# Lesson 128: How we care for living things

🔬 SCIENCE (40 Lessons) • 🟢 A. Living and Nonliving

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## Objective

I can explain simple ways to care for living things. I can say what plants and pets need and choose kind actions that keep them safe and healthy.

## Materials

- Picture of a plant in a pot (real or drawn)
- Picture of a pet (dog, cat, fish, or other)
- Pencil and notebook or scrap paper

## Mini-lesson — Caring for plants and pets

Living things need care. When we care for plants and pets, we help them stay healthy and safe.

What living things need

- Food to give them energy.
- Water to drink or to help them grow.
- Air to breathe.
- A safe home or place to live.
- Love and kind hands.

Caring for a plant

- Give it the right amount of water.
- Place it where it gets light.
- Do not pull its leaves or break its stem.

Caring for a pet

- Give it fresh food and clean water.
- Keep its home or bed clean.
- Be gentle. No hitting, kicking, or shouting.
- Play and spend time with it.

When we look after living things every day, we show respect for life and for our world.

Picture strip: Caring for a plant and a pet

Plant care

Pet care

## Guided Practice — Plan care for a plant and a pet

You will choose one plant and one pet (real or pretend) and make a simple care plan for each one.

1. Pick your living things: Use a real plant and pet if you can, or draw a picture of a plant in a pot and a pet (for example, a dog or a fish).
2. List what they need: For each one, say or write the words food, water, air, home, and love.
3. Make a care list: Under the plant, write three things you will do (for example: water, light, clean pot). Under the pet, write three things you will do (for example: food, clean bed, play).
4. Say what is kind: Talk about one kind action you can do each day for the plant and one for the pet.
5. Use the tracing pad: Choose care words like water, food, light, or clean from the dropdown and trace them slowly while you say the word out loud.

Tracing Pad
Lines
Trace
Pen

## Practice 1 — Plant care checklist

Choose one plant (real or drawn) and make a simple care checklist.

1. Write the plant name or draw a quick picture at the top of your page.
2. Under it, write three boxes: water, light, clean.
3. Tick the box each day when you give it water, light, or clean its pot or tray.

## Practice 2 — Pet care picture story

Draw a picture story that shows how you care for a pet in three small steps.

1. Draw three boxes in a row.
2. In box 1, draw giving the pet food or water.
3. In box 2, draw cleaning its home or bed.
4. In box 3, draw playing or sitting gently with the pet.
5. Under each box, write one word: food, clean, play.

## Practice 3 — Kind or unkind?

Read or listen to each action. Decide if it is kind or unkind to a living thing.

- Gently watering a plant when the soil feels dry.
- Poking a plant leaf with a sharp stick.
- Filling your pet's bowl with fresh water.
- Shouting at a pet when it comes to you.
- Putting litter in a bin so animals do not step on it.

Circle or say which actions are kind and which are unkind. Explain how you would change the unkind actions into kind ones.

## Quick Check — How we care for living things

Answer each question about caring for plants and pets. Think about what living things need and how we can help them.

1) Which sentence is true about living things?

They do not need food or water. They need care to stay healthy. They never change or grow.
Living things need care, like food, water, and safe homes, to stay healthy.

2) What does a plant need to grow well?

Water and light. Loud music. New shoes.
Plants need water and light to grow well.

3) Which is a kind way to treat a pet?

Hitting it when you are angry. Forgetting to give it water. Speaking gently and feeding it.
Pets need gentle voices and regular food to feel safe and cared for.

4) Why should we keep a pet's bed or cage clean?

To make more mess. To keep the pet healthy and comfy. So we never see the pet.
A clean bed or cage helps the pet stay healthy and comfortable.

5) A plant looks dry and droopy. What should you do first?

Check the soil and give water. Pull off its leaves. Kick the pot.
Checking the soil and giving water is a caring first step.

6) Which action shows care for a plant on a sunny day?

Putting it in a dark box. Throwing it in the bin. Giving it water and light.
Plants need both water and light to stay healthy.

7) A pet cat meows and stands by its empty bowl. What is a caring choice?

Ignore it and walk away. Check and fill its food or water bowl. Shout at it to be quiet.
Filling the bowl shows you listen and care about its needs.

8) Why should we be gentle when we touch animals?

So they feel safe and do not get hurt. So they become toys. So they do not need food.
Gentle hands help animals feel safe and protect their bodies.

9) Which sentence is true about a daily care routine?

We care for pets only once a year. Plants need care only when they look perfect. We care for living things again and again each day.
Living things need regular care, not just once.

10) Which picture would best show caring for a fish?

A child tapping hard on the glass. A child giving food and keeping the tank clean. A child shaking the tank.
Fish need food and clean water, not loud taps or shaking.

11) Why should we not pull leaves off a plant for fun?

It can hurt the plant. The plant likes losing leaves. It helps the plant eat.
Pulling leaves can harm the plant and stop it growing well.

12) A dog is a living thing. What does it need every day?

Only toys. Food, water, and love. Nothing at all.
Dogs need food, water, and love every day.

13) Which action helps both plants and pets?

Throwing rubbish on the ground. Forgetting to give water. Keeping their space clean and safe.
Clean and safe spaces help all living things around us.

14) Why do we learn to care for living things?

To respect life and protect our world. So we can be unkind without thinking. Only to win a game.
Caring for living things shows respect and helps our world stay healthy.

15) Which sentence best explains a caring choice?

I push my pet when it is tired. I give my pet fresh water and speak kindly. I pull my plant out of the soil.
Giving water and kind words is a caring choice for a pet.

## Assessment (parent/teacher)

Student can name basic needs of living things such as food, water, air, and safe homes. Student can describe at least two ways to care for a plant. Student can describe at least two ways to care for a pet. Student can tell the difference between kind and unkind actions toward living things. Student can explain a simple daily care routine for a plant or pet.

## Exit ticket (student)

😀 I can explain how to care for living things. 🙂 I know some ways to care for living things but need more practice. 😅 Caring for living things still feels a bit tricky for me.

#### Next time I will practise…

Making a care plan for a plant Making a care plan for a pet Using kind hands and words with living things
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