🔬 ScienceLevel 1Lesson 2
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Nonliving Things Around Us

Lesson preview: the Mini Lesson and Vocabulary are open to everyone. Guided practice, exercises, the parent checklist and the printable PDF worksheet come with full access (free 7-day trial or membership).

What you will learn

  • 1Identify nonliving things around you
  • 2Explain three reasons why they are not living
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Mini Lesson

Your home, the park, and your yard are full of nonliving things. Knowing how to spot them makes you a real scientist!

A nonliving thing does not grow

  • A table is the same size today as it was last year.
  • A shoe stays the same — it never gets bigger on its own.
  • Example: A window never grows taller.

A nonliving thing does not need food, water, or air

  • You can leave a spoon in a drawer for years — it will be fine.
  • A brick does not need a drink of water to survive.

A nonliving thing cannot make more of itself

  • A ball cannot make baby balls. A cup cannot make little cups.
  • Only living things can reproduce.

Some tricky ones to watch out for

  • Fire moves and gets bigger — but it is nonliving. It is not a plant or an animal.
  • Water flows — but it is nonliving. It does not grow or need food.
  • Wood was once part of a living tree, but cut wood is nonliving.

Words to know

Nonliving

Something that does not grow, eat, drink, or make babies

e.g. A rock is nonliving.

Living

Something that grows, needs food and water, and can make babies

e.g. A puppy is a living thing.

Reproduce

To make more of yourself, like a plant making seeds

e.g. Animals reproduce to have babies.

Grow

To get bigger over time

e.g. A tree grows taller every year.

Common nonliving objects at homeA desk, a chair, a book, and a window shown as nonliving objects with labels.Nonliving things around usdeskchairbookwindowNone of these grow, breathe, or have babies.
Things you see at home — all nonliving.
The three NO test for nonliving thingsThree questions: Does it grow? Does it need food? Can it reproduce? All answered NO for nonliving things.The 3 NO testNODoes it grow on its own?A rock never gets bigger.NODoes it need food and water?A chair needs nothing to survive.NOCan it make more of itself?A ball cannot make baby balls.
If the answer is NO to all three — it is nonliving.
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Ask yourself: "Does it grow on its own? Does it need food and water? Can it make babies?" If all three are NO — it is nonliving!

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← Lesson 1: What Is Living?Lesson 3: Plants Need Sunlight and Water →