Living and Non-living Things Chapter Notes | Science Class 3 ICSE PDF Download

Introduction

In our surroundings, we observe various things like plants, animals, humans, cars, roads, and buildings. These can be divided into two main groups: living things and non-living things. Living things, such as plants, animals, and humans, have life and exhibit specific characteristics. Non-living things, like cars and buildings, do not have life. This chapter explores the differences between living and non-living things and highlights the unique features of living things, such as their need for food, ability to breathe, move, grow, reproduce, respond to changes, and excrete waste.

Living and Non-living Things in the Surroundings

• Living things have life and include plants, animals, and humans.
• Non-living things do not have life and include cars, roads, and buildings.

Characteristics of Living Things

Living Things Need Food

• All living things require food to live and grow.
• Food provides energy for activities.
• Green plants produce their own food using air, water, and sunlight.
• Animals and humans depend on plants directly or indirectly for food.
• Animals consume fruits, vegetables, or other animals that eat plants.

Living Things Breathe

• All living things need air to breathe or respire to survive.
• Plants breathe through tiny openings called stomata on the underside of their leaves.
• Land animals, like humans, breathe through lungs using their nose.
• Water animals, like fish and octopuses, breathe through gills, taking in air dissolved in water.
• Insects, like ants and butterflies, breathe through air holes in their bodies.

Living Things Move

• All living things show movement in some form.
• Animals and humans can move from one place to another to find food, shelter, or escape danger.
• Examples include birds flying, dogs and cats walking or running, and humans walking, running, or jumping.
• Plants cannot move from place to place but show movement in parts.
• Plant movements include bending toward light or water, like sunflowers facing the sun.
• Touch-me-not plants close their leaves when touched and at night, reopening in the morning.
• Plant roots grow downward, and stems grow upward.

Living Things Grow

• All living things grow using energy from food.
• Human and animal babies grow into adults over time.
• Examples include a child growing into an adult, a puppy into a dog, and a cub into a lion.
• Plants grow from seeds into saplings and then into mature plants.

Living Things Have a Lifespan

• All living things have a fixed lifespan and die after a certain age.
• Some insects live for a few hours or days, while elephants and humans can live for many years.

Living Things Reproduce

• Living things produce new individuals of their own kind.
• Humans, cats, dogs, and cows give birth to their young ones.
• Birds, fish, frogs, and snakes lay eggs from which young ones hatch.
• Most plants produce seeds that grow into new plants.

Living Things Feel Changes

• Living things sense and respond to changes in their surroundings.
• Humans and animals use sense organs (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, skin) to feel changes.
• Examples include humans turning on a fan when hot or a dog panting in hot weather.
• Some animals and birds migrate due to weather changes.
• Insects like cockroaches and ants use antennae to sense their surroundings.
• Plants lack sense organs but respond to changes, like touch-me-not plants closing leaves when touched.
• Many plants shed leaves in autumn and bloom in spring.

Living Things Excrete (Give Out Waste)

• Living things remove harmful wastes from their bodies through excretion.
• Humans and animals excrete waste as urine, feces, and sweat.
• Plants release excess water through leaves and excrete wastes like gums and resins.
• Some plant wastes are released into the soil around them.

Characteristics of Non-living Things

• Non-living things do not need food or water to exist.
• Non-living things do not breathe air.
• Non-living things cannot move on their own and need to be pushed or pulled.
• Non-living things do not grow.
• Non-living things do not reproduce.
• Non-living things do not sense or respond to changes in the surroundings.
• Non-living things do not excrete waste.

Differences between Living and Non-living Things

• Living things need food for energy to live and grow; non-living things do not.
• Living things need air to breathe; non-living things do not breathe.
• Living things move on their own; non-living things need to be moved by external forces.
• Living things grow, age, and die; non-living things do not grow or die.
• Living things reproduce; non-living things do not.
• Living things feel and respond to changes; non-living things do not.
• Living things excrete waste; non-living things do not.
• Examples of living things: plants, animals, humans.
• Examples of non-living things: rocks, mountains, books, tables.

Terms to Know

• Living things: Things that have life in them.
• Non-living things: Things that do not have life in them.
• Stomata: Very small openings that are present on the under surface of a leaf.
• Lifespan: A period of time for which a living thing lives.
• Reproduce: Ability to produce living beings of its own kind.
• Excrete: Ability to give out waste products from the body.