Living and Non-Living Things

Our Planet Earth is made up of several things that have life and some things that do not have life.

What are living things?

Living things are things that are alive. Living things need air, water, food and shelter to survive. They use energy to move or change shape. Humans, animals, plants are all living things.

What are non-living things?

Non-living things are things that do not have life. They are there in nature or are made by living things- The three groups of non-living things are: solid, liquid, and gases. They can be natural or man-made. Rocks, soil, table, utensils, car are non-living things.

How are living things different from non-living things?

Movement
While all living things move, non-living things cannot move. For example, humans walk, animals run, birds fly, fishes swim.

Growth
All living things grow while non-living things do not. A human baby grows into a young child and then into an adult. A seed grows into a new plant and the plant grows into a tree. But non-living things stay the same size and shape.

Breathe
While all living things breathe, non-living things do not breathe. While human beings and animals breathe through their noses, fish breathe through their gills.

Food
All living things need food to gram and survive. They eat small plants and animals. Humans even grow crops and eat cooked food. Non-living things need no nutrition.

Reproduce
While all living things reproduce, non-living things do not. While all humans give birth to babies, some animals, birds and fish lay eggs or give birth to their young ones. Plant reproduce from seeds; seeds then grow into a plant.

Sense
Living things feel changes around them through sense organs. Human beings and animals see with eyes, smell with nose, hear with their ears, taste with their tongue and feel touch with their skin. Plants sense things through their leaves.

Communicate
While living things communicate through speech, sounds, actions, non-living things have no sense of communication.

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