What is a plant?

A plant is a living thing. Plants grow, need water and light, and can make their own food. Most plants grow in soil, but some grow in water.

Plants come in many shapes and sizes. Some are small and low to the ground, like daisies. Others are very tall, like oak trees. Some plants have bright flowers, while others do not.

There are different types of plants:

• Wild plants grow naturally without people planting them.
• Garden plants are planted and looked after by people.
• Deciduous trees lose their leaves in autumn.
• Evergreen trees keep their leaves all year round.

Most flowering plants have four main parts:

• Roots (hold the plant in the ground and take in water)
• Stem (holds the plant up)
• Leaves (help the plant make food)
• Flowers (help the plant make seeds)

Plants are very important. They give us food, clean air and beautiful places to enjoy.

Plants for kids
Learn about the fascinating world of plants for kids with our range of fun experiments & free games.

BBC Bitesize - What plants can you find outside?
Looking at their size, leaf shapes, colours or flower scent can help you learn what they are called.

How plants grow

Many plants begin life as a seed or a bulb. Inside a seed is a tiny baby plant waiting to grow.

Plants need a few important things to grow well:

• Water
• Light
• The right temperature (warmth)

When a seed has water and warmth, it begins to grow. This is called germination. First, a tiny root grows down into the soil. Then a small shoot grows up towards the light.

As the plant grows bigger, it develops leaves and sometimes flowers.

What is an animal?

An animal is a living thing. Animals move from place to place and need to eat food to stay alive. Unlike plants, animals cannot make their own food.

Animals live in many different places. Some live on land, some live in water and some can do both.

There are different groups of animals:

• Fish live in water and have gills and fins.
• Amphibians (like frogs) can live on land and in water.
• Reptiles have dry, scaly skin.
• Birds have feathers and wings.
• Mammals have fur or hair and feed their babies milk.

Animals have different body parts to help them survive. For example, birds have wings to fly, fish have fins to swim and rabbits have strong legs to run quickly.

What animals eat

Animals eat different kinds of food.

• Herbivores eat plants.
• Carnivores eat other animals.
• Omnivores eat both plants and animals.

What an animal eats helps it survive in its habitat.

Simple food chains

A food chain shows how food passes from one living thing to another.

It usually starts with a plant, because plants make their own food.

For example:

Grass → Rabbit → Fox

The rabbit eats the grass.
The fox eats the rabbit.

Food chains show how living things depend on one another.

Habitats and microhabitats

A habitat is a place where a plant or animal lives. It provides everything the living thing needs to survive, such as food, water and shelter.

Different habitats include forests, deserts, oceans and gardens.

A microhabitat is a very small habitat inside a larger one.

Examples of microhabitats include:

• Under a log
• In a pond
• In leaf litter
• Under a stone

Even a small space can be home to many tiny creatures like worms, beetles and spiders.

Living things depend on their habitat for:

• Food
• Shelter
• Safety

If a habitat changes, the plants and animals living there may struggle to survive.

Nocturnal and diurnal animals

Some animals are active at different times of the day.

Nocturnal animals are awake and active at night. For example, owls hunt in the dark and have excellent night vision.

Diurnal animals are active during the day. For example, squirrels search for food in daylight.

Being active at different times helps animals:

• Avoid predators
• Find food
• Stay safe