, a cat can have kittens.
- Respiration: Living things take in oxygen and release carbon dioxide. For example, humans breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide.
- Nutrition: Living things need food to survive. For example, a lion eats meat to get energy.
- Excretion: Living things get rid of waste. For example, humans go to the bathroom to get rid of waste.
- Sensitivity: Living things can respond to their environment. For example, a flower opens its petals when the sun comes out.
3. Plants
Plants are living things that grow in the ground. They make their own food using sunlight, water, and air. Plants have roots, stems, and leaves. Examples include trees, flowers, and grass.
Example: A sunflower is a plant that grows tall and has big, yellow flowers. It uses sunlight to make food and grows taller as it gets more sunlight.
4. Animals
Animals are living things that can move around. They need to eat other living things to survive. Animals can be big or small, and they come in many shapes and sizes. Examples include dogs, birds, and fish.
Example: A butterfly is an animal that starts as a caterpillar, then forms a cocoon, and finally emerges as a beautiful butterfly. It moves from place to place and eats plants for food.
5. Humans
Humans are living things that can think, talk, and make things. We have special abilities like using tools, building homes, and caring for other living things. Humans are part of the animal kingdom, but we have unique characteristics.
Example: A child is a young human who grows into an adult. As a child grows, they learn new things, make friends, and develop their own abilities.
6. Ecosystems
An ecosystem is a community of living things and the environment they live in. It includes plants, animals, and the air, water, and soil around them. All living things depend on each other and their environment to survive.
Example: A forest is an ecosystem where trees provide homes for birds, and birds help spread seeds for new trees. The trees also clean the air and provide oxygen for other living things.
7. Adaptations
Adaptations are special features that help living things survive in their environment. These features can be physical, like a bird's beak, or behavioral, like a turtle hiding in its shell. Adaptations help living things find food, avoid predators, and live in different climates.
Example: A polar bear has thick fur and a layer of fat to keep it warm in the cold Arctic. This is an adaptation that helps the polar bear survive in its cold environment.