Everybody knows that some things are alive, and some things are not, but sometimes it

can be hard to tell them apart! Let's learn about the features that determine whether

something is alive.

Living things are called 'organisms.' An organism is any living thing, from elephants to trees.

Even the green scum floating on ponds is an organism!

First, all living things need some kind of energy, nutrients, or food. This does not

mean, however, that all living organisms will eat. Some organisms, like plants, can make

their own food.

Second, all living things can grow. Living things grow in different ways. Some organisms

grow to a specific size and then stop, while others may keep getting larger through their

entire life, but all living things can grow and become larger.

Third, living things react to changes in their environment. This could be anything from a

person using an umbrella to keep dry in the rain to a plant sending its roots deeper into

the ground to reach water. To react to change, organisms need to be able to sense when things

change. Humans and many other animals have senses like sight, hearing, and touch to help

us know when conditions have changed, but even plants have senses that allow them to

tell where the light is and which way is up and down.

Finally, all living things can reproduce. Whether this means making seeds, having babies,

or even just dividing, living things can make more of themselves.

Now that you've learned how to tell if something is living or nonliving, let's look at some

examples and see if you can tell whether they are living or nonliving.

I hope you enjoyed learning about the difference between living and nonliving things today.

Goodbye till next time!