Is living or nonliving?

This week we will be learning about living and non-living things. On our “Spectacular Word of the Week” list we have added the word “characteristic” and discovered the main characteristics of living things. This information can help us sort living, from non living things. As usual, I have found a few websites that follow the TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills) and reinforce what we’ve learned about sorting living and nonliving things.

On the BBC school site you can look at an average park and find eight living things. Be sure and pay attention to where you find them because you will be asked! On sorter #2 your child can review many life cycles of living things by identifying where the living things came from. Finally, you can help your child take a short quiz that can allow them to use critical thinking skills. For example, what type of animal would most likely not be found in the park? Think carefully.

During our investigations the students have wondered about fallen leaves, animal bones, and other similar items. I found a website that asks the same question that we have often asked ourselves in class, “Yes…but is it alive?” Here your child will be challenged to decide on whether the picture they are looking at shows items that are living, nonliving, or were once living.

Finally a game that can be very challenging! At DynaMo’s Lab you can play a game called Odd One Out. Here your child will see several pictures and will have to choose which one doesn’t belong. Making this type of decision is an important scientific process and can be tricky. Sometimes all four pictures will be animals, but you must decide which one has characteristics that are different from the others. Your child should understand the basic idea because we have covered this information in class. Good luck, and don’t worry too much about the timer. If you get a few correct then you are doing great!