Living Things and Their Needs

Look around you. You may see a plant, a pet, a chair, and a toy car. Some are living things, and some are nonliving objects. Today you will learn clues that help you tell them apart.

What makes something living?

Living things grow and change during their lives. They use what they need from their surroundings. Plants and animals are living things. A young plant can grow taller. A puppy can grow into an adult dog. Living things also make more living things of their kind, though this is not something we need to see during one lesson.

Living does not always mean moving

A toy car can move when someone pushes it, but it is not alive. A tree may stay in one place, but it is alive and growing. Look for more than movement when you decide whether something is living.

Living, nonliving, and once living

A rock and a chair are nonliving. A wooden table is nonliving now, even though its wood came from a tree that once lived. A dry leaf that has fallen from a plant is no longer living, even though it came from a living thing. These examples help us see that “came from something living” and “is living now” are different ideas.

Example from a garden

In a garden, a growing plant and a small insect are living. A watering can, a stone, and a fence are nonliving. The watering can helps a person care for a plant, but it does not grow or need water to live.

Living things have different needs

Animals need food, water, and air. They also need a safe place to live. Plants need water, air, and light, and they grow in places that provide what they need. Different kinds of plants and animals may have different needs. A cactus and a pond plant do not live in exactly the same place.

Observe from a safe distance. Do not touch an unknown animal or pull up a plant. You can point, describe, and ask a trusted adult about what you see.

Key takeaways

• Plants and animals are living things.
• Living things grow and change and have needs.
• A moving toy is not alive, and a tree can be alive without moving place to place.
• Some objects came from living things but are nonliving now.

Practice

Sort these examples into living and nonliving now: a growing flower, a rock, a toy dog, and a bird.

Answers: The growing flower and bird are living. The rock and toy dog are nonliving.