Living vs Non-Living

1What Is Alive?

Living things can grow, move, eat, breathe, and have babies. A cat is alive — it eats, breathes, and moves. A rock is not alive — it does none of these.

Plants are alive too! They grow toward the sun, drink water, and make seeds. Even though they do not move from place to place, they are living things.

2What Living Things Need

All living things need four things: water, food, air, and a place to live (shelter or habitat). Without these, they cannot survive.

Animals drink water and eat food. Plants "drink" water through their roots and "eat" sunlight through their leaves. Different needs, but all are alive!

3Non-Living Things

Non-living things do not grow, eat, or breathe on their own. Rocks, water, sand, toys, and chairs are non-living. They were made by nature or by people.

Some non-living things used to be alive! Paper was once a tree. Leather was once an animal's skin. But now they are non-living because they no longer grow or breathe.

★Explore

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