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Discover the materials found in nature that humans use to survive and build their communities.
Look around your room right now. Did you know that everything you see—from the wooden legs of your chair to the glass in your window—started as a 'treasure' found hidden in the Earth?
A natural resource is any material found in nature that humans use to survive or to make things. Think of the Earth as a giant storehouse! We don't make these materials ourselves; we find them in the air, on the land, or deep underground. Three of the most common examples are water, trees, and minerals like iron. Without these 'gifts' from the Earth, we wouldn't have food to eat, clothes to wear, or even a place to live. Every single thing you own began its life as a natural resource.
Quick Check
In your own words, what is a natural resource?
Answer
A material found in nature that people use to live or build things.
Not all resources are the same. We group them by how fast they come back. Renewable resources are like a 'magic' refillable water bottle; they can be replaced naturally in a short time. Examples include sunlight, wind, and trees. On the other hand, non-renewable resources are like a bag of chips—once you eat them all, they are gone! These resources, like coal, oil, and natural gas, take or more years to form deep underground. Once we use them up, we can't get more in our lifetime.
Let's look at how long it takes to 'refill' two different resources: 1. Trees: If we cut down a pine tree, a new one can grow back in about years. This is a renewable resource. 2. Coal: If we burn a piece of coal for heat, it takes over years for the Earth to make more. This is a non-renewable resource.
Quick Check
If a resource takes 5 million years to grow back, is it renewable or non-renewable?
Answer
Non-renewable
We use resources for different reasons. Some are essential for survival. These are things we literally cannot live without, such as fresh water for drinking, oxygen from the air for breathing, and fertile soil for growing food. Other resources are used for manufacturing. This means we take a resource and change it into a product. For example, we take iron ore (a rock) and turn it into steel for cars, or we take sand and melt it down to create the glass for your phone screen.
Follow the journey of a pencil: 1. The Wood: Comes from a cedar tree (a renewable resource used for manufacturing). 2. The Graphite: This is the 'lead' inside. It is a mineral mined from the ground (a non-renewable resource). 3. The Metal: The little ring holding the eraser is made from aluminum (a non-renewable resource).
Quick Check
Is 'clean air' a survival resource or a manufacturing resource?
Answer
Survival resource
Imagine a town needs to build a new power plant to create electricity. They have two choices: 1. Option A: A coal plant. Coal is cheap but it is non-renewable and will eventually run out. 2. Option B: Wind turbines. Wind is renewable and will never run out, but the turbines are expensive to build at first.
The town must decide if they want a resource that is easy to get now (coal) or one that lasts forever (wind).
Which of these is a natural resource used primarily for survival?
Why is oil considered a non-renewable resource?
Trees are a renewable resource because they can be replanted and grown back relatively quickly.
Review Tomorrow
Tomorrow morning, look at your breakfast. Try to name one natural resource that was used to make your food or the plate it sits on!
Practice Activity
Go on a 'Resource Scavenger Hunt' in your kitchen. Find 3 items made from plants (renewable) and 3 items made from metal or plastic (non-renewable).