Chapter 1. Living and Non-living Things FREE
Look around you. Some things are alive, like a dog, a tree or a person. Other things are not alive, like a rock, a chair or a spoon. In this chapter we learn how to tell the difference between living things and non-living things.
What makes something living?
Living things all do certain things that non-living things cannot do. We call these the characteristics of life. If something does all of them, it is a living thing.
- Growth - living things get bigger over time, like a puppy that grows into a dog.
- Feeding - living things need food to give them energy.
- Movement - animals move around, and plants slowly turn towards the light.
- Breathing - living things take in air to stay alive.
- Reproduction - living things make new living things, like a hen that lays eggs or a plant that makes seeds.
Plants and animals are living
There are two big groups of living things: plants and animals. A person is a kind of animal. Plants make their own food and stay in one place. Animals must find their food and can usually move about.
Non-living things
Non-living things do not grow, eat, breathe or make babies. A stone stays the same size forever. A toy car only moves when you push it. Some non-living things were once part of a living thing, like a wooden table that came from a tree, but the table itself is not alive.
Living things are everywhere
Living things are found all over the Earth. They live in hot places like the desert, cold places like the mountains, in rivers and the sea, in the soil and in the air. Wherever there is water and air, we usually find living things.
| Living | Non-living |
|---|---|
| Dog, tree, bird, child, fish | Rock, chair, spoon, plastic bottle, water |