ClassX Video Lessons Grade Grade 2 Living and Non-living Things for Kids | Learn why some things are alive and others are not
Hey there! Today, we’re going to explore the world of living and non-living things. Have you ever wondered what makes something alive or not? Let’s find out together!
When you think of living things, what comes to mind? Maybe animals, plants, or even tiny insects? You’re right! These are all living things. But what makes them special?
Living things have three main superpowers:
Have you ever seen a baby chick or a little plant sprout? Do they stay tiny forever? Nope! They grow bigger and bigger. A chick grows into a hen, and a sprout becomes a big plant. That’s the magic of growth!
Living things need food, water, and sometimes sunlight to stay healthy. These are called nutrients. For example, plants soak up sunlight and water to grow, while animals eat food. Even mold on cheese is living because it eats the cheese to survive. Isn’t that cool?
Living things can make more of themselves. This means they can have babies or grow new plants from seeds. Non-living things can’t do this.
Now, let’s talk about non-living things. These are things that have never been alive. They don’t grow, eat, or reproduce. They don’t need nutrients, and they don’t breathe or have senses like seeing or hearing.
Non-living things can be solid, like a rock, liquid, like water, or gas, like the air we breathe. A car is a non-living thing because it doesn’t grow or eat. It only moves when someone drives it.
Let’s play a game! Can you tell which of these is non-living? A stuffed animal or a real animal? If you said the stuffed animal, you’re right!
How about two plants? One grew from a seed, and the other is made of plastic. Which one is living? If you picked the one from a seed, great job!
Finally, we have a crystal and a rock. Are any of these living? Nope, both are non-living!
Let’s see what we’ve learned:
Next time you’re playing, try to guess which items are living and which are non-living. It’s a fun game to play with friends!
Thanks for learning with us today! Remember, the world is full of amazing living and non-living things. Keep exploring and having fun!
Nature Walk Adventure: Take a walk in your garden, park, or backyard with an adult. Look around and try to find examples of living and non-living things. Can you spot a tree, a bird, or a flower? How about a rock, a bench, or a puddle of water? Make a list of what you find and discuss why each item is living or non-living.
Plant a Seed: Plant a seed in a small pot with soil. Water it regularly and place it in a sunny spot. Watch it grow over the weeks. Keep a journal and draw pictures of how your plant changes. Talk about how your plant is a living thing because it grows, needs water and sunlight, and will eventually reproduce by making seeds or flowers.
Living vs. Non-Living Sorting Game: Gather a collection of small items from around your home, such as a toy car, a leaf, a spoon, a small plant, and a piece of fruit. Sort them into two groups: living and non-living. Discuss with a friend or family member why each item belongs in its group. Remember, living things grow, need nutrients, and can reproduce!
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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Living and non-living things for kids! The world is full of living and non-living things. How are these things alike? How are they different? Were all non-living things alive at some point in time? There are so many questions, and today we are going to answer them together.
When you think of something that is living, what comes to mind? Animals, plants, or insects might have made your list because they are all alive. All living things have special traits or characteristics that set them apart from non-living things. What do you think some of those might be?
Living things do three main things that non-living things cannot do: grow, take in nutrients, and reproduce.
Let’s start with growth. Have you ever seen a chick before? What about a tiny plant sprout? Do these things stay the same, or do they change over time? That’s right, they change and get bigger. They grow! A chick becomes a hen, and a sprout becomes a fully grown plant.
Now, on to the next point: what do you think taking in nutrients means? Simply put, it means eating, drinking, or absorbing all of the nutrients that an organism needs to survive. What are nutrients? They are what living things need in order to grow and thrive—things like food, water, and sunlight if you are a plant. Animals and plants take in nutrients in different ways, and so do tiny organisms.
Here’s an interesting fact: mold on cheese is a living thing because it actually feeds off of the cheese, grows, and needs nutrients in order to live. In this case, the cheese is the nutrient that the mold needs to survive. Pretty neat, right?
Lastly, living things reproduce or make more of their own kind. Non-living things cannot reproduce. In addition to these three main characteristics, most living things also breathe, have senses like sight, taste, touch, sound, and smell, and they move too. But there are some non-living things that also move, like fire and water.
Now that we have talked about living things, let’s turn our attention to non-living things. Non-living things are not and have never been alive, which means that when something living dies, it does not become non-living; it is just dead. As you can probably guess, non-living things are pretty much the opposite of living things. They do not grow, eat, reproduce, breathe, or have senses. They do not need nutrients to survive.
Non-living objects can be in solid, liquid, or gas form. Take a car, for example. A car has never been alive; it does not eat, grow, or reproduce, and the only time it moves is if a person drives it.
Think you can spot the differences between something that is living and something that is non-living? Let’s find out! Which one of these is non-living? Did you say the stuffed animal? You are right!
Okay, here are two plants. But wait! One of these plants grew from a seed, and the other one is made of plastic. Which one is living? Did you say this one? You are right!
Ready for one more? We have a crystal and a rock. Is one of these objects living? Nope, both are non-living. You are awesome!
Now that you are an expert on living and non-living things, let’s review. Fill in the blank: living things can grow, take in nutrients, and ____. Did you say reproduce? True or false: once a living thing dies, it becomes a non-living thing. False! Non-living things have never been alive. Name a non-living thing that can move: fire, water, or a car? True or false: non-living things can be solids, liquids, or gases. That’s true!
Great work, everybody! Everywhere you go, there are living and non-living things. Living things grow, take in nutrients, and reproduce. Non-living things do not. The next time you are playing with friends, make up a game and guess which item is living and which is non-living, kind of like we did today. And always remember to have fun!
Hope you had fun learning with us! Visit us at learnbright.org for thousands of free resources and turnkey solutions for teachers and homeschoolers.
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