What You Need to Know

Living things are organisms that are alive — they grow, need food and water, breathe, respond to their environment and reproduce. Non-living things have never been alive or have no life processes. A dead thing was once living but is no longer alive. Scientists use life processes to decide if something is living: Movement, Respiration, Sensitivity, Growth, Reproduction, Excretion, Nutrition (MRSGREN).

Key Concepts

Grow

Living things get bigger

Reproduce

Make new living things

Need Food

Require nutrients to live

Respond

React to surroundings

Living things:

Dogs, cats, birds
Trees, flowers, grass
Fish, insects, frogs
People

Non-living things:

Rocks, sand, water
Chairs, tables, cars
Clouds, wind, fire
Pencils, books

Key Vocabulary

Living Thing

An organism that is alive — it grows, breathes, needs food and water, and can reproduce.

Non-Living Thing

Something that is not alive — it does not grow, breathe or reproduce, e.g. a rock or a table.

Organism

Another word for a living thing — any plant, animal, fungus or micro-organism that is alive.

Life Processes

The things that living things do — grow, breathe, reproduce, move, eat, excrete and respond.

Knowledge Check

Select the correct answer for each question. Click "Check Answer" to see if you are right.

Question 1

Which of these is a living thing?

A butterfly A wooden chair A rock A cloud

Question 2

What do ALL living things need to survive?

Electricity and light Food, water and air Petrol and oil Metal and plastic

Question 3

A log of wood from a tree — is it living or non-living?

Living, because it came from a tree Living, because wood is soft Non-living, because it was once alive but no longer carries out life processes We cannot tell

Question 4

Which feature shows that plants are living things?

They are green They are tall They are found outside They grow and produce seeds to reproduce

Living and Non-Living Things