Living, once living, never living
Biology · Early Years · The School
What living things do
Living things all do the same seven jobs. They move. They breathe. They sense things. They grow. They feed. They get rid of waste. And they make babies. A cat does all seven. A rock does none. Check any object against that list. That is how scientists decide. They do not guess by how a thing looks.
The tricky middle group
A wooden table was once a tree. And the tree was alive. Leather was once an animal skin. Paper was once wood. These are ONCE LIVING. A plastic spoon was never alive at all. It is NEVER LIVING. Sort into three groups, not two. That is what stops the classic mistake. People call wood not living, as if it had never grown.
Plants are alive too
Plants do all seven jobs too. They just do them slowly and quietly. They move towards light, over hours. They feed, by making sugar from sunlight. They grow. They make seeds. Watch a seed sprout on damp cotton wool for a week. You will SEE a living thing doing living things. That is much more convincing than being told.
A CAR moves. It uses fuel. It makes a noise. But it does not grow. And it cannot make another car. So it is never living. A WOODEN TABLE does nothing at all now. But it was made from a tree that grew and fed. So it is once living. A SEED looks like a dead pebble in your hand. But give it water and warmth and it grows. So it is living. Check each one against the list. Does it feed, grow, breathe, respond, make more? Do not just watch to see if it moves.