30-minute lesson
Kindergarten Science: Living things and their needs
Lesson objective
- Name some living things found around the home and garden.
- Explain that living things need food, water and air.
- Care for a living thing by meeting its needs.
Success criteria:
- I can point to a living thing and a non-living thing.
- I can say three things that living things need.
- I can help look after a plant or pet.
Materials
- A small pot plant or a few seeds in a cup of soil
- A cup of water
- Toys and household objects for sorting (a spoon, a block, a soft toy)
- Paper and crayons
Introduction
3 minIntroduce today's words:
- living: Something that is alive. It grows, needs food and water, and makes more of its own kind.
- non-living: Something that is not alive and does not grow by itself, like a rock or a spoon.
- needs: The things a living thing must have to stay alive.
- shelter: A safe place to live, like a nest, burrow or house.
Ask your child what they already know about living things and their needs.
Explanation
6 minEverything around us is either living or non-living. Living things include people, animals such as kangaroos and magpies, and plants such as gum trees and grass.
All living things have needs. Animals need food, water and air. Plants need water, air and sunlight to make their own food.
Many animals also need shelter. A wombat digs a burrow, a possum sleeps in a tree hollow and a bird builds a nest.
Non-living things, like rocks, toys and spoons, do not eat, drink or grow by themselves.
- A soft toy kangaroo looks like an animal, but it is non-living. It does not eat or grow.
We can help living things by giving them what they need, like watering a plant or filling a pet's water bowl.
Worked examples
5 minIs it living?
Is a pot plant living or non-living?
Step 1: Ask: does it grow? Yes, a plant grows new leaves.
Step 2: Ask: does it need water? Yes, it droops if it gets too dry.
Step 3: So the plant is living.
Answer: The pot plant is living.
What does a koala need?
Name the things a koala needs to stay alive.
Step 1: Koalas eat gum leaves, so they need food.
Step 2: Koalas need water. They get much of it from leaves but also drink.
Step 3: Koalas breathe air, like us.
Step 4: Koalas need gum trees for shelter and food.
Answer: Food (gum leaves), water, air and trees for shelter.
Guided practice (do together)
6 min1. Which one is a living thing?
(a) A rock (b) A magpie (c) A spoon (d) A toy car
2. What do plants need to make their own food?
(a) Sunlight (b) Toys (c) Shoes (d) Music
3. Where does a wombat find shelter?
(a) In a nest (b) In the sea (c) In a burrow (d) In a cloud
4. Which one is non-living?
(a) A gum tree (b) A frog (c) A baby (d) A teddy bear
Independent practice
7 min5. What happens to a plant if it gets no water for a long time?
(a) It grows faster (b) It turns into a rock (c) It wilts and can die (d) It starts to walk
6. What do all animals need to drink?
7. We breathe it in all the time. What is it?
8. Is a kookaburra living or non-living?
Questions to check understanding
- Can you point to a living thing and a non-living thing?
- Can you say three things that living things need?
- Can you help look after a plant or pet?
- What was the trickiest part today?
Answer guide
1. A magpie — A magpie is a bird. It eats, drinks, breathes and grows, so it is living.
2. Sunlight — Plants use sunlight, air and water to make their food.
3. In a burrow — Wombats dig burrows in the ground to stay safe and cool.
4. A teddy bear — A teddy bear does not eat, drink or grow, so it is non-living.
5. It wilts and can die — Without water a plant droops (wilts) and can die.
6. water — All animals need water to stay alive.
7. air — People and animals need air to breathe.
8. living — A kookaburra is a bird. It eats, drinks and grows, so it is living.
Review
3 minRecap the success criteria together. Watch for these common misconceptions:
- Children may think things that move, like cars or clouds, are alive. Remind them that living things also eat, drink and grow.
- Some children think plants are not alive because they do not move around. Show how a plant grows and needs water.
- A toy that looks like an animal is still non-living.
Extension activities
- Draw a favourite Australian animal and its shelter.
- Plant a bean seed in a clear cup with damp paper towel and watch it grow over a week.
- Make a sorting mat with 'living' and 'non-living' sides and sort picture cards.
Suggested follow-up
- Revisit living things and their needs tomorrow with two or three quick questions from memory.
- Try the online practice check for this topic and look at any questions that need another go.
Tips for parents
- Go on a short 'living hunt' in the backyard or park and let your child point out living things.
- Give your child a small job, like watering a plant each day, so they see needs being met.
- Safety: wash hands after handling soil, and look but do not touch wild animals, spiders or insects.