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A fun lesson on grouping items into living and non-living categories based on what students have learned.
Imagine you find a fuzzy puppy and a smooth rock in your backyard. One of them needs a snack and a nap to stay happy, but the other one can sit there for a hundred years without eating a single bite! How do we know which one is which?
How do we know if something is living? Scientists use a special checklist! To be alive, a thing usually needs to do these four things: 1. Breathe air, 2. Eat food or drink water for energy, 3. Grow bigger over time, and 4. Make babies or seeds. Think about a small seed. It doesn't look like it's doing much, but with water and sun, it grows into a giant sunflower! That means it is a living thing.
Let's use our checklist for a kitten: 1. Does it breathe? Yes! 2. Does it drink milk or eat food? Yes! 3. Does it grow into a big cat? Yes! Since it does these things, a kitten is a living thing.
Quick Check
If something grows bigger over time, is it more likely to be living or non-living?
Answer
Living
Non-living things are different. They do not breathe, they do not feel hungry, and they cannot grow on their own. A rock will stay the same size forever unless it gets broken. A bicycle can move, but only if you pedal it! It doesn't need to eat breakfast to have energy. These items are part of our non-living world.
A toy robot can walk and talk! But is it living? 1. Does it breathe air? No, it uses batteries. 2. Does it grow taller? No, it stays the same size. 3. Does it have robot babies? No! Even though it moves, it is non-living.
Quick Check
A car moves fast down the street. Does this mean it is a living thing?
Answer
No, because it does not breathe, grow, or eat food (it uses fuel, but not like a living stomach!).
Sometimes, things are tricky! Look at a wooden chair. It isn't breathing or growing now, so it is non-living. But wait—where did the wood come from? It came from a tree! A tree is a living thing. We say the chair is made of something that was once alive. Other examples include a fallen leaf or a paper book. They don't need food now, but they used to be part of something that did!
Think about the lettuce in your salad: 1. Is it growing in the ground right now? No, it is on your plate. 2. Was it part of a plant that breathed and grew? Yes! 3. Conclusion: The lettuce is now non-living, but it was once alive.
Which of these is a living thing?
What is one thing ALL living things do?
A wooden table is living because it came from a tree.
Review Tomorrow
Tomorrow, look at three things in your bedroom. Can you remember the 4 things on the 'Living Checklist' to see if they are alive?
Practice Activity
Go on a 'Nature Sort' walk! Find 5 things that are living and 5 things that are non-living. See if you can find one thing that was 'once alive' (like a stick or a dry leaf)!