What plants and animals need (kindergarten) · lesson

Living or not living

💡 Living things grow and need water. Moving does not make a thing alive.

A dog grows. A tree grows. They need water. They are alive.

A ball can roll. A car can move. But they do not grow. They are not alive.

A cloud moves too. But it does not eat or drink. It is not alive.

🧠 How to think about it

Do not ask, does it move? Ask, does it grow? Does it need water? If yes, it is alive.

🏡 Try it at home

Walk in your home or yard. Find 3 things that are alive. Find 3 that are not.

💡 All animals must eat food, and each kind eats its own foods.

A rabbit eats plants. A squirrel eats nuts. A cat eats meat.

Plants do not eat food. Animals do.

🧠 How to think about it

Is it an animal? Then it must eat. Next ask, what does it like to eat?

🏡 Try it at home

Look at a pet or a bird. What does it eat? Draw a picture of it and its food.

💡 Plants need water and light to grow. They do not eat food.

A plant needs light from the sun. It needs water too.

Plants do not eat food like we do.

With water and light, a seed grows into a sprout. Then it grows big.

🧠 How to think about it

Two plants. One gets water. One does not. I watch them for a week. The dry one droops.

🏡 Try it at home

Put a bean seed in a wet paper towel in a bag. Tape it to a sunny window. Check it each day.

💡 Every living thing needs water. Dogs, trees, and fish all do.

We drink water. Dogs drink water. Plants take it in from the dirt.

A fish lives in water. A toy does not need any.

🧠 How to think about it

Is it alive? Then it needs water. A toy is not alive. So it needs no water.

🏡 Try it at home

Give a plant a drink of water with your grown-up. Then you take a drink too!